LINESII- Into the Darkness- Part II

IMHO its never easy to correlate a NES in progress to any historical equivalent. The world right now does seem Roman Imperial, but there are some differences, for instance there is better cavalry - thanks to the Lengels - and better ships - thanks to the V-word people; infantry tactics, meanwhile, seem more backwards, as does siege warfare (but that's just my own opinion).

Btw, as a trend, this world is generally more amphibious oriented - the Great Ocean is like a macro-Mediterranean. Future seems quite bright for the present predominant sea power, the UKKK, though New Veritas and the Citadel (especially if it gets rid of that pacifism) are nice potential competitors. Also, a fourth (and maybe a fifth) sea power might emerge in the east.

*anticipates the grand naval slugfest eagerly*
 
Make the seas run red with the blood of those who dare get in your path! Conquer all the islands of the Great Ocean and the lands beyond the seas too! Build a great colonial empire!

Or let the fleet rot and go hunting instead. :p
 
das said:
the Citadel (especially if it gets rid of that pacifism)
Click to expand...
:lol:

LittleBoots said:
Oh bugger
Click to expand...
Good movie! w00t!

Oh, sorry. I, too, like the idea of a comparison, militarily if not politically, to 1st century Imperial Rome.
 
Crossroads of Destiny

"I resign my commission as Stratikrator, having failed the nation. In my place, I appoint Host-Lord Vandrios as Stratikrator of the Legioni."

-Last words of Stratikrator Gregorian

"What do you think of the Dragon Throne?
Cold and hard, unfeeling stone
Power, and treasure, at his command
Thousands slain from a bloody hand
Edicts made from a golden throne
He will die there, all alone."

-Excerpt from New Veritasan battle hymn

Prologue-The Spy

This was an age of great things. New inventions, discoveries, and wars of glory. The sopping wet man, shivering on his horse, snorted at the propaganda fed to him, the people and all the soldiers. Times like this made him question who he was fighting for. What made New Veritas better than Guangfei, anyway? What if good and evil were only words in a book?

But he shook himself out of it. For all its faults, New Veritas was a land of freedom. A man could make his trade there unhindered by some petty lord, serving a great lord, all bowing and scraping to a corrupt, disgusting monarch. Guangfei had been built by a man, to serve an Emperor. Veritas was built by the people, and it served the people. Those ‘Fei came to burn and slaughter, and in its wake build a new society, an aristocratic hellhole of serfs and peasants laboring to enrich a new generation of glittering men. The spy saw what Guangfei would bring. And he had come to crush it.

His horse shied, nervously. Dusk was falling, and it was getting colder. And a thick, impenetrable fog was developing. He was but one spy, alone in the world. And the power and might of Guangfei drew closer to the border...

The spy was Valfei by birth, but dressed himself in the brown aldion-skin of a Veritasan outrider. Kicking his horse into action, they stumbled together down the loose gravel of the hillside. The mist wreathed them, and it was almost too late...seeing the chasm open below him, he dug his feet into the sides of his steed, and skittish as she was, the horse managed to stop one foot short of the gorge.

The man whistled with surprise. Down below lay a lush valley, thick with green vegetation, and a brisk stream trickling down from the mountains. Some fruit trees and a field of grain clustered around the smoking remnants of a destroyed farm. "They must have been some of the loyal ones," he reflected. After all, this was not far from the border with New Veritas.

Lined up down the valley was rank upon rank of tents. They were filled with young men, eager for war. The spy smiled. He had fought on both sides of the border, and unlike the impressionable young men in the tents below, he knew the truth. The armies were remarkably similar. Thousands of fresh conscripts, led by weary veteran officers and arrogant, confident generals. He could almost feel their proud hearts slumbering down there in the tents, beating with heady expectation of the battle to come.

It was his job to destroy them. To destroy his countrymen...no! Not anymore. Not after Qingdao. From the moment he stepped on that ship, he left that behind. Regardless of the color of his skin, he was Veritasan now. And the Veritasan spy knew exactly what to do.

The spy was a small man, with little in the way of fat or muscle. He crawled on his belly through the dirt and lichens to get a closer look. Usually the command tents were grouped towards the center to protect against ambush…there! The flag of the Dragon Throne fluttered nearby. Now all that he had to do was wait. Within five minutes, several officers emerged from the tent, laughing and gesturing. The tallest, probably a mid-level general, wore a purple cape.

“Only the Stratikrator wears a purple cape,” the spy growled, and pulled out his bow. It was a beautiful Serpentine masterpiece, three feet long and carved from a great yew. He oiled and strung the bow silently in the growing gloom. Then he selected three arrows, and withdrew a small pot of oil from his saddlebags. Tenderly, he selected a quail fletched, barbed arrow, and took aim.

He would turn in just a moment…

Wait…

Wait…

The officer turned to reenter his tent, exposing the front of his forehead.

The spy released his fingers with a prayer to his ancestors and the One.

Pfffffft!

The shaft whistled through the air, and hit its mark. With a short scream of pain, the Guangfei commander collapsed to the ground. His aides rushed to help him, but it was too late. The barb had impacted his eye socket, killing him within seconds. In a flash, the man withdrew two more arrows, dipped them in oil, and lit them ablaze. He shot them off towards the tents.

It was dangerous now. They had seen him, and a few return arrows whistled by his forehead. This had been a nice opportunity to cause some chaos, but he had to return to New Veritas. Lighting another spark, he dropped it into the pot of oil and tossed it into the chasm. The homemade bomb exploded, lighting another few tents on fire.

“That should delay them at least a day, as they reorganize and search for me,” he thought. But he was skilled enough to avoid detection, especially now. Smiling sadly, he mounted his horse and trotted off into the gloom and thickening fog.

---

He entered Host-Lord Vandrios' tent one day later.

Vandrios was old now, and no less noble, massive, or humble. But the man had aged a decade since he had seen him in spring…and he was weeping.

“My lord, what is the…?”

That was when he saw the purple cape.
 
Crossroads of Destiny

"Recent excavations of the older Veritasan ruins do indicate that the first great world event on which the fate of Tellus hung was the Great Crusade against Eldrania. The near-mythical actions of Autorex Strategius have been validated in fact. But, as every Valin child knows, the fate of New Veritas and Valin civilization would be decided in the epic battles of the War of the Dragon's Throne."

-Aurelius Tristention, Dissertations on the First and Second Republics, 4785

Part One:

"Vanti, do you see them?"

"Great prophet Pacian, they're coming through again! Tactica Halenian, we must regroup!"

The Seventy Seventh Tacticate of Phoenix Archers had a storied history. Supposedly the 77th was present in the original naval actions against Kalmar, sniping at enemy sailors and spearmen in the first great naval battle of history. They had functioned, under various Septilions and Host-Lords, for over one thousand years, being reformed and filled with the finest archers available at the first hint of battle. They had been slaughtered and victorious countless times, and war was no new thing to them.

But these damn assassins were just too much! They didn't have any particular skill, but one's guard gets a bit lax when they come through every night!

Badong was supposed to be a nice leave for the forty men. Rest in the city, relax, protect some "King Deng" or whatever he was called, and wait until New Veritas got its command problems sorted out and inevitably called them in again. But no...it seemed that this Deng fellow was rather disliked. The people seemed nice and polite on the surface, and many enjoyed freedom, but there were some among them that kept yellow flags hidden in their cellars, flags bearing a particular dragon that the members of the Tacticate didn't take too kindly to seeing.

Tactica Halenian should have been a Septilion by now, commanding 300 men. But he declined the promotion, preferring to lead his unit into the heat of battle...if these petty skirmishes could even be called battle.

The Royal Palace was really a converted provincial fort, at least until Guangzhou was sacked that is. The King led his court, mostly comprised of Veritasan advisors and a few local governors, within a small throne room. The “Panda Throne,” the people called it, reflecting the gentle, pudgy nature of their king. Somewhere an Alexandrine Panda raged at the irony. Anyway, Halenian suspected that the majority of these assassins were militia sent in from across the border. It was easy to blend in with the Shangei…after all, they all looked alike.

The officer had no time to consider all of this, though. The would-be killers, clad in black rags, had scaled the perimeter wall, and were racing for the main building. Halenian didn’t even need to shout an order; he merely looked at one of his Decadions, standing in the shadows of the upper balcony. The burly soldier nodded, and three men stepped out behind him. As the first assassin reached out for the handle of the main entrance’s painted oak doors, he saw with horror that his hand was no longer there. Within seconds, another arrow pierced his chest.

The other three men were turned into human pin cushions before they even had a chance to react.

“Excellent work men, let’s reassemble at…”

But then a scream, along with the crashing of earthen pots, could be heard clearly, coming from the kitchens and servants quarters at the rear of the compound. Damn! They’d infiltrated assassins in with the servants, and the other attacks were only a distraction! Quickly formulating a plan, he called out to his Decadions.

“Take ten men into the palace. Reinforce the King’s guard, and do not let him come to harm! I’m heading for the kitchens.”

His men ran off, and Halenian broke into a sprint, smashing down the door with a savage kick. Three servants lay dead, and the kitchens were in total chaos, with platters of food thrown everywhere, clay ovens smashed, and live chickens running around. One of the serving girls was still alive, but bled heavily from the arm. Tearing off some of his tunic, he bound the wound, and threw water on the girl to wake her up.

“Child, what happened?”

The young girl coughed.

“They said...they were...water women…”

Halenian’s eyes widened. Heavenly One! Female assassins…that wasn’t good.

“You must tell me, where did they go?”

“Out there...that window.”

This was looking grim indeed. Laying the child down on some flower sacks, the Veritasan jumped onto the frame of the window. Twisting himself around, he pulled his body up and onto the roof tiles. Crouching down, he saw the end of a kimono flash near the balcony…damn it all, the balcony! It might be too late to save him, but something had to be done.

Without thinking, the Veritasan officer broke into a run. Using his bow for leverage, he jumped off the roof into thin air, hoping that his fingers would reach the lowest balcony rail.

---

The spy grimaced at the condition of his leader.

“My lord…you are the Stratikrator.”

And he bowed. Vandrios waved dismissively, humbly.

“Don’t bow before me, Jiang. I have no stomach for it.”

“So Gregorian is…”

“Dead, yes. He threw himself off the Tower of Command. A brilliant man, and a great leader. The weight of command, of the trust of New Veritas, was too much for him to bear.”

“The rumors I heard in Qingdao were not good.”

“Yes, you have heard correctly. The Sintonian rebellion has taken Paleras. Their campfires can be seen from the top of the Citadel. Our spies indicate that Swade, Gorin, and possibly Khemri are forming a coalition against us. These are bleak times, my friend.”

Jiang hoped that it hadn’t been this bad…but his worst fears were confirmed.

“So…is it over?”

Vandrios slumped his shoulders. “To be honest, I had placed my faith in Gregorian. If he failed, then the chances of my success are dim indeed. Indeed, only the threat of the army’s mutiny has kept the Assemblum from capitulating to Sintonia and Guangfei. Quite literally, I am the only one holding this country together.”

Two men stepped out of the shadows.

“You were, Stratikrator Vandrios, but no longer.”

The spy looked dubiously at the two men, who bowed politely.

“I am Kendrian Vantalias, representative of Norvalin.” The tall diplomat wore a black cloak, with no symbol or adornment. He was dressed for the cold, Jiang saw. His skin was ethereally white, and long black hair was tied into a braid behind his forehead. The second man stepped forward. “Landrios Kersalis, envoy of Exilsium, at your service.” This second negotiator wore a thin gray cloak. He had tanned skin, and a thin, silver brooch pinned near his heart. But the two men and the Stratikrator looked remarkably similar.

The Exilsian spoke first. “Though we do not agree with the motives of New Veritas, its destruction will inevitably mean our destruction. The Exiled stand with you.”

The Norvaliner did not move. “We stand with our brothers,” he said simply.

The two men swept out of the tent, as one. They were headed for Redemption. Vandrios sighed, and collapsed into a chair. Jiang glanced quizzically at his leader.

“Do you really trust them?”

“They are Valins. I have to trust them. But betrayal is possible, and if we are betrayed, our cause is lost. But we need their navy. When the League has assembled its forces, we will have over fifteen thousand soldiers. It will be a force that can end this war.”

“It has taken its toll on all of us.”

“I remembered something that Stratikrator Panteras once told me as a young soldier. ‘It’s easy to have ideas,’ he said, ‘but pretty damn hard to make them work.’ I now know how true that was.”

“How can I help you, my lord?”

“Don’t call me that, I already told you.” Despite his suffering, the old man smiled. “In fact Jiang, I have a very special task for you. In the end, the entire outcome of the war may depend on your actions.”

“And if I refuse?” he said jokingly.

“In that case, I’ll have you gutted with a pike.”

“Well then, let’s get started.”

---

Halenian honestly thought that he was going to die. He regretted nothing that had happened, and closed his eyes, preparing to see the One face to face at last. But instead of the One, the officer’s outstretched arms crashed into the balcony. Grasping at the wood, he managed to grab onto it. Pulling himself up on the splintered balcony, he grabbed a throwing dagger, and ran into the room, crashing through a wooden screen.

Entering the throne room, he saw his men all standing in fighting stance around the throne. In the throne itself sat the King of Shangei, looking for all his weight like a giant panda. Standing directly behind him, using the throne and the body of the monarch as cover, stood a pretty female assassin, of Guangfei descent. She held a dagger to the throat of the choking king.

Without thinking, Halenian remembered his training. A standoff always ended in blood. Break the standoff, with minimal damage to the target. An injured hostage is better than a dead one.

The dagger left his fingers, almost without him asking it to. Two arrows followed that. The assassin managed to register that she was about to die a split second before the event actually occurred. One of his men, he didn’t see who, ran behind the throne to “ensure” that she was dead. Two others ran forward to support the collapsing monarch. Halenian sighed.

“That was exciting. Post a guard around the king, and sweep the entire compound. Let’s not let this happen again.”

“Are you alright, sir?”

“Thank you,” the King of Shangei said. “Veritas truly can save.”

Halenian was confused…but he nodded happily. That was when the messenger tapped him on the back.

“Orders from Redemption,” he said.
 
Crossroads of Destiny

"If a man were, in his lifetime, to do everything right, he could become the ruler of the world. Whether or not such a thing is justified is another question entirely."

-Autorex Strategius

"If there is only one lesson that I can impart to a young soldier, it is that you should never, NEVER, execute a plan that has anything to do with a hammer and an anvil. Cendrian, Delagani, and Gregorian were geniuses, and masterful leaders. But they all failed to realize that simply wielding a hammer is far more effective.

-Stratikrator Vandrios, Tactics and Strategy

Part Two:

Hundreds of years later, historians would review musty, decaying texts, and peel apart fragile parchment illuminations, of the long and storied history of the Veritasan Legioni. In many of the more scholarly texts, the corrolation is often drawn between Strategius and Vandrios. Regardless of their success in the field, it almost seemed that Vandrios was a mirror image of Strategius, in the Second Republic that is. Alatia and Kerania, crossing the Keran Range and crossing the Eastern Gap, and the titanic battles they fought against numerically superior, fanatical enemies.

But only one or two amateurs hit on the true similarity between Strategius and Vandrios. The former was such a skilled Autorex, and the latter such a skilled Stratikrator, because neither of them wanted the job.

---

A piercingly high war-horn blared, as the gates of the Stratikrator's Citadel were swung open. In galloped Vandrios, returned from the front, and entering the capitol as Stratikrator for the first time. It was difficult doing this...especially since Gregorian's suicide.

Stratikrator Gregorian was charismatic, intelligent, and heroic. People naturally gravitated to him, and he was well liked among the men. But Vandrios didn't have any of Gregorian's charm. He had a blocky face with a large blunt nose. His hair, once gray and black, had turned entirely white, and was bound behind his head in the Veritasan fashion. Atop his horse, the Stratikrator (already tall at 6'5) was an imposing figure. He was a man to be obeyed, not adored.

Four Palantioi surrounded him, and they swept rapidly through the cavernous entryway. But they stopped when they reached the central courtyard. Inside, the chaos that had swept the military after Gregorian's suicide was apparent. Aides, officers, generals, and civilians all milled around, trying to find someone to give them orders. Several of the officers saw the Stratikrator coming through, and then the entire mass of humanity pushed towards him. Astride his horse, the Stratikrator's head bobbed above the crowd like a lighthouse during a storm. He was engulfed in a flood of questions.

"Stratikrator, another thousand Urban Militia have arrived today, and I have nowhere to house them."

"My liege, Chief Architect Belisarian reports that the outer palisade wall has been completed. What are your orders?"

"Sir, Sintonian raiding parties have penetrated to the outer farming villages. What is your command?"

Taking it all in, the Stratikrator shot back replies.

"Take tents from the storehouses, and pitch them in the empty sections of the Merchants Quarter. Tell Belisarian that the palisade wall must be reinforced, in stone. Send three companies of Urban Militia to bolster those we have at the front."

He made a motion to one of his guards, and the horses plowed through the crowd. Anything else could be dealt with in writing, Vandrios figured. After parting the sea of people, Vandrios dismounted, handed the reins to a groom, and walked to the keep. He was tired.

Forty minutes later, he emerged in the Eyrie, the informal name for the living quarters of the Stratikrator, located above the War Room at the very top of the Tower of Command. His chest heaved with exertion. This got harder every year...and now the weight of command was added to the weight of age. But the Stratikrator did not yet sit down. This was a moment he had to remember.

Pulling back the curtain, he gazed down on the city that he now commanded. Far off, upon the towering gray walls, tiny antlike soldiers were marching, or shooting arrows at practice targets. Even farther below sappers dug trenches, or affixed wooden spikes to the palisade wall now stretching around all Redemption. Even farther below, long columns of people and animals flowed into the city…Urban Militia arriving from the fishing villages along the coast, refugees from Paleras or the south, with large wagons pulled by aurochs, or simply on foot. Squinting, he thought that he saw farmers among them, bringing in food supplies to fill up the storehouses. The clink and scrape of metal on stone and mortar could be heard all throughout the city, as the quarter walls were repaired, and wells dug and re-dug. The underground aqueduct under the Citadel was also in working order, he had heard. For the moment, he was satisfied. It was truly amazing what a nation could do when they were galvanized into action.

But then he turned back to Gregorian’s, (no, his, he remembered with a jolt,) worktable, and all his weariness returned when he saw the huge stack of papers lying there. So this was the weight of true command…having to deal with every petty little problem that the simplest officer could solve on his own. He was disgusted and exhausted, but he knew his duty. Paging swiftly through the letters, one caught his eye. It was a slim, white envelope, not addressed to ‘The Stratikrator’ or ‘Stratikrator Vandrios,’ but simply, ‘Vandrios.’ Curious, he ripped it open, and a small scrap of parchment fell onto his knee. The writing was messy and blotted…clearly it had been written in a hurry.

“If you are ever in doubt, my old friend, look to the seal. We must lean on its power, whenever our hope fails.”

-Gregorian

Vandrios’ hands trembled as he wrote the words written by his comrade and former commander. How wise he truly was…in all ways except his suicide. Standing up, he gazed at the Stratikrator’s Seal, set deep into the wood of the worktable. It was modeled on the crest of Strategius, with the Phoenix Rampant boldly flying through the circle. Running his hands over the seal absentmindedly, Vandrios recalled the words that Gregorian had written him. “We must lean on its power…” Feeling a little foolish, Vandrios leaned with all his considerable weight on the seal. To his shock, the seal gave way, pushing downward into the table. Some lever deep within creaked, and a hidden drawer sprung out of the worktable.

His hands truly shaking now, Vandrios saw that a thick stack of bound parchment lay within. His eyes widened as he read the first sentence.

“It is good that you have found this, brother in arms. Now you will see the Truth, and the salvation of New Veritas will be placed into your hands.”

As he frantically read through the letter, his eyes widened with shock, and then closed with grief. Stunned by what he had read, the Stratikrator fell backwards into his chair, as a single, heaving sob racked his body. Then it stopped.

Stratikrator Vandrios, Supreme Commander of the Veritasan Army, stood up, straightening his back. His face was expressionless. Then, with an earsplitting cry of rage, he drew his falchion and smashed it down. The thick oak of the table was turned into matchwood, splintered in half by the force of the blow. With cold fury in his eyes, he swept out of the room. Something had just become painfully, obviously clear to him.

Stratikrator Gregorian did not commit suicide.
 
Crossroads of Destiny

"It was interesting, what happened that day."

-Soldier present during the Second Coup

Part Three:

The Assemblum was deadlocked again. Just brilliant, thought High Elder Marcus Quintus. Again with the fishing rights debate, when one third of their members had been slaughtered in their provinces, victims of the Bladeist rebellion. And all these fools from the north thought only of their fish, and all these fools from Saenium thought only of their money. It had been ages since they did anything useful…in fact, it was a miracle that Stratikrator Vandrios had arrived to organize things. Far better than his predecessor, he reflected, who had men fawning over him all the time but could never win a battle.

Turning his attention back to the debate, he saw that it had gone nowhere. Old Assemblyman Ulanion was still droning along about his fish.

“And furthermore, the excise tax habitually instituted by the provincial government has become completely unacceptable, in that it mainly…”

A resounding crash from outside the chamber cut off the politician. Pounding footsteps could be heard, along with shouted orders, and a clash of metal. The Assemblum fell silent, troubled whispers spreading like brushfire as the sounds of fighting receded.

Quintus pounded his staff. “Please, my lords, settle down, I’m sure that the disturbance has been cleared up.”

The door that led to the main meeting chamber of the Assemblum was a masterpiece of carved mahogany, with a scene from the Second Exodus elaborately carved into the wood. In an instant it was smashed to pieces, as a steel javelin punctured the wood. Soldiers filed in through the breach, lining up on either wall. Not Bladeists, as Quintus had assumed, fingering his dagger. Veritasans.

A junior Assemblyman, recently escaped from Paleras, saw the massive form of the Stratikrator sweep in through the ruins of the entryway. “Dear One,” he thought, “I’m in the mosaic. This is the Fall of the Assemblum in 777.”

Stratikrator Vandrios stood before the Assemblum Popularum Nova Veritasum, his face impassive. Then suddenly, horribly, it was twisted into a mask of grief and wrath.

“HOW COULD YOU!” Drawing his sword, he advanced on the High Elder. “You inhuman monster! Have you not learned from the Second Exodus?”

The Assemblum was bewildered. One Elder stood up, arms outstretched. “My lord Stratikrator, what is the meaning of thi-

“DO NOT PLAY FALSE WITH ME! I know the truth! Even if some of you are ignorant, the TRUTH WILL BE KNOWN!”

Openly sobbing with anguish, the tears streaming down his cheeks, the Stratikrator continued to walk towards the High Elder.

“It was you, then,” he growled. “YOU MURDERED STRATIKRATOR GREGORIAN!”

The Assemblum fell apart, with members screaming accusations at the High Elder or the Stratikrator. Seizing a porcelain vase, he threw it brutally to the ground. The crash silenced them. All his rage gone, the Stratikrator’s face was again impassive.

“I shall tell you the truth. The Assemblum has stayed in power five years beyond its term, using the clause that an Assemblum cannot be ended during war. But the Assemblum concerned itself with civilian matters, leaving the responsibility of conducting the war and managing supplies, recruitment, everything…to Stratikrator Gregorian. The man, brilliant and a fine leader, could not manage both the military and civilian ends of fighting the war, because he did not have the AUTHORITY. You gave him the responsibility of power without the authority!”

He paused, chest heaving.

“DO YOU FOOLS NOT SEE? The man wished to make himself AUTOREX, for One’s sake! He wanted to overthrow you, to do the job that you all failed to do! And Quintus realized this, as did the entire Council of Elders. Someone betrayed Gregorian. And Gregorian knew it. But instead of bringing the Stratikrator to trial, they poisoned him, threw his body off the Tower, and called it suicide!”

The High Elder sat back in his chair, stunned. “H..how do you know this?” his shaking voice questioned.

Vandrios snarled back, “Because Gregorian knew of your bloody plot, and chose to accept death with honor!” He threw the stack of parchment at the High Elder. “I have it, in his own hand! Now tell me, Marcus, do you deny it? In the name of Truth and Light, DO YOU DENY IT?”

High Elder Marcus Quintus bowed his head, unflinching. “I do not.”

Vandrios walked before the High Elder, sword in hand. Raising it above his head, he said softly, “Then I will complete what Gregorian failed to do.”

Staring at his death above him, the High Elder looked up, with cold eyes.

“Will you do it, Vandrios? Will you make yourself Autorex?”

Vandrios threw his sword to the side, smiling grimly.

“No, High Elder. I will not kill you and take power. But I will do what Gregorian failed do do, and what you failed to do as well. I will save New Veritas.”

He motioned to his soldiers, who marched forward.

“From threats without, and within.”

One Elder, still proud and shameless, stood up. “On what…authority?”

Vandrios stared.

“On the authority of the People of Veritas, and of the One Himself. I declare this Assemblum disbanded. Get out of my sight, you thieves and murderers.”

---

The next morning, the citizens of Redemption awoke to see a proclamation proclaimed on every street corner.

By the Order of the Stratikrator

1.The Assemblum, which has held power beyond its term, is disbanded. A new Assemblum shall be convened within the moon’s turning, one freely chosen according to the laws of Veritas.

2.To prevent the obstruction of victory in peace and in war, in a time of declared war the Stratikrator is now joint Ruler of Veritas with the elected High Elder. He has full power to make law and order the land, with the reasonable consent of his fellow Elders and Assemblymen.

3. If the Stratikrator is ever to overstep his bounds in time of war, he may be voted out of service, by the direct choice of the people of Veritas.

HAIL TO THE ONE, and his holy nation.

An old man, reading the proclamation, spit out the seeds from an apple he’d just finished. “About time,” he croaked.

---

Halenian waited with his men on the docks as he was ordered. Soon the galleys pulled into view.

With a shock, he realized that the crew was not Veritasan. They were Feis, and all clad in disgusting rags! What was this, some kind of trick? He tensed, and seeing him do so his men drew their weapons.

But the man who strode off the docks bore no weapon, and smiled amiably. In flawless Valin, he said, “Greetings, Tactica. My name is Jiang, and I am a spy for the nation of New Veritas, long may she reign. We have work to do.”

Dumbfounded, he nodded. What the hell was going on, he wondered.

If only he knew it was something that would change the course of the world.
 
das said:
the Citadel (especially if it gets rid of that pacifism)
Click to expand...
Certainly not, unless someone decides to invade and start genociding the population...
 
das said:
IMHO its never easy to correlate a NES in progress to any historical equivalent. The world right now does seem Roman Imperial, but there are some differences, for instance there is better cavalry - thanks to the Lengels - and better ships - thanks to the V-word people; infantry tactics, meanwhile, seem more backwards, as does siege warfare (but that's just my own opinion).

Btw, as a trend, this world is generally more amphibious oriented - the Great Ocean is like a macro-Mediterranean. Future seems quite bright for the present predominant sea power, the UKKK, though New Veritas and the Citadel (especially if it gets rid of that pacifism) are nice potential competitors. Also, a fourth (and maybe a fifth) sea power might emerge in the east.

*anticipates the grand naval slugfest eagerly*
Click to expand...

Agreed naval slugfests are always fun.
 
The following events take place between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Everything was swell in Exilsium. The entire island was claimed in the name of the One. Travelling scholars brought back the knwoledge of Duality and Balance, preserving it by partly incorporating it into Exilisiums state religion. Most important of all tropical fruit was in abundance. But there were troubles rising on the horizon. The long period of peace has made the troops rowdy and wanting of slaughter. Exilsiums most dangerous men, a group of people called The Injustice Friends has decided to meet and discuss the options.

Whity: So we are all here. Let us begin, what do you suggest we do to improve the troops morale?

Krunk: KILL! BURN! RAPE! PILLAGE! KILL! BURN! RAPE! PILLAGE! KILLAGE! BAPE! PILL! RURN!

Van Halen: I'm gonna have to go with Krunk this time. Plus my axe needs some fine tuning on random people's heads.

Major: Me too. I havent ended anyones existance with combustion in a long time.

Baurus: I know of suitable location where our skills could be put to good use. It will entertain our troops and we'll swat some bothersome flies.

Makgaivero: Where is that?

Baurus: *points on a familiar location on the map*

Van Halen: Oh yeah, that place. Now that's a fancy place. We can get some high quality raping and pillaging going on there. I put my vote down for that.

Major: Likewise.

Krunk: Krunk has no voting rights. *sigh*

Makgaivero: I'm voting for that because we can get some useful work done and not because of the rape and pillage experience. Maybe you others could learn a bit?

Van Halen: Yeah, maybe we should.

Major: Yup we could act civilized, I guess.

....

Van Halen and Major: NAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! RAPE AND PILLAGE FOR THE WIN!

Makgaivero: Always same old, same old.

Whity: Then we are decided, as soon as our fleets hoist the new Jolly Skull Flag we set sail for THAT PLACE!

The Rest: YAAAARRRR!!!

Whity: But first I want you the meet someone. A certain individual who will lead our troops into war. He is the man from my visions. The One who was chosen by The One! This is Neo.

Neo: I know Tao Fu.

Whity: He has mastered the Five Animal style faster then anyone and has already started to develop his own fighting stye. Imagine if you were in a bar fight. It would be Neo and 20 guys against him.....and errr point is that you'd still be fuxed if you were to cross path with him.

Neo: Whity, I admire your faith but I dont think I'm the One.

Whity: Nonsense, you are His Avatar. You can shape things as you see fit. But you have to free your mind of the earthly restrictions. Once you do that, you can take the Path of the One.

Neo: Are you telling me that I can dodge arrows and spears?

Whity: No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.
 
*looks impassively* Well, this will make what I did look like child's play so you can hardly complain ;)
 
So Gregorian knew he was going to be poisoned and just let it happened? if thats the best Veritas has to offer Im surprised they got anywhere.
 
Neo: Are you telling me that I can dodge arrows and spears?

Whity: No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.
Click to expand...
ROFL.

I'll be accepting no orders that have anything to do with the Valin conflict.
 
emu said:
So Gregorian knew he was going to be poisoned and just let it happened? if thats the best Veritas has to offer Im surprised they got anywhere.
Click to expand...

Gregorian realized that his death was coming, and accepted it in the knowledge that making himself absolute ruler of Veritas would be no better than allowing the Assemblum to continue ruling, and that it would weaken the nation when it was most vulnerable.

He knew that Vandrios would be elected Stratikrator, and so he left the truth for him to read, knowing that he (being less ambitious) might be able to solve the situation without destroying democracy.

*imagines Vandrios as Obi-Wan*

"My allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!"
 
Cleric said:
Whity: Then we are decided, as soon as our fleets hoist the new Jolly Skull Flag we set sail for THAT PLACE!
Click to expand...

where is it? i want to know :cry:
 
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