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Calabim Tales: A Composition
- Thread starter Ekolite
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Ekolite
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(A document discovered in The National Archives, on the subject of the Annual Allegiance Register. Unfortunately, the Household of Trueheart was slaughtered during the Rebellion of Al.879, just three years after this was written.)
The Annual Allegiance Register and it's Role in the Politics of the Calabim Empire of Her Majesty, Queen Alexis
By Horose Manola, of the Arkavoi Household of Trueheart, Gheiraen, Al.876
The Annual Allegiance Register is a poll conducted in every village and town across the Empire. It is described by the government as ''the common man's means by which to influence his government in a small but significant way'', and is the process by which the men and women of our Glorious Nation give their opinion as to which of the Great Noble Families (or other representatives of the Council of Nobles) should control their village, and therefore conduct the lawkeeping of the region, and deal with any local worries they may have.
The Methodology of the Allegiance Register:
Each of the 21 Nomes of this Empire conduct their poll at different times during the year, in the traditional Calabim Calendar the year is divided into 21 dreigns (equivalent to approximately two and a half weeks), and each one marks the coming of the Allegiance Register in one of the Nomes of the Empire. The controllers of the various seats of the Voting Nome, as it is called, must arrange the Poll and hold it before the end of the dreign and refusal to do so can result in exclusion from the Council of Nobles, removing any legitimate claim the Nobleman may have upon any of the current 235 seats of the Empire. The Government will usually send a specially trained host of Overseers to encourage events to run smoothly and to reduce the inherent corruption of the Poll. However, in the more distant Nomes, or when the previous Voting Nome is a long journey from the Current Voting Nome, the Overseers do not arrive in time, or do not make the journey because they are certain they will be unable to reach the Nome in time for the Poll. In Nomes with many seats, such as the Nome of Nubia, the Overseers are often unable to be present at each of the Polls. This allows the current Representatives of the Nome to avoid having their Seat's Polling observed by holding their Poll on the same day as other Seats in the Nome, or by holding it early in the week if their Seat is a long way away from the Capital, where most of the Overseers are based. This allows the Governors to control how the voting goes, by using coercion, bribery, or by preventing the opposition from being present at the proceedings.
To Vote in the Poll, the voters must go to the High Table, in the Host building , at which will be seated the Current Controller of the Seat, and the Overseers if they are present in the Nome. If the Overseers are present, then the other possible Nominees of the Seat will also sit on the High Table. At this table, they must present their proof of class which exist as follows:
Arkavoi: Signet Ring, with the seal of the Arkavoi Household upon it.
Clergy: Symbol of Aeron the Protector, tattooed on their skin.
Brotovoi: None
Moroi: Symbol of Aeron the Avenger, tattooed on their skin
Haloi: Document of Employment*
The occupiers of the High Table will then give to the voter the appropriate number of the Small, Black Discs used for voting. The discs are called Hakara, and are then placed in the appropriate box, depending on who they should like to vote for. Arkavoi and Clergy may place three Hakara, Moroi and Haloi may place two Hakara, and Brotovoi may place a single Hakar. Kraltovoi and slaves, the unworthy, are of course forbidden from voting, and it is a grievous crime for one to be present at the proceedings. Of course this is never a problem with Kraltovoi, it is usual for a Nome to have only one Pitt, from which the Kraltovoi can never leave. However, in recent years, some few, criminal Arkavoi who are utterly unworthy of their title have been known to attempt passing their slaves off as Brotovoi in order to obtain more votes for their chosen Nominee.
*The Haloi will usually vote as a Brotovoi, if they do not work for the Seat's Governor. This is to avoid their true identity from being discovered.
Tradition and Seat Governors:
The Allegiance Register is steeped in tradition. The most important of which being that to be a nominee for a seat, the Nobleman, Noble family, or other Council Seat holder must have a Political Presence in the area, or a neighbouring area, which can be very difficult to achieve if they don't traditionally own a Manor nearby. It is common for the current Governor of the seat to attempt to remove the influence of other Councilmen before their Nome's Voting dreign, either through coercion or force. If there is only one Nobleman or family with influence in the region by the time of voting then that seat is not voted for. This can also cause small scale skirmishes between the Seat Regions, when a Noble Family wants to gain control of a neighbouring Seat. These are the ways of Calabim politics and few even blink an eye at such antics.
It is required by law for the Governors of the Nome's Seats to form a Council, upon which they may discuss the matters of the Nome, such as border control, contraband and trade, although matters concerning the local regions are generally dealt with by the Governor of its Seat alone. A famous example of a Nomal Council is the Northern Council, which actually spans across the Nomes of Hersemein and Kheirask-Saarville. Although there have been other examples of Binomal Councils during the History of the Empire, they are far less common in the Alexian Era then they were in the Patrian Era, when the Holy Calabim Empire of Patria spanned across the Entire World and single Noble Families were known to control vast areas, which could pass for whole countries in this Era. In these times, for the representatives of the Nomes to agree to a Binomal Council, there must be either a strong tradition of friendship between the Nomes, or for one family to control many of the Seats across both Nomes. This is because a Binomal Council reduces the control of the less influential Governors (the Governors with few, or but a single, seat) over the political Matters of the Nome. The Northern Nomes are dominated almost fully by the Kheiask-Saarville Family, and so they were able to force through the creation of the Binomal Council.
Another factor of tradition upon the voting is that the vast majority of the human population are fairly disinterested in the local politics. The Crown does offer a tax refund of 1 drakara per vote, which encourages the people to vote, but to most voters, which Noble Family controls their region makes little difference. However, many fear their governor, and are afraid of voting against him in case he attempts to have revenge if he loses the village. This is more common then one might expect, especially if the Governor still controls a neighbouring Seat, and therefore still controls a militia in the area. On the subject of militia, it is very common for the governors of each seat to train militia to control their populace, as well as to defend their power from a possible attack from another Seat. These are quite rare outside of the build-up to the Voting dreign, but not fully unheard of. It is possible for a forcible take-over of a Seat via the killing of the current Representative by the forces of another Seat, or by forcing the Governor to cede his Seat . It is also possible for a Nobleman to cede control of a Seat to another Nobleman outside of combat, although this is frowned upon by the Council. It does allow for coercion of other Noblemen however, this makes the few seats controlled by humans far more vulnerable, as they are more susceptible to assassination and coercion then Vampires are. However, if it becomes apparent that one Nobleman on family is attempting to take over many additional seats, it is common for the other Representatives of the Nome to band together against the aggressor to prevent one family from becoming too powerful. It is unlikely for a single family to be able to compete with an alliance between all other Noble Families of the Nome, although in the Northern Council for example, the unexpected uniting of the powerful Kheirask and Saarville families via marriage allowed them to dominate the other Nomal Governors. After the uniting, they immediately began to take over the seats of the weak or isolated Governors, and vassalising any who were too strong or influential to destroy out-right. This is a worrying step towards the centralisation of the Empire, and it is a grievous error of the High Council to delay intervention for so long.
Power and Influence:
The Power of the Nobility, both Nomally and Nationally, is directly linked to the number of Seats they control. Possession of a Seat provides two very significant resources to the Nobility, Manpower and Money. These can be used to participate in matters of the High Council. For example, a Nobleman with a great power base can allow them to forcibly gain control of other Nomes, or gain allies outside of their Nome by providing money or military to help them in matters such as defeating rebellions, and defending against invasion.
Taxes are collected by Representatives sent by the Nomal Council, and the money collected is then split between the Noblemen according to the ratio of how many votes they received in the last Allegiance Register, after the Government Dues of 60% have been deducted. Taxes are collected twice a year, including just before the Polling Dreign, allowing the Representatives the money they require to ensure they obtain the votes they need in the Polling, should they wish to do so. It is common for Governors to bribe criminal aspects of the Arkavoi Caste, which in turn control the votes of the many Brotovoi that live on their land. For this reason, many Nobility choose to give easily controlled men the class of Arkavoi.
The Number of Seats they control also determines how many votes the Noble Family control in the High Council, to be used in matters such as Foreign Policy and National Law. Of course the final decision does technically lie with the Eternal Queen, but going against the majority vote of the Council too often would be folly of the highest order.
The Annual Allegiance Register and it's Role in the Politics of the Calabim Empire of Her Majesty, Queen Alexis
By Horose Manola, of the Arkavoi Household of Trueheart, Gheiraen, Al.876
The Annual Allegiance Register is a poll conducted in every village and town across the Empire. It is described by the government as ''the common man's means by which to influence his government in a small but significant way'', and is the process by which the men and women of our Glorious Nation give their opinion as to which of the Great Noble Families (or other representatives of the Council of Nobles) should control their village, and therefore conduct the lawkeeping of the region, and deal with any local worries they may have.
The Methodology of the Allegiance Register:
Each of the 21 Nomes of this Empire conduct their poll at different times during the year, in the traditional Calabim Calendar the year is divided into 21 dreigns (equivalent to approximately two and a half weeks), and each one marks the coming of the Allegiance Register in one of the Nomes of the Empire. The controllers of the various seats of the Voting Nome, as it is called, must arrange the Poll and hold it before the end of the dreign and refusal to do so can result in exclusion from the Council of Nobles, removing any legitimate claim the Nobleman may have upon any of the current 235 seats of the Empire. The Government will usually send a specially trained host of Overseers to encourage events to run smoothly and to reduce the inherent corruption of the Poll. However, in the more distant Nomes, or when the previous Voting Nome is a long journey from the Current Voting Nome, the Overseers do not arrive in time, or do not make the journey because they are certain they will be unable to reach the Nome in time for the Poll. In Nomes with many seats, such as the Nome of Nubia, the Overseers are often unable to be present at each of the Polls. This allows the current Representatives of the Nome to avoid having their Seat's Polling observed by holding their Poll on the same day as other Seats in the Nome, or by holding it early in the week if their Seat is a long way away from the Capital, where most of the Overseers are based. This allows the Governors to control how the voting goes, by using coercion, bribery, or by preventing the opposition from being present at the proceedings.
To Vote in the Poll, the voters must go to the High Table, in the Host building , at which will be seated the Current Controller of the Seat, and the Overseers if they are present in the Nome. If the Overseers are present, then the other possible Nominees of the Seat will also sit on the High Table. At this table, they must present their proof of class which exist as follows:
Arkavoi: Signet Ring, with the seal of the Arkavoi Household upon it.
Clergy: Symbol of Aeron the Protector, tattooed on their skin.
Brotovoi: None
Moroi: Symbol of Aeron the Avenger, tattooed on their skin
Haloi: Document of Employment*
The occupiers of the High Table will then give to the voter the appropriate number of the Small, Black Discs used for voting. The discs are called Hakara, and are then placed in the appropriate box, depending on who they should like to vote for. Arkavoi and Clergy may place three Hakara, Moroi and Haloi may place two Hakara, and Brotovoi may place a single Hakar. Kraltovoi and slaves, the unworthy, are of course forbidden from voting, and it is a grievous crime for one to be present at the proceedings. Of course this is never a problem with Kraltovoi, it is usual for a Nome to have only one Pitt, from which the Kraltovoi can never leave. However, in recent years, some few, criminal Arkavoi who are utterly unworthy of their title have been known to attempt passing their slaves off as Brotovoi in order to obtain more votes for their chosen Nominee.
*The Haloi will usually vote as a Brotovoi, if they do not work for the Seat's Governor. This is to avoid their true identity from being discovered.
Tradition and Seat Governors:
The Allegiance Register is steeped in tradition. The most important of which being that to be a nominee for a seat, the Nobleman, Noble family, or other Council Seat holder must have a Political Presence in the area, or a neighbouring area, which can be very difficult to achieve if they don't traditionally own a Manor nearby. It is common for the current Governor of the seat to attempt to remove the influence of other Councilmen before their Nome's Voting dreign, either through coercion or force. If there is only one Nobleman or family with influence in the region by the time of voting then that seat is not voted for. This can also cause small scale skirmishes between the Seat Regions, when a Noble Family wants to gain control of a neighbouring Seat. These are the ways of Calabim politics and few even blink an eye at such antics.
It is required by law for the Governors of the Nome's Seats to form a Council, upon which they may discuss the matters of the Nome, such as border control, contraband and trade, although matters concerning the local regions are generally dealt with by the Governor of its Seat alone. A famous example of a Nomal Council is the Northern Council, which actually spans across the Nomes of Hersemein and Kheirask-Saarville. Although there have been other examples of Binomal Councils during the History of the Empire, they are far less common in the Alexian Era then they were in the Patrian Era, when the Holy Calabim Empire of Patria spanned across the Entire World and single Noble Families were known to control vast areas, which could pass for whole countries in this Era. In these times, for the representatives of the Nomes to agree to a Binomal Council, there must be either a strong tradition of friendship between the Nomes, or for one family to control many of the Seats across both Nomes. This is because a Binomal Council reduces the control of the less influential Governors (the Governors with few, or but a single, seat) over the political Matters of the Nome. The Northern Nomes are dominated almost fully by the Kheiask-Saarville Family, and so they were able to force through the creation of the Binomal Council.
Another factor of tradition upon the voting is that the vast majority of the human population are fairly disinterested in the local politics. The Crown does offer a tax refund of 1 drakara per vote, which encourages the people to vote, but to most voters, which Noble Family controls their region makes little difference. However, many fear their governor, and are afraid of voting against him in case he attempts to have revenge if he loses the village. This is more common then one might expect, especially if the Governor still controls a neighbouring Seat, and therefore still controls a militia in the area. On the subject of militia, it is very common for the governors of each seat to train militia to control their populace, as well as to defend their power from a possible attack from another Seat. These are quite rare outside of the build-up to the Voting dreign, but not fully unheard of. It is possible for a forcible take-over of a Seat via the killing of the current Representative by the forces of another Seat, or by forcing the Governor to cede his Seat . It is also possible for a Nobleman to cede control of a Seat to another Nobleman outside of combat, although this is frowned upon by the Council. It does allow for coercion of other Noblemen however, this makes the few seats controlled by humans far more vulnerable, as they are more susceptible to assassination and coercion then Vampires are. However, if it becomes apparent that one Nobleman on family is attempting to take over many additional seats, it is common for the other Representatives of the Nome to band together against the aggressor to prevent one family from becoming too powerful. It is unlikely for a single family to be able to compete with an alliance between all other Noble Families of the Nome, although in the Northern Council for example, the unexpected uniting of the powerful Kheirask and Saarville families via marriage allowed them to dominate the other Nomal Governors. After the uniting, they immediately began to take over the seats of the weak or isolated Governors, and vassalising any who were too strong or influential to destroy out-right. This is a worrying step towards the centralisation of the Empire, and it is a grievous error of the High Council to delay intervention for so long.
Power and Influence:
The Power of the Nobility, both Nomally and Nationally, is directly linked to the number of Seats they control. Possession of a Seat provides two very significant resources to the Nobility, Manpower and Money. These can be used to participate in matters of the High Council. For example, a Nobleman with a great power base can allow them to forcibly gain control of other Nomes, or gain allies outside of their Nome by providing money or military to help them in matters such as defeating rebellions, and defending against invasion.
Taxes are collected by Representatives sent by the Nomal Council, and the money collected is then split between the Noblemen according to the ratio of how many votes they received in the last Allegiance Register, after the Government Dues of 60% have been deducted. Taxes are collected twice a year, including just before the Polling Dreign, allowing the Representatives the money they require to ensure they obtain the votes they need in the Polling, should they wish to do so. It is common for Governors to bribe criminal aspects of the Arkavoi Caste, which in turn control the votes of the many Brotovoi that live on their land. For this reason, many Nobility choose to give easily controlled men the class of Arkavoi.
The Number of Seats they control also determines how many votes the Noble Family control in the High Council, to be used in matters such as Foreign Policy and National Law. Of course the final decision does technically lie with the Eternal Queen, but going against the majority vote of the Council too often would be folly of the highest order.
Ekolite
Deity
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2007
- Messages
- 5,451
First Visit
''Welcome to the Nome of Hersemein, may I check check your cart and bags please?'' The diminutive, greasy haired border guard spoke through a smile so fixed and white that it seemed to hurt Morteros's eyes to look at it directly.''What do must you search for?'' Morteros replied cautiously, he had never visited the Northern Nomes, which were often looked down on by the Educated Elite of the Empire as being the home of nothing but ignorant peasants, and their sheep, with whom they were rumoured to have quite vulgour relations with. The man chuckled happily, ''Your first visit is it?'' Not waiting for an answer and talking quickly, he continued, ''It is the Law of the Nomes of Hersemein and Kheirask-Saarville that all travellers into the region must be subject to a full search of their luggage to prevent the illegal smuggling of alcohol, herbs and potions, animals, weapons and other metallic objects, as dictated by the Northern Council. Refusal to submit to the search will result in the confiscation of your goods, and your trial by the Northern Council, which will undoubtably condemn you to spend eternity in the Grand Pit of Meriya, that's our Capital city, Meriya is, which I strongly recommend you visit, they sell the best ale in the Empire, all Northern grown of course. Are you a merchant?'' The man finished talking and looked at Morteros expectantly. Morteros was silent while he considered his options, he was a large man and it was very unlikely this smiling imp would be able to overpower him ordinarilly. However, he was unarmed, and the borderguard had a short, silver blade at his side. ''Yes, I am a merchant.'' He decided, ''I come from the Nome of Prespur to sell my fine cloth. You may search my vehicle if you must.'' The man hopped agilely into the seat, while the horses whinnied gently. He unfurled the leather cover of the hold and peered inside it, before beginning to rummage. After a short while, he got out and began to inspect the side of the cart, tapping it at intervals to check for hidden compartments. Finally he seemed satisfied and handed Morteros a strip of parchment. ''Thankyou sir! Here is your Trader's ticket, which will allow you to sell your goods in the Nome of Hersemein for up to ten days, you must keep it with you at all times, as without it you can't legally leave the area. Now if you'd like to sign here, and here, and write your name in block capitals here, okay good. Do you plan on returning this way, or crossing the border into the Nome of Kheirask-Saarville or Hundeila? You are reminded that during these troubling times the road to the Lanun Ports is closed, as is the port of Meriya, you weren't thinking of sailing elsewhere were you?''
''No.'' Morteros grunted, the man was begining to annoy him, ''I am coming back this way.''
''Ahh a fine choice! However, many people consider the City of Prespur far too crowded for proper human habitation, that's where you come from isn't it? You know if you pay 120 Draks, I can write you out a permit allowing you to buy some land here, wouldn't you rather have a nice, cosy little cottage then live in that rat heap of a city?''
''I like Prespur.''
The Borderguard became solemn immeditely, and his painful smile was at last covered by thin, red lips. ''I see. Nevermind. Move along, please.'' He said, sounding hurt.
Morteros climbed back up into his cart, as the borderguard returned to his outpost sulkily. ''Bastard!'' Morteros muttered to himself angrily. What was the Northern Council thinking, employing an idiot like that? As a civil servant he would legally be entitled to cast three votes on the Annual Alleigance Register, the document that tracked the power and influence of the various Noble Houses and other political figures. Of course, the answer was in the question, Morteros thought to himself as he readied the horses and began to continue at a slow trot. The Council employed idiotic men like him as civil servants because they could easilly brainwash them, effectively controlling how they cast their considerable votes, thus preventing any competing Houses from gaining a foothold in their Nomes. He continued along the stone-carved road downhill in silence for what was probably about a mile or so, until the outpost was out of sight and he thought it was safe to stop. He got out of his cart and lead the horses down a small side path, into the woods. He then strapped the horses' nosebags on and crouched down under the cart where he removed several latches and heavy iron nails with a hammer her had concealed in his trousers. He then carefully lifted out a long, wooden box from the secret comapartment in the base of the cart and gently placed it onto the ground, noticing how unexpectedly light it was. Presently, a nocking sound came from within, and then a muffled voice. ''Let me out! Filth!''
''Yes Mistress, just a moment, Mistress.'' He replied, taking a short saw off of it's hook inside his shirt. ''Now Mistress, I want you to stay very still.'' He called into the narrow box, secretly enjoying this sense of power over his Mistress. He carefully began to saw off the end of the box, and then moved around to the side and unhooked the now loosely held box.
Inside was a woman dressed in a full length black robe which covered the entire body, allowing only the eyes, hands and feet to be viewed by the outside world. ''You miscreant!'' She screamed, ''I thought I told you to drive carefully!''
''Mistress, I tried, but the road was bumpy and poorly maintained in some places, there was nothing I could do to stop the cart from wobbling.''
''Silence.'' She said bitterly, knowing his argument was reasonable but not wanting to admit it. ''Help me out of this.''
A short struggle later and the woman was on her feet again, although her features were hidden she emitted an aurora of hurt pride. She had been outraged when Morteros had told her that She, the Matriach of the Natural Order and Fallen ArchAngel of Aeron, would have to ride in a crude, uncomfortable compartment for the entire journey out of Prespur if she wanted to leave unnoticed.
''On the way back, I ride on top and you in the box.'' She said spitefully, wanting revenge.
''But Mistress, the Bordercrossing Papers are all in the name of Morteros, not In the name of Lady Alexis.''
''Silence.''
Morteros smiled wryly, and reached into the cart to unpack their lunch. He unwrapped the rather squashed sandwhiches and passed one to Alexis, who peered at it suspiciously, distrustful of the food of commoners, and unsure of how to go about eating it as no knife and fork had been provided. She eyed Morteros darkly, and sensed he was enjoying this somehow. However, the former Queen of the Empire was not about to ask a mere servant for help. She watched as Morteros held it in his hand and mimicked his movements, daring him to comment. Morteros took a large bite of the sandwhich and chewed hungrilly. Alexis followed his silent instruction, and tasted the food.
''Mutton!'' She screamed, spitting the food out onto the floor. ''I hate mutton!''
''Mistress, it's a regional speciallity, practically all they eat here, mutton sandwhiches.
She glared at him in fury. ''Silence! Before I decide to devour your soul instead of this rubbish!'' she cried, angrilly.
Morteros just smiled, knowing she would never hurt her trusted companion. ''Oh you wouldn't want to do that Mistress, afterall, who would drive the cart on the way back home?'' He said, teasing her.
''Silence I said!'' she screamed, rolling her eyes. He always had some excuse to prevent her cleansing his soul...
Ekolite
Deity
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2007
- Messages
- 5,451
The Chamber
It had been a long journey, but at last they had arrived. The village of Hoon was a surprisingly smart-looking place, with whitewashed buildings, roofed with blue-grey slate tiles from the mines and quarries of the Hersemein Hills, the rough borderlands that separated the Lanun and the Plains of the Bad Prince from the Northern Nomes of the Calabim. The Village was centred around a small, solemn Inn and Church, and bordered on one side by the extensive farm lands of Hersemein, where much of the Empire's wheat was produced, and the dense Walakr Forest on the other. This morning it was quiet, as the vast majority of it's inhabitants were out working the fields, growing the Nome's famous wheat.
''Right, well... Onwards, Milady?'' Morteros said meekly as he jumped to the ground, Alexis had been in a foul temper during the last few miles of the journey. She had complained of dizziness, and a raging migraine, which she was convinced was caused by the ''vulgar'' animals that had wandered in the fields on either side of the road. Bizarrely, she had not recognised the cattle and sheep at first, and when Morteros had explained to her what they were she had seemed quite offended that they had been allowed to roam free, fouling the fields with their excrement, instead of being confined to their natural habitat, the smokehouse. Sometimes Morteros was amazed how ignorant Alexis was in some subjects, considering she was an Archangel of what was once the greatest of all the Gods.
''Onwards indeed.'' She replied, emotionlessly, whist climbing gracefully down from the cart, still covered head to toe in the dark robe.
The pair walked along in front of the cart, Morteros leading the horses. The Nome of Hersemein possessed strict laws against the riding of carts, horses, chariots and wagons in its towns and villages after one of its ruling Nobility, Harska'an Mournheart was struck down by a wild, run-away horse in the town of Meriya. Despite no murderer being found, few believed the tyrant's death had been an accident, yet the following day the Northern Council immediately passed the law to prevent such a terrible act of human defiance from ever happening again. Vampires rarely die of natural causes, and the majority of Vampiric Deaths are caused by exposure to human diseases, some of which Vampires have very low natural resistance to, and assassination, although the more experienced and powerful Vampires have become more or less immune to assassination. Nevertheless, this caused paranoia to run rampant whenever large numbers of Vampires were grouped together.
Morteros lead the cart into the Inn's stable and filled the horses' nosebags with fresh wheat from a pile nearby. They arrived at the church after a short, and rather scenic route through the village. It was incredibly tidy, and the cobbled roads had been entirely swept of hay and dirt. Alexis suspected that it's current Governor was rather compulsive when it came to cleanliness. The Church was a small building of perfectly carved stone, apparently the only building in town that had avoided the whitewash. It was shaped, as were most Churches of the Natural Order, like the Ancient Calabim rune ''Thergos'', which meant ''Servitude'' in the old tongue, and had been written similar to a modern ''T'' on top of a square shape. The Oakwood doors were imposing and grand, and looked quite out of place on the small, single-storied building.
Suddenly uneasy although unsure why, Morteros cleared his throat nervously and said, ''Would you like to knock, milady?''
She sighed angrily, ''He is not inside, I cannot sense his soul.''
''Are you sure, milady?'' Morteros had never been completely convinced of the reliability of a Vampire's sixth sense.
''Yes. But don't open the door. I'm not sure you'd like what you'd see. Go back to the cart please.''
Morteros scuttled away to the cart in a hurry, he knew this tone of voice well, it meant 'Disobey me, and face the consequences.', and Morteros doubted that even he would be able to talk his way out of some serious punishment. For a moment, Alexis's eyes shone a terrible shade of green, before the Church door, quivering as if with fear, swung open. She stepped inside, raised her hand, and the doors shut once more.
Inside it was pitch black, and even her piercing grey eyes could not make out the dark, cold room that she sensed around her. She groped the wall beside her slowly, so as not to make a sound, until she felt her long, slender fingers close around a torch, which she lifted carefully from its socket on the wall and brandished in front of her like a weapon. After a second or two of deep, calming breaths, she concentrated on the torch for a moment. The torch burst into flame, and Alexis's eyes widened in horror, she gasped and dropped the torch to the floor, illuminating the fine, silver sand she remembered so well. She reached down to the floor, and composed herself. The traditional furnishings of a Church, the Altar and benches, were no-where to be seen, and the usually bleak stone walls of the room had been painted with the colourful murals she had seen in her dream the night before she allowed Agron to succeed her on the Throne. She followed them frantically with her eyes, they were the same. She saw in them the Fall of the Empire, the Brujah, everything. This was the chamber? She felt a shiver run down her spine. This was the Chamber? Suddenly she felt her eyes drawn to the far corner of the room. There was a body, presumably the cause of the spilled blood she had tasted in the air before entering the holy place. She approached it slowly, cautiously, suddenly aware that she may be in danger. As she gained towards it, and it fell within the sphere of dark, orange light the torch emitted, she realised the corpse was several days old, and had began to shrivel and grey despite the cold of the room. He, for it was a man, was wearing the long, dark red robe of a Priest, and was surrounded by a pool of thick blood. Alexis recognised him as Hadroen Vanliere, the local clergyman, and the man she had come all this way to see. She quickly examined his body for a possible course of death, and found a long, silver dagger embedded in his stomach, right down to the hilt. She removed it easily, for all Vampires possess some degree of supernatural strength, and cleaned the blood from it by wiping it on the man's robe. Suddenly, it caught the light and it's carving became visible, causing Alexis to drop it in surprise and amazement. It rang out with a long shrill sound as it made contact with the masonry of the floor. It had read 'Ka Ypeigna sor ka Heim Nroghe', The Bringer of the New Age, Agron's Knife.
A loud knocking came from behind her, causing her such shock that she felt her ancient heart beat within her chest for the first time in years. She span, running her hand through the fine sand of the floor and sweeping up the dagger. She would at least have something to defend herself with, she concluded. The door creaked open slowly, and Alexis braced herself to leap towards her aggressor, knife in hand, holding her breath.
''Mistress?'' Came a voice with comforting familiarity, ''Mistress!'' Morteros ran towards her apparently unaware of the strange murals, the body, or the knife in her hand. She breathed once more, ''I am here.'' She hissed back , willing him to be quiet, as he arrived at her side. ''Mistress our cart is gone! With all our equipment!''
''Shhh! We may be in danger!''' She whispered, remembering only too well her encounter with her brother the last time she had seen the Murals. ''What do you mean milady? This place is like a fortress.'' He replied. Churches were the traditional strongholds of the villagers when their village was threatened with invasion. Alexis replied with a simple motion to the body of the Priest and the murals around her. Morteros observed the bench, and traditional statue depicting the execution of the Four Black Kings, the Brujah, questioningly. These were commonplace within any Church, Temple or Shrine dedicated to the Natural Order, the fact of which Morteros hastily began to describe to Alexis. She must be in one of her moods again, he decided. He supposed such periods of confusion were a result of her immense age, and had brought it upon himself to try to contain them as much as possible. ''What!?'' She cried, ''The body! Look!''. Morteros became more and more uneasy. ''I see no body...'' He admitted cautiously, not wanting to upset her. Alexis stood, carefully, and walked to behind Morteros, who turned to face her. She could tell he was uneasy, and was confused that he seemed to be seeing the normal church instead of the grave scene she saw. She held his head in her hands, gripping strongly, and forced it towards the body. She pressed lightly, and muttered an incantation. Morteros shook with fear, and wriggled out from her hold, vomiting onto the strange sand that he was sure had not been present a second ago.
Morteros looked around in wonder, wiping the sweat from his face, as Alexis coolly explained to him that the scene was the same, or similar at least, to the one she had seen in her dream, the night Morteros had woke her with news of Agron's betrayal. His eyes fell upon the knife, that now lay next to the body of the Priest. ''Agron's Knife!'' He cried. ''I found it embedded in the corpse. It was the murder weapon.'' Morteros's mind swam, wildly trying to make sense of the bizarre scene surrounding him.
''Come, I do not wish to stay in this place any longer.'' She told him, pitying his weak resolve. She led him by the hand, through the narrow stone passageway that began in the far right hand side of the room, near the body, and then doubled back on itself towards the centre where it split in two. She led him down the passageway on the right, the one that connected the Priest's home with the church. They reached a wooden door, similar but much smaller then the main, grand door. Alexis opened it with a large iron key that she had removed from the corpse, and they stepped inside.
Ekolite
Deity
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2007
- Messages
- 5,451
The Fourth King
The pink-red sky glowed gently above him, swirling with clouds of silver and grey that perhaps mirrored the fine sand that covered the ground like a carpet extending out endlessly in all directions and broken only by large, jet black rocks that were the only landmarks in sight. Except for the Tower. The Plains of Haesgaard were a strange place indeed, but the rider did not so much as blink. He had been here before.
The Tower was circular, and so tall that the wispy clouds seemed to condense and swirl around it's spire, it narrowed slowly as it reached the top, and was black like the Haesgaard rocks and perfectly smooth. It did not seem to have any doors or any kind of visible entrance, but the Rider knew otherwise. He dismounted from his horse and broke his focus, which immediately caused the horse to disperse as so much sand, which spiralled slowly to the ground. The rider would form a new one later.
Now the rider braced himself, gazing up at the tower so high that it's spire was invisible when standing so close to it. Then, he jumped. Up and up he sprang, soaring parallel to the strange tower and through a large square opening at the top. The room he was now in was dark and shadowy, and had no entrance but the one through which the man had arrived. He examined the room quickly, his powerful Vampiric eyes taking in every detail. It was decorated a dull grey-brown, withy a small wooden chair in the corner, ''for visitors?'' The man thought, smiling a thin, red smile. The floor glistened with a thin layer of Haesgaard sand. Now he heard a quiet, rasping snore, he turned towards where it had come from and saw the creature mounted on the wall, bound with thick chains as thick as the man's arm. The creature was shrivelled, about the height of a child, and so thin that every rib bone of it's exposed chest stuck out miserably. A mere shadow of it's former self. ''Awaken beast.'' he called out to it, standing well out of it's reach. It's yellow eyes flung open with a start, flicking left and right to locate the sound that awoke it.
''You...'' it whispered in a desecrated voice that reverberated around the circular room. It shook it's chains feebly in a weak and futile effort to break them. ''Me indeed.'' the man replied calmly. The creature smiled, or at least tried to, black slime oozing gently out of its mouth to drip, heavily, from its chin. ''At last I will have my revenge'' it growled, ''you did this to me!'' screaming in a piercing voice that the man feared must have been heard for miles around. ''Nay. I would have had you killed. It was Aeron, in all his foolishness, that chose to spare you. Sealing you and your brothers away in these despicable towers for all eternity. But now, now, I have come to set you free. The creature's eyes widened in disbelief. ''It is a trick.'' It finally decided, ''The Black Kings were your enemies, are your enemies.'' Shaking its chains again in what it mistakenly thought of as a menacing way. ''Perhaps once we were enemies, when I believed in Aeron's cause, when I fought for him, died for him even, and served my sister in her every wish and wonder. And for what? Nothing! To be betrayed by my own family! We are enemies no longer. Aeron is weak, pitiful. And now we share a common cause!'' The Brujah was silent, confused, and seamed quite intimidated by the shouts of the man before him.
''Revenge.'' whispered Flauros, coldly. Watching the creature's eyes light up in glee. ''The White Lady?'' It rasped, chocking in delight. ''Indeed. Will you serve me?'' The creature was startled, and grimaced, bearing it's long, needle-like fangs. ''I will never serve you! Filth! I am a King!'' It screeched. Flauros stepped back slightly, making a sweeping motion with his hand. As he did so, sand from the floor quickly rose and took shape as a long knife in his hands. Now he leapt to the wall and held the weapon menacingly to the creature's throat. ''A King of what? '' He whispered to it, ''King of this tower? This Prison? Aeron will not spare you this time, he has no influence on the Plains.''
The creature let out a small, subdued whine. ''Have mercy! Have mercy! I will do as you command!'' It wailed, knowing what the knife, formed of Haesgaard sand , would do to him. ''Excellent.'' said Flauros, sitting down on the small wooden chair. He leaned back and smiled as the chair changed shape to accommodate for his position. The Brujah watched him avidly, remembering the time when it too had commanded such power over Aeron's Vault. ''Now listen carefully.'' He said, and began to dictate the creature's orders in detail. Explaining how it's brothers had already joined the cause. It was the fourth. The creature curled back it's lips and cackled manically. Spitting black slime to the floor.
Flauros stood, and carefully cut a long incision down his left arm with the sand knife. He raised his arm to the creature on the wall which bent down to suckle from it, slurping up the blood that ran from it. Immediately it felt some of its lost strength returning to it. Flauros stood back, carefully wiping the slime from his arm, to give the creature some s[ace while it grappled with it's chains and began to tear them apart. It fell to the floor and landed on all fours in front of Flauros. Looking up at him expectantly and noticing that a strange silver ring was now wrapped around it's neck like a collar. ''Now go.'' said Flauros, handing the Knife to the creature, which licked the remainder of the blood from it before vanishing in a swirling cloud of sand.
