It was the 10th Millenium; for more than several centuries, the Emperor and High Lord Magistrate...
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A Song of Blood and Sunlight (ASOIAF / Warhammer Fantasy / Soulsborne)
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Chapter 1 - The First Contact
Trafford
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Lordran
Known as the Land of the Ancient Lords, where their kingdoms converge. It was a land of miracles, Magic and Gods, containing a great variety of environments and filled with many dangerous creatures.
Once a land full of turmoil, ancient horrors, war and death. Countless Kingdoms fought against each other in a never-ending struggle for supremacy while countless dangers encroached on the Lands of Lordran every single day.
Everything changed when a Twin-Tailed Comet appeared on the horizon.
The Twin-Tailed Comet is a comet with two tails that has been sighted multiple times throughout history from the surface of the Known World. The Twin-Tailed Comet always heralds extraordinary or tumultuous events.
It is unclear whether the comet is a single object whose orbit passes close to the world on a regular cycle or whether the comets are separate objects which have been seen consecutively.
And a child was born on the exact day, in the province of Reikland, in a certain noble house. A child born under the sigil of the Twin-Tailed Comet, destined to greatness, greatness far higher than anyone before.
A child that one day rose to the Divine Throne and new age came to the Lands of Ancients.
His name was Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, Emperor of The Empire, Royarch of the Lordran and High Lord Magistrate of the Anor, the supreme ruler of the lands of ancient.
It was the 10th Millenium; for more than several centuries, the Royarch and High Lord Magistrate sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He is Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the City of Gods by the power of his inexhaustible Silver Knights.
He is the embodiment of might and wisdom and the sage of the long-forgotten past. He is Lord Carrior of a mighty nation, whom they all serve, Heir of the Old Blood and their chosen instrument on the mortal plane.
And yet, even in his immortal state of the Old Blood, the High Lord continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battle formations cross the demonic miasma of the Abyss, the endless hordes of Demons and abominations from the deepest parts of damnation.
Vast armies fight in his name across the lands; they scream his divinity and die for the Sunlight and Cinder. Across the lands of known and unknown, everyone whispers in fear of the Old Blood.
Chief among them are his Reiksgarde, Templar Knight Executioners and Hunters of the Hunter Order from the Workshop.
They are his champions, pioneering the path in the darkness and banishing the ancient horrors.
To be human in such times is to be one among millions. It is living in dark times, always awaiting the End Times, and yet it is a time of heroes and courage; it is time to fight for the future and to resist the horrors of the old night.
It is the 10th Millenium and silver ships are for the first time departing through the Sunset Sea, in search of the civilizations that were thought to be long lost to the night.
***
Year 280 AC, Westerlands, Lannisport.
The Sunset Sea was sea west to the continent of Westeros and east to a landmass known just as the Land of Ancient Lords. It was a dangerous sea, roamed by countless creatures, many of whom were considered a myth, but one was clear...
What the sea took once, it never returned back.
Lannisport is a walled city in the Westerlands located less than a mile south of Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister. Lannisport is located along the coast of the Sunset Sea, where the river road, the gold road, and the ocean road meet.
It is one of the major ports of the Seven Kingdoms and is the largest settlement in the Westerlands. It was ruled by Cadet Branch of the House Lannister of nearby Casterly Rock and today, the Lord Warden of the West was on inspection of the port city.
Lord Tywin Lannister was a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man in his fifties. His arms were thin but muscled, he had golden hair, though it was clear that his age was already coming up to him, and pale green eyes flecked with gold.
While he was carrying out the monthly inspection to ensure everything went according to his wishes, suddenly bells started ringing across the entire Lannisport, signaling that something was happening.
Only several minutes later, Lord Lannister was notified that an unknown fleet of fifty ships was sailing towards the Lannisport, which made everyone believe that this was some kind of Ironborn raid.
"The sigils belong to someone unknown, my Lord... and..."
The soldier that came to report the news looked nervously as Lord Paramount of West pierced him with his glare. The ships were bearing the weird sigil of the golden skull with a crown on it, surrounded by the sun above two griffons that were looking at the warhammer.
No to mention, they were far bigger than any standardized warship that was seen in the Seven Kingdoms. Even an idiot could tell that those ships didn't belong to pirates or any outlaw group.
"Say it already!"
Tywin Lannister was already getting irritated, but at the same time, it was good news that the ships didn't belong to the Ironborn raiders.
"They are sailing from the direction of the Sunset Sea..."
The moment that was said, everything went quiet and silent for the first time, as nobody could muster the next words. But at the same time, wheels were already working inside Lord Tywin's brain as he was deciding on the next course of action.
'So indeed... something truly exists beyond the Sunset Sea and if everything goes right, then the House Lannister would be able to capitalize on it tremendously.'
He thought because there was nothing more important in his mind than the strength of his House and the legacy of the House Lannister.
"Guide the ships to the port; I doubt that they are hostile; prepare a welcome ceremony as fast as possible."
Tywin ordered as everyone started running here and there, carrying out his orders. At the same time, the Lord of the Casterly Rock looked far in the distance at the incoming fleet of enormous ships that were far bigger than anyone had seen before.
Those ships were constructed for the sole purpose only... war.
And Tywin Lannister knew that whoever had the manpower and resources to construct something like that would be a powerful opponent or powerful ally.
For a long time, he had attempted to bethrote his daughter to the Crown Prince Rheagar, only for Aerys to choose Princess Elia Martell of Dorne last year. This year, they even married, destroying any opportunities to secure a match that would strengthen the power of his House.
Just thinking about it made him rage inside every cell of his body because he knew that it was just another of his attempts to spite him. Still, it was not official, but Tywin's sources were telling him that Elia Martell was already pregnant, so he needed to look in another direction.
Right now, his son was in the King's Landing and soon would be knighted, but he was still sending him rather reliable information.
Yet today, he decided to change the course of action because he knew that setting Cersei for a Targaryen match was already a lost cause.
Today he may be presented with opportunities way better.
He sensed it in his bones.
***
On the deck of the biggest ship, battleship Smeidnir.
The ship was enormous, strengthened by steel as it wasn't made entirely out of wood, but large parts of the hull were made from steel and it was moving on some kind of mechanical engine that were made by scholars of Byrgenwerth.
Countless Knights in pristine shining silver armor were stationed at their positions, holding their weapons, ready to fight at any given moment and not moving an inch, proving their superior training and discipline.
Among them all, the most notable was the tallest knight, wearing pristine golden armor, who was observing all the others, never leaving his sight from the ship or from the horizon, as if he was always expecting something happening.
"My Lord, the ships are hailing us... we can dock at the port."
One of the Silver Knights reported to the Golden Knight, who nodded his head and issued orders for the ship to dock.
"Go and wake up, His Majesty... tell him that we have arrived."
The Golden Knight ordered as they had finally crossed the Sunset Sea after several weeks of sailing. Who would have thought that the legends that the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of Fernis were true...
***
MC POV
I am Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor... yes, my name was long as fuck, but I liked it that way because it sounded intimidating and intriguing.
Holswig-Scheliesten was the name of my Noble Hosue; von Reikland meant "from Reikland", which signaled that my Noble House originated from the Grand Principality of Reikland and finally, de Anor was adjusted to surnamed, signifying the Master of the City of Gods.
As I woke up from my slumber, I had a very pleasant dream; a dream of the long-forgotten past, a dream of my past life when I lived a boring and very normal life.
"Dreams become dreams... and the horrors I have experienced would have broken lesser men..."
I lived for several centuries, my dreams were fulfilled, and I became someone important, someone who decided the fate of countless and who experienced reincarnation, who survived the Void and made deals with the Great Ones.
I was Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor and yet, before I created this name, before I forged myself through the grand powers of the Great Ones, I was Patrick Smith, from an unassuming blue planet called Earth.
And even though all horrors of the old night I survived, through the abominations slayed, wars won, foes killed, atrocities committed, enemies slaughtered, I would have still chosen to walk on this path.
Because it was the path that was fulfilling.
"I survived Lordran, hostile Great Ones, demons of the Abyss and horrors of the night and I will not be scared of some Westeros... shame my memories of the show are murky at best."
I muttered to myself while washing my face, in this luxurious gothic-looking chambers where everything was decorated, the golden skulls or symbols of the Great Ones... I then put up on my armor, personally forged for me by the Darwen smith Dalbran Felhammer and it was the pinnacle of the dwarven smithing.
It was made from pitch black steel, tempered in fires of the Great Wyrms, from ores harvested from fallen meteorites, adorned with gold, symbols of the Empire and countless runes.
"Let's get this over with, so I can return back home and finish the subjugation of the barbarians in the badlands."
Right now, most of the Lordran was unified, with only some regions being problematic, but they would soon fall... I spent centuries preparing the broken cities, helping the people, quelling the rebellions and ruling the nation.
Dealing with barbarians of the badlands was at the bottom of my to-do list...
***
3rd POV
Karl Franz entered the deck of the ship, but it didn't make any commotion because he didn't need any ceremonials or bowing that would only distract the Knights from their duties to be always on guard and always ready to fight.
Only a few of his personal guards, the Reiksgarde that were accompanying him, bowed lightly before they flanked him from every side as their white armors and cloaks shined in the light.
"Are we already docking?"
He wanted to already get on the ground because he wasn't a very big fan of the seas... during those few weeks he spent on the sea he "enjoyed" it too much for his tastes already and now he would appreciate some solid earth.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The one who replied to him was the Grand Marshall of the Silver Knights, Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, who earned his title by slaying a Great Wyrm. He was also participating in the expedition to Westeros, mainly because he also had a seat on the High Council of the Empire.
When the ship started docking, Karl Franz sighed in relief, but soon enough, his expression morphed into horror because he saw a chamberlain preparing the announcement, meaning that the contact would be going according to the protocol.
How he hated protocols...
As the ship docked, everyone in the Lannisport could see several hundreds of silver-armored knights who were a bit taller than the average human males exiting the ship as they created a line for their Monarch.
Tywin Lannister, together with his brother Kevan Lannister watched this, and if one thing Tywin was right now, it was being impressed. In Westeros, there was only one Kingdom that had a standing army and that were Westerlands.
Only his House had a standing army and that was because he established it after fighting in wars and shattering the power of the Noble Houses of Westerlands that gained too much power under the rule of his father.
And he could see that the soldiers before him were the epitome of discipline and power.
"Presenting, his Imperial Majesty, The Emperor, Emperor of the Empire, Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, Elector Count of the Reikland, the Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, Royarch of the Lordran, Heir of the Old Blood, Lord of the Ancients and the Chosen One of the Great Ones, his Holy Imperial Majesty of The Empire, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor."
After the chamberlain said several titles and very long names of the foreign Monarch, everyone saw the Emperor of The Empire walking down from the ship, surrounded by several white-armored knights with long white cloaks.
Even Tywin thought it was a pretty lot of titles for one person and the introduction was even longer than for the King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Still, there was one thing that he noticed about the Emperor of The Empire was that he looked very young, not older than twenty-five and he had shining golden eyes.
"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty."
Tywin Lannister was quick to greet Emperor as he bowed slightly, to which Karl-Franz nodded his head and acknowledged him as fellow Noble.
"I am Tywin Lannister of House Lannister, Head of the House. Lord of the Casterly Rock, Hand of the King, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West and Lord Paramount of Westerlands.
From the information that the House Russ-Stark had in their archives about the Westeros, he knew that the House Lannister was one of the most powerful Houses within the Westeros and they were the Royal House of the Westerlands...
Apparently, it seemed that someone managed to unify the Seven Kingdoms under their rule.
"While certainly the formalities are appreciated, I think we can cut these things and go straight to the matter..."
The Emperor Karl Franz stated frankly that he himself wasn't a big fan of formalities, especially when he had just now spent several weeks on the ship.
"Of course, then allow me to host a banquet for your arrival..."
Tywin Lannister stated just as dictated the noble protocol and Karl Franz didn't refuse because he wanted to eat and relax a bit after the arduous journey to the Westeros.
The Lord of the Casterly Rock saw that the Emperor was a rather straightforward person; thus, he decided to act appropriately for the situation. At the same time, acting naturally and not behaving like the spineless cowards in The King's Landing was a bit refreshing.
"Kevan... keep city close and monitor every known spy... if someone decides to try something, kill them. And also... keep Tyrion as far from the delegation as possible; he would create just embarrassment for the House Lannister."
Tywin instantly issued a few commands to his younger brother Kevan Lannister who was together with him on the inspection of the Lannisport.
"Of course, brother. Should I send someone for Cersei?"
He asked as Tywin's eyes glinted with opportunity, nodding his head in agreement; afterward, he returned back to the people from the Empire, as he needed to learn more and play a good host.
"Lord Tywin, this is Knight-Kommandant of the Silver Knights, Ornstein the Dragonslayer of; he is head of the Silver Knight Order numbering 40,000 Silver Knights till this day.."
Karl Franz introduced the golden armored knight who was holding a huge golden halbert, with the title of "Dragonslayer" which nobody would take seriously. Not even him, but he didn't dare to voice his doubts because that could offend the foreign ruler.
And he had some plans in his mind; the cogs of scheming were already spinning.
"I can see that you have some doubts about it..."
Karl Franz said with a laugh as Tywin Lannister's expression frowned a bit before he attempted to say something, only to be cut off by Emperor Karl Franz.
"It is good to have doubts... it means that you are thinking for yourself and for your doubts; indeed, Ornstein did kill one of the Great Wyrms, not like the wyverns that are roaming the continent of Essos."
Karl Franz said with disdain as he mentioned the wyverns because people rarely knew the differences between the True Dragons and Wyverns that were used by the Valyrians.
Aside from some scholars across the Westeros and Essos, practically nobody would bother with differences. For most, if not all, they were all dragons and the same thing...
And thus, both Karl Franz and Tywin Lannister were discussing many topics, mainly exchanging pleasantries, while checking out each other, measuring personalities and how to act around each other.
Despite Karl Franz's jovial speech and uncaring attitude, Tywin could see beneath the mask of a young-looking ruler of the seemingly enormous nation known just as Empire; he saw ruthlessness matching that of his own.
The predator will recognize another predator and that was a truth. During his discussion with Tywin Lannister, Karl Franz learned how outdated their intelligence on the political state of the known world was.
The sole things that they knew came from the archives of the Elector Counts of Grand Duchy of Fenris ruled by House Russ-Stark. It was an old house founded several thousand years ago by a man known as Brandon Stark and Astrid Russ, daughter of Leman Russ.
Soon enough, they arrived at the castle that was overseeing the port city of Lannisport, surrounded by the Silver Knights, Lannister Soldiers and a few of the Sternritter.
It wasn't that impressive compared to the structures and buildings in the Lordran, especially the castles, but it contained a certain degree of old beauty that was already lost to the wheels of progress in Lordran.
Meanwhile, Emperor was talking with Lord Lannister; Grand Marshall Ornstein was having a pleasant conversation with the younger brother of mentioned Lord as they were having a talk about the military and other things.
"If it is not rude to ask, but is His Majesty married?"
Kevan knew that his older brother intended to have Cersei marry the Emperor if possible because it would create ties with the foreign kingdom and it seemed that the show of power convinced his brother.
Even the armor that the ordinary Knights wore was delicately and masterfully crafted, looking like something that not even most of the Lords in the Seven Kingdoms would be able to buy with all of their money.
"No, he is not... he has yet to take any wife, though, for the last decades, he had been close to the Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clock Tower."
Ornstein answered, not really seemingly thinking about what he said because he didn't really care about the implications of his words. But as a Lannister, even though Kevan Lannister wasn't his brother, he understood many things from the answer provided.
The first thing, apparently, longevity was a thing among the newcomers or at least a part of them, and another thing that he caught was polygamy was also a thing in the Empire. Which certainly wasn't false, but mainly for the most powerful people within the Empire.
"Lady Maria?"
Because he knew that his brother would try to marry his daughter to the Emperor, Kevan Lannister needed to obtain some more information.
"Yes, she is the most dazzling talent and treasure of the Empire, the most talented warrior that the Empire has produced for the past centuries. Prized pupil of the Gehrman the First Hunter and daughter of High Lord Magistrate Annalise Vileblood of Cainhurst... in the Empire, if there is one person worthy of the title Empress then it would be Lady Maria."
Warrior women were not common at Westeros, mainly because the Faith of Seven considered such things barbaric, but at the same time, Kevan Lannister couldn't help but be astonished hearing such praise from the Ornstein, who evidently slayed a True Dragon on his own.
'It seems that this would be a big obstacle... Cersei will have strong competitors; from what I have seen and heard, their entire nation revolves around Military Service and fighting.'
Kevan Lannister thought while Ornstein answered what he could, though, at the same time, the Grand Marshall had been extracting information about the military powers of the known world from the younger brother of Lord Lannister.
Behind him, one of the Scholars of Byrgenwrth was talking with the local scholars known as Maesters and exchanging information about the history, languages and geography of the Lands of Ancients, Lordran.
***
MC POV
In the Lordran, dealing with Nobles was much easier because everyone was used to solving all matters with their fists... On the Lands of Lordran, there was an unwritten rule for anyone to solve their dispute, which sounded: "Might makes right"...
One big plus around the entire situation was at least Tywin Lannister was able to read my intentions and was rather casual with me, at least...
Unfortunately, the things I remembered from the canonical events of the A Song of Ice and Fire almost equaled zero. During a few centuries, one would forget a lot, especially if there are far more important things to learn during the centuries.
Even though I wasn't be politician around, I knew what was happening right now because from the bits of canon I remembered about the ASOIAF and reading Tywin Lannister, it was easy to get to the result.
His aim, in the end, was to tie the Empire to House Lannister to obtain something for his House; he was the person who cared for the glory of his Hosue, the Inheritance of his House the most in his life.
And if I was correct, then sooner or later, he would try to arrange a marriage between myself and his daughter Cersei to establish strong ties between us. Probably for that reason, he sent his younger brother to Ornstein to gather information.
Ornstein indeed didn't fail and provided everything that Lord Lannister wanted to know, but at the same time, by spilling the beans and telling him a bit about my personal life, he was able to gather information about the military powers of all factions within Westeros and Essos.
In truth, I wasn't that much against marrying Cersei Lannister... she could be summarized by words as a mad ruthless bitch, but at the same time, she was my exact type. From the shows, she was my favorite, not only for her beauty and but she was smart, not the smartest, but she was very ambitious and competent.
The only thing I will need to take care of would be Maria back home... and maybe Rosie, but being alibistic as I am, I will let them deal with it themselves. In the Empire and the entirety of the Lordran, polygamy was common, especially among the nobility and the bearers of the Old Blood.
We were in the castle of the Lannisport while the servants were already in full preparations, while Tywin Lannister was keeping me company until he excused himself for a bit. I knew that he went to his brother, probably to hear what Kevan Lannister learned from Ornstein.
"Your Majesty."
I heard a voice that belonged to one of the Scholars of Byrgenwerth that were part of the expeditions. All Scholars of Byrgenwerth were the pinnacle of researchers and Sorcerers of the Lordran.
They were an organization that sought the truth of the world, no matter the cost. As a result, most of them have detached themselves from the mundane in pursuit of knowledge that would further Lordran's heights.
"What it is, High Scholar?"
High Scholar Jinfarah was an old-looking man and he didn't just look old, he was really old... and when I meant really old, then I meant countless years. To a degree where even he himself forgot about his age, it was a wonder that he could even move without falling apart or crumbling to dust.
"I was having a pleasant talk with the Maester and he told me that they have mined a weird ore in the metal... a description fitting Dimeritium and apparently, they have even large number of Lacrima Crystals, even though they have absolutely no idea for their use."
High Scholar Jinfarah stated as he stroked his long beard, leaning over his magic stave while I frowned a bit, but soon enough, I grinned because this increased the importance of the Westerlands several times over.
Originally, our aim was to establish some minor trade and have some time to wait for the right opportunity to initiate an expedition into the Lands of Always Winter to mine resources.
The so-called True North would be our first colony, not to mention the Valyria was brimming with treasures.
"I will keep that in mind High Scholar."
This indeed changed the game because the importance of Westeros suddenly rose from Level 1 to at least Level 3, possibly Level 4, if the quantities of Dimeritium and Lacrima were high.
Easily the partnership with the Westerlands could become of strategic importance to the Lordran, mainly due to the presence of precious ores. Lordran was always in need of metal and Lacrimas.
And while our own veins were huge, it wouldn't be bad to have another source; at least we could spend the gold that is right now constantly growing in the Imperial Vauls and Treasuries.
***
3rd POV
As Karl Franz predicted, the first thing that Tywin Lannister did when he excused himself was to consult his younger brother Kevan on things he learned during the conversation with golden armored knight Ornstein the Dragon Slayer.
He took every bit of information and soon enough, he decided to proceed with his chances to marry his daughter to the Emperor of the Empire. At the same time, he drew another plan in his mind which was to prolong his own life.
Humans were greedy creatures that always wanted to have more than they had. Even the ancient Valyrians could not live for centuries, though they had far longer lifespans than a lesser man, but unfortunately, their methods were lost with the Doom of Valyria.
In another room, after being told the news, the daughter of Tywin Lannister was throwing a tantrum for a moment before she calmed herself after some time.
Her temper tantrum was coming from the fact that the man her father intended for her would most probably take more than one wife, but she was deeply aware that, in the end, she was just a tool for her family and nothing more.
Cersei Lannister was a strikingly beautiful woman with curly golden hair, emerald green eyes, fair skin and a slender, graceful figure. She wore a fine gown of black silk with red rubies sewn into the bodice as her father ordered her to wear her best clothes.
"I don't want to see anything that would put shame on our House; bear yourself straight... maybe you would be pleasantly surprised."
She heard his father humm as he then led her to another room, where the man whom her father wanted her to marry was already waiting. The introducement would be done before the banquet officially started.
***
MC POV
"What is happening, High Scholar?"
I asked the High Scholar Jinfarah while I was relaxing in the lobby while waiting for our host to return and for the banquet to start. The High Scholar Jinfarah was sitting on the sofa opposite me as we were having a discussion about the Arcane Magic.
Though several seconds earlier, the old man's eyes suddenly gleamed in dark purple color as if he sensed something.
"I sense something, Your Majesty... a Blood Curse probably... though I don't know from where."
Suddenly I stopped in my tracks because the Blood Curses were very dangerous things, especially in the Lordran...
"Be vigilant and send someone to summon a few Templars and Scholars; I am not feeling safe knowing that there is someone with Blood Curse moving through these walls..."
It was not the cursed person whom I feared, but rather the one who issued such a curse...
Blood Curses were extremely dangerous, especially if the blood was willingly given; it could have disastrous consequences for one's life and fate. For that, I would rather have a few Templar Knight Executioners from the Healing Church...
High Scholar Jinfahara immediately carried out my orders; just at this moment, I could see that Tywin Lannister, together with his brother, returned, but they didn't return alone...
I had to admit that Tywin's daughter Cersei was beautiful, far beyond her age and mesmerizing at the same time.
It was a different type of beauty compared to that of Maria Vileblood.
"Your Majesty, allow me to introduce my daughter, Cersei."
He said as I went up to her, gave her a deep bow in the style of Imperial Nobility, and gently kissed her hand as she blushed at it.
"Greetings, my fair lady. Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, the Emperor of The Empire and Royarch of the Lordran at your service... though you may call me Karl Franz."
I introduced myself, as she was mesmerized by my appearance, which I had to admit that I had a certain sort of ethereal beauty; some may even consider me androgynous with my long blonde hair...
Meanwhile, I introduced myself to Tywin and his daughter Cersei, whom I would most probably marry in the future, depending on if we get to know each other, but I could see my attraction to her already...
"Your Majesty, I believe that I found the source of the Blood Curse..."
Suddenly I heard High Scholar Jinfahar say as his staff shone with dark purple color, to which everyone was instantly attracted. Even though Magic was clearly not the thing in Westeros, neither of the Lannisters could have a different explanation for it.
"Splendidly... who is it?"
I asked as an elderly scholar pointed his stave at the young woman to whom I was talking, as every pair of eyes looked directly at her. Especially her uncle and father were both horrified and anxious about the situation and I could see that Tywin was about to burst...
That man really had a "good" temper.
***
- "And this was how I met your mother."
Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor to his children with Cersei Holswig-Schliestein von Rekland de Anor
Known as the Land of the Ancient Lords, where their kingdoms converge. It was a land of miracles, Magic and Gods, containing a great variety of environments and filled with many dangerous creatures.
Once a land full of turmoil, ancient horrors, war and death. Countless Kingdoms fought against each other in a never-ending struggle for supremacy while countless dangers encroached on the Lands of Lordran every single day.
Everything changed when a Twin-Tailed Comet appeared on the horizon.
The Twin-Tailed Comet is a comet with two tails that has been sighted multiple times throughout history from the surface of the Known World. The Twin-Tailed Comet always heralds extraordinary or tumultuous events.
It is unclear whether the comet is a single object whose orbit passes close to the world on a regular cycle or whether the comets are separate objects which have been seen consecutively.
And a child was born on the exact day, in the province of Reikland, in a certain noble house. A child born under the sigil of the Twin-Tailed Comet, destined to greatness, greatness far higher than anyone before.
A child that one day rose to the Divine Throne and new age came to the Lands of Ancients.
His name was Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, Emperor of The Empire, Royarch of the Lordran and High Lord Magistrate of the Anor, the supreme ruler of the lands of ancient.
It was the 10th Millenium; for more than several centuries, the Royarch and High Lord Magistrate sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He is Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the City of Gods by the power of his inexhaustible Silver Knights.
He is the embodiment of might and wisdom and the sage of the long-forgotten past. He is Lord Carrior of a mighty nation, whom they all serve, Heir of the Old Blood and their chosen instrument on the mortal plane.
And yet, even in his immortal state of the Old Blood, the High Lord continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battle formations cross the demonic miasma of the Abyss, the endless hordes of Demons and abominations from the deepest parts of damnation.
Vast armies fight in his name across the lands; they scream his divinity and die for the Sunlight and Cinder. Across the lands of known and unknown, everyone whispers in fear of the Old Blood.
Chief among them are his Reiksgarde, Templar Knight Executioners and Hunters of the Hunter Order from the Workshop.
They are his champions, pioneering the path in the darkness and banishing the ancient horrors.
To be human in such times is to be one among millions. It is living in dark times, always awaiting the End Times, and yet it is a time of heroes and courage; it is time to fight for the future and to resist the horrors of the old night.
It is the 10th Millenium and silver ships are for the first time departing through the Sunset Sea, in search of the civilizations that were thought to be long lost to the night.
***
Year 280 AC, Westerlands, Lannisport.
The Sunset Sea was sea west to the continent of Westeros and east to a landmass known just as the Land of Ancient Lords. It was a dangerous sea, roamed by countless creatures, many of whom were considered a myth, but one was clear...
What the sea took once, it never returned back.
Lannisport is a walled city in the Westerlands located less than a mile south of Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister. Lannisport is located along the coast of the Sunset Sea, where the river road, the gold road, and the ocean road meet.
It is one of the major ports of the Seven Kingdoms and is the largest settlement in the Westerlands. It was ruled by Cadet Branch of the House Lannister of nearby Casterly Rock and today, the Lord Warden of the West was on inspection of the port city.
Lord Tywin Lannister was a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man in his fifties. His arms were thin but muscled, he had golden hair, though it was clear that his age was already coming up to him, and pale green eyes flecked with gold.
While he was carrying out the monthly inspection to ensure everything went according to his wishes, suddenly bells started ringing across the entire Lannisport, signaling that something was happening.
Only several minutes later, Lord Lannister was notified that an unknown fleet of fifty ships was sailing towards the Lannisport, which made everyone believe that this was some kind of Ironborn raid.
"The sigils belong to someone unknown, my Lord... and..."
The soldier that came to report the news looked nervously as Lord Paramount of West pierced him with his glare. The ships were bearing the weird sigil of the golden skull with a crown on it, surrounded by the sun above two griffons that were looking at the warhammer.
No to mention, they were far bigger than any standardized warship that was seen in the Seven Kingdoms. Even an idiot could tell that those ships didn't belong to pirates or any outlaw group.
"Say it already!"
Tywin Lannister was already getting irritated, but at the same time, it was good news that the ships didn't belong to the Ironborn raiders.
"They are sailing from the direction of the Sunset Sea..."
The moment that was said, everything went quiet and silent for the first time, as nobody could muster the next words. But at the same time, wheels were already working inside Lord Tywin's brain as he was deciding on the next course of action.
'So indeed... something truly exists beyond the Sunset Sea and if everything goes right, then the House Lannister would be able to capitalize on it tremendously.'
He thought because there was nothing more important in his mind than the strength of his House and the legacy of the House Lannister.
"Guide the ships to the port; I doubt that they are hostile; prepare a welcome ceremony as fast as possible."
Tywin ordered as everyone started running here and there, carrying out his orders. At the same time, the Lord of the Casterly Rock looked far in the distance at the incoming fleet of enormous ships that were far bigger than anyone had seen before.
Those ships were constructed for the sole purpose only... war.
And Tywin Lannister knew that whoever had the manpower and resources to construct something like that would be a powerful opponent or powerful ally.
For a long time, he had attempted to bethrote his daughter to the Crown Prince Rheagar, only for Aerys to choose Princess Elia Martell of Dorne last year. This year, they even married, destroying any opportunities to secure a match that would strengthen the power of his House.
Just thinking about it made him rage inside every cell of his body because he knew that it was just another of his attempts to spite him. Still, it was not official, but Tywin's sources were telling him that Elia Martell was already pregnant, so he needed to look in another direction.
Right now, his son was in the King's Landing and soon would be knighted, but he was still sending him rather reliable information.
Yet today, he decided to change the course of action because he knew that setting Cersei for a Targaryen match was already a lost cause.
Today he may be presented with opportunities way better.
He sensed it in his bones.
***
On the deck of the biggest ship, battleship Smeidnir.
The ship was enormous, strengthened by steel as it wasn't made entirely out of wood, but large parts of the hull were made from steel and it was moving on some kind of mechanical engine that were made by scholars of Byrgenwerth.
Countless Knights in pristine shining silver armor were stationed at their positions, holding their weapons, ready to fight at any given moment and not moving an inch, proving their superior training and discipline.
Among them all, the most notable was the tallest knight, wearing pristine golden armor, who was observing all the others, never leaving his sight from the ship or from the horizon, as if he was always expecting something happening.
"My Lord, the ships are hailing us... we can dock at the port."
One of the Silver Knights reported to the Golden Knight, who nodded his head and issued orders for the ship to dock.
"Go and wake up, His Majesty... tell him that we have arrived."
The Golden Knight ordered as they had finally crossed the Sunset Sea after several weeks of sailing. Who would have thought that the legends that the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of Fernis were true...
***
MC POV
I am Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor... yes, my name was long as fuck, but I liked it that way because it sounded intimidating and intriguing.
Holswig-Scheliesten was the name of my Noble Hosue; von Reikland meant "from Reikland", which signaled that my Noble House originated from the Grand Principality of Reikland and finally, de Anor was adjusted to surnamed, signifying the Master of the City of Gods.
As I woke up from my slumber, I had a very pleasant dream; a dream of the long-forgotten past, a dream of my past life when I lived a boring and very normal life.
"Dreams become dreams... and the horrors I have experienced would have broken lesser men..."
I lived for several centuries, my dreams were fulfilled, and I became someone important, someone who decided the fate of countless and who experienced reincarnation, who survived the Void and made deals with the Great Ones.
I was Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor and yet, before I created this name, before I forged myself through the grand powers of the Great Ones, I was Patrick Smith, from an unassuming blue planet called Earth.
And even though all horrors of the old night I survived, through the abominations slayed, wars won, foes killed, atrocities committed, enemies slaughtered, I would have still chosen to walk on this path.
Because it was the path that was fulfilling.
"I survived Lordran, hostile Great Ones, demons of the Abyss and horrors of the night and I will not be scared of some Westeros... shame my memories of the show are murky at best."
I muttered to myself while washing my face, in this luxurious gothic-looking chambers where everything was decorated, the golden skulls or symbols of the Great Ones... I then put up on my armor, personally forged for me by the Darwen smith Dalbran Felhammer and it was the pinnacle of the dwarven smithing.
It was made from pitch black steel, tempered in fires of the Great Wyrms, from ores harvested from fallen meteorites, adorned with gold, symbols of the Empire and countless runes.
"Let's get this over with, so I can return back home and finish the subjugation of the barbarians in the badlands."
Right now, most of the Lordran was unified, with only some regions being problematic, but they would soon fall... I spent centuries preparing the broken cities, helping the people, quelling the rebellions and ruling the nation.
Dealing with barbarians of the badlands was at the bottom of my to-do list...
***
3rd POV
Karl Franz entered the deck of the ship, but it didn't make any commotion because he didn't need any ceremonials or bowing that would only distract the Knights from their duties to be always on guard and always ready to fight.
Only a few of his personal guards, the Reiksgarde that were accompanying him, bowed lightly before they flanked him from every side as their white armors and cloaks shined in the light.
"Are we already docking?"
He wanted to already get on the ground because he wasn't a very big fan of the seas... during those few weeks he spent on the sea he "enjoyed" it too much for his tastes already and now he would appreciate some solid earth.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The one who replied to him was the Grand Marshall of the Silver Knights, Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, who earned his title by slaying a Great Wyrm. He was also participating in the expedition to Westeros, mainly because he also had a seat on the High Council of the Empire.
When the ship started docking, Karl Franz sighed in relief, but soon enough, his expression morphed into horror because he saw a chamberlain preparing the announcement, meaning that the contact would be going according to the protocol.
How he hated protocols...
As the ship docked, everyone in the Lannisport could see several hundreds of silver-armored knights who were a bit taller than the average human males exiting the ship as they created a line for their Monarch.
Tywin Lannister, together with his brother Kevan Lannister watched this, and if one thing Tywin was right now, it was being impressed. In Westeros, there was only one Kingdom that had a standing army and that were Westerlands.
Only his House had a standing army and that was because he established it after fighting in wars and shattering the power of the Noble Houses of Westerlands that gained too much power under the rule of his father.
And he could see that the soldiers before him were the epitome of discipline and power.
"Presenting, his Imperial Majesty, The Emperor, Emperor of the Empire, Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, Elector Count of the Reikland, the Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, Royarch of the Lordran, Heir of the Old Blood, Lord of the Ancients and the Chosen One of the Great Ones, his Holy Imperial Majesty of The Empire, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor."
After the chamberlain said several titles and very long names of the foreign Monarch, everyone saw the Emperor of The Empire walking down from the ship, surrounded by several white-armored knights with long white cloaks.
Even Tywin thought it was a pretty lot of titles for one person and the introduction was even longer than for the King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Still, there was one thing that he noticed about the Emperor of The Empire was that he looked very young, not older than twenty-five and he had shining golden eyes.
"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty."
Tywin Lannister was quick to greet Emperor as he bowed slightly, to which Karl-Franz nodded his head and acknowledged him as fellow Noble.
"I am Tywin Lannister of House Lannister, Head of the House. Lord of the Casterly Rock, Hand of the King, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West and Lord Paramount of Westerlands.
From the information that the House Russ-Stark had in their archives about the Westeros, he knew that the House Lannister was one of the most powerful Houses within the Westeros and they were the Royal House of the Westerlands...
Apparently, it seemed that someone managed to unify the Seven Kingdoms under their rule.
"While certainly the formalities are appreciated, I think we can cut these things and go straight to the matter..."
The Emperor Karl Franz stated frankly that he himself wasn't a big fan of formalities, especially when he had just now spent several weeks on the ship.
"Of course, then allow me to host a banquet for your arrival..."
Tywin Lannister stated just as dictated the noble protocol and Karl Franz didn't refuse because he wanted to eat and relax a bit after the arduous journey to the Westeros.
The Lord of the Casterly Rock saw that the Emperor was a rather straightforward person; thus, he decided to act appropriately for the situation. At the same time, acting naturally and not behaving like the spineless cowards in The King's Landing was a bit refreshing.
"Kevan... keep city close and monitor every known spy... if someone decides to try something, kill them. And also... keep Tyrion as far from the delegation as possible; he would create just embarrassment for the House Lannister."
Tywin instantly issued a few commands to his younger brother Kevan Lannister who was together with him on the inspection of the Lannisport.
"Of course, brother. Should I send someone for Cersei?"
He asked as Tywin's eyes glinted with opportunity, nodding his head in agreement; afterward, he returned back to the people from the Empire, as he needed to learn more and play a good host.
"Lord Tywin, this is Knight-Kommandant of the Silver Knights, Ornstein the Dragonslayer of; he is head of the Silver Knight Order numbering 40,000 Silver Knights till this day.."
Karl Franz introduced the golden armored knight who was holding a huge golden halbert, with the title of "Dragonslayer" which nobody would take seriously. Not even him, but he didn't dare to voice his doubts because that could offend the foreign ruler.
And he had some plans in his mind; the cogs of scheming were already spinning.
"I can see that you have some doubts about it..."
Karl Franz said with a laugh as Tywin Lannister's expression frowned a bit before he attempted to say something, only to be cut off by Emperor Karl Franz.
"It is good to have doubts... it means that you are thinking for yourself and for your doubts; indeed, Ornstein did kill one of the Great Wyrms, not like the wyverns that are roaming the continent of Essos."
Karl Franz said with disdain as he mentioned the wyverns because people rarely knew the differences between the True Dragons and Wyverns that were used by the Valyrians.
Aside from some scholars across the Westeros and Essos, practically nobody would bother with differences. For most, if not all, they were all dragons and the same thing...
And thus, both Karl Franz and Tywin Lannister were discussing many topics, mainly exchanging pleasantries, while checking out each other, measuring personalities and how to act around each other.
Despite Karl Franz's jovial speech and uncaring attitude, Tywin could see beneath the mask of a young-looking ruler of the seemingly enormous nation known just as Empire; he saw ruthlessness matching that of his own.
The predator will recognize another predator and that was a truth. During his discussion with Tywin Lannister, Karl Franz learned how outdated their intelligence on the political state of the known world was.
The sole things that they knew came from the archives of the Elector Counts of Grand Duchy of Fenris ruled by House Russ-Stark. It was an old house founded several thousand years ago by a man known as Brandon Stark and Astrid Russ, daughter of Leman Russ.
Soon enough, they arrived at the castle that was overseeing the port city of Lannisport, surrounded by the Silver Knights, Lannister Soldiers and a few of the Sternritter.
It wasn't that impressive compared to the structures and buildings in the Lordran, especially the castles, but it contained a certain degree of old beauty that was already lost to the wheels of progress in Lordran.
Meanwhile, Emperor was talking with Lord Lannister; Grand Marshall Ornstein was having a pleasant conversation with the younger brother of mentioned Lord as they were having a talk about the military and other things.
"If it is not rude to ask, but is His Majesty married?"
Kevan knew that his older brother intended to have Cersei marry the Emperor if possible because it would create ties with the foreign kingdom and it seemed that the show of power convinced his brother.
Even the armor that the ordinary Knights wore was delicately and masterfully crafted, looking like something that not even most of the Lords in the Seven Kingdoms would be able to buy with all of their money.
"No, he is not... he has yet to take any wife, though, for the last decades, he had been close to the Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clock Tower."
Ornstein answered, not really seemingly thinking about what he said because he didn't really care about the implications of his words. But as a Lannister, even though Kevan Lannister wasn't his brother, he understood many things from the answer provided.
The first thing, apparently, longevity was a thing among the newcomers or at least a part of them, and another thing that he caught was polygamy was also a thing in the Empire. Which certainly wasn't false, but mainly for the most powerful people within the Empire.
"Lady Maria?"
Because he knew that his brother would try to marry his daughter to the Emperor, Kevan Lannister needed to obtain some more information.
"Yes, she is the most dazzling talent and treasure of the Empire, the most talented warrior that the Empire has produced for the past centuries. Prized pupil of the Gehrman the First Hunter and daughter of High Lord Magistrate Annalise Vileblood of Cainhurst... in the Empire, if there is one person worthy of the title Empress then it would be Lady Maria."
Warrior women were not common at Westeros, mainly because the Faith of Seven considered such things barbaric, but at the same time, Kevan Lannister couldn't help but be astonished hearing such praise from the Ornstein, who evidently slayed a True Dragon on his own.
'It seems that this would be a big obstacle... Cersei will have strong competitors; from what I have seen and heard, their entire nation revolves around Military Service and fighting.'
Kevan Lannister thought while Ornstein answered what he could, though, at the same time, the Grand Marshall had been extracting information about the military powers of the known world from the younger brother of Lord Lannister.
Behind him, one of the Scholars of Byrgenwrth was talking with the local scholars known as Maesters and exchanging information about the history, languages and geography of the Lands of Ancients, Lordran.
***
MC POV
In the Lordran, dealing with Nobles was much easier because everyone was used to solving all matters with their fists... On the Lands of Lordran, there was an unwritten rule for anyone to solve their dispute, which sounded: "Might makes right"...
One big plus around the entire situation was at least Tywin Lannister was able to read my intentions and was rather casual with me, at least...
Unfortunately, the things I remembered from the canonical events of the A Song of Ice and Fire almost equaled zero. During a few centuries, one would forget a lot, especially if there are far more important things to learn during the centuries.
Even though I wasn't be politician around, I knew what was happening right now because from the bits of canon I remembered about the ASOIAF and reading Tywin Lannister, it was easy to get to the result.
His aim, in the end, was to tie the Empire to House Lannister to obtain something for his House; he was the person who cared for the glory of his Hosue, the Inheritance of his House the most in his life.
And if I was correct, then sooner or later, he would try to arrange a marriage between myself and his daughter Cersei to establish strong ties between us. Probably for that reason, he sent his younger brother to Ornstein to gather information.
Ornstein indeed didn't fail and provided everything that Lord Lannister wanted to know, but at the same time, by spilling the beans and telling him a bit about my personal life, he was able to gather information about the military powers of all factions within Westeros and Essos.
In truth, I wasn't that much against marrying Cersei Lannister... she could be summarized by words as a mad ruthless bitch, but at the same time, she was my exact type. From the shows, she was my favorite, not only for her beauty and but she was smart, not the smartest, but she was very ambitious and competent.
The only thing I will need to take care of would be Maria back home... and maybe Rosie, but being alibistic as I am, I will let them deal with it themselves. In the Empire and the entirety of the Lordran, polygamy was common, especially among the nobility and the bearers of the Old Blood.
We were in the castle of the Lannisport while the servants were already in full preparations, while Tywin Lannister was keeping me company until he excused himself for a bit. I knew that he went to his brother, probably to hear what Kevan Lannister learned from Ornstein.
"Your Majesty."
I heard a voice that belonged to one of the Scholars of Byrgenwerth that were part of the expeditions. All Scholars of Byrgenwerth were the pinnacle of researchers and Sorcerers of the Lordran.
They were an organization that sought the truth of the world, no matter the cost. As a result, most of them have detached themselves from the mundane in pursuit of knowledge that would further Lordran's heights.
"What it is, High Scholar?"
High Scholar Jinfarah was an old-looking man and he didn't just look old, he was really old... and when I meant really old, then I meant countless years. To a degree where even he himself forgot about his age, it was a wonder that he could even move without falling apart or crumbling to dust.
"I was having a pleasant talk with the Maester and he told me that they have mined a weird ore in the metal... a description fitting Dimeritium and apparently, they have even large number of Lacrima Crystals, even though they have absolutely no idea for their use."
High Scholar Jinfarah stated as he stroked his long beard, leaning over his magic stave while I frowned a bit, but soon enough, I grinned because this increased the importance of the Westerlands several times over.
Originally, our aim was to establish some minor trade and have some time to wait for the right opportunity to initiate an expedition into the Lands of Always Winter to mine resources.
The so-called True North would be our first colony, not to mention the Valyria was brimming with treasures.
"I will keep that in mind High Scholar."
This indeed changed the game because the importance of Westeros suddenly rose from Level 1 to at least Level 3, possibly Level 4, if the quantities of Dimeritium and Lacrima were high.
Easily the partnership with the Westerlands could become of strategic importance to the Lordran, mainly due to the presence of precious ores. Lordran was always in need of metal and Lacrimas.
And while our own veins were huge, it wouldn't be bad to have another source; at least we could spend the gold that is right now constantly growing in the Imperial Vauls and Treasuries.
***
3rd POV
As Karl Franz predicted, the first thing that Tywin Lannister did when he excused himself was to consult his younger brother Kevan on things he learned during the conversation with golden armored knight Ornstein the Dragon Slayer.
He took every bit of information and soon enough, he decided to proceed with his chances to marry his daughter to the Emperor of the Empire. At the same time, he drew another plan in his mind which was to prolong his own life.
Humans were greedy creatures that always wanted to have more than they had. Even the ancient Valyrians could not live for centuries, though they had far longer lifespans than a lesser man, but unfortunately, their methods were lost with the Doom of Valyria.
In another room, after being told the news, the daughter of Tywin Lannister was throwing a tantrum for a moment before she calmed herself after some time.
Her temper tantrum was coming from the fact that the man her father intended for her would most probably take more than one wife, but she was deeply aware that, in the end, she was just a tool for her family and nothing more.
Cersei Lannister was a strikingly beautiful woman with curly golden hair, emerald green eyes, fair skin and a slender, graceful figure. She wore a fine gown of black silk with red rubies sewn into the bodice as her father ordered her to wear her best clothes.
"I don't want to see anything that would put shame on our House; bear yourself straight... maybe you would be pleasantly surprised."
She heard his father humm as he then led her to another room, where the man whom her father wanted her to marry was already waiting. The introducement would be done before the banquet officially started.
***
MC POV
"What is happening, High Scholar?"
I asked the High Scholar Jinfarah while I was relaxing in the lobby while waiting for our host to return and for the banquet to start. The High Scholar Jinfarah was sitting on the sofa opposite me as we were having a discussion about the Arcane Magic.
Though several seconds earlier, the old man's eyes suddenly gleamed in dark purple color as if he sensed something.
"I sense something, Your Majesty... a Blood Curse probably... though I don't know from where."
Suddenly I stopped in my tracks because the Blood Curses were very dangerous things, especially in the Lordran...
"Be vigilant and send someone to summon a few Templars and Scholars; I am not feeling safe knowing that there is someone with Blood Curse moving through these walls..."
It was not the cursed person whom I feared, but rather the one who issued such a curse...
Blood Curses were extremely dangerous, especially if the blood was willingly given; it could have disastrous consequences for one's life and fate. For that, I would rather have a few Templar Knight Executioners from the Healing Church...
High Scholar Jinfahara immediately carried out my orders; just at this moment, I could see that Tywin Lannister, together with his brother, returned, but they didn't return alone...
I had to admit that Tywin's daughter Cersei was beautiful, far beyond her age and mesmerizing at the same time.
It was a different type of beauty compared to that of Maria Vileblood.
"Your Majesty, allow me to introduce my daughter, Cersei."
He said as I went up to her, gave her a deep bow in the style of Imperial Nobility, and gently kissed her hand as she blushed at it.
"Greetings, my fair lady. Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, the Emperor of The Empire and Royarch of the Lordran at your service... though you may call me Karl Franz."
I introduced myself, as she was mesmerized by my appearance, which I had to admit that I had a certain sort of ethereal beauty; some may even consider me androgynous with my long blonde hair...
Meanwhile, I introduced myself to Tywin and his daughter Cersei, whom I would most probably marry in the future, depending on if we get to know each other, but I could see my attraction to her already...
"Your Majesty, I believe that I found the source of the Blood Curse..."
Suddenly I heard High Scholar Jinfahar say as his staff shone with dark purple color, to which everyone was instantly attracted. Even though Magic was clearly not the thing in Westeros, neither of the Lannisters could have a different explanation for it.
"Splendidly... who is it?"
I asked as an elderly scholar pointed his stave at the young woman to whom I was talking, as every pair of eyes looked directly at her. Especially her uncle and father were both horrified and anxious about the situation and I could see that Tywin was about to burst...
That man really had a "good" temper.
***
- "And this was how I met your mother."
Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor to his children with Cersei Holswig-Schliestein von Rekland de Anor
Annoucement
Trafford
I trust you know where the happy button is?
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2022
- Messages
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- 7,694
dvanced Chapters for the Zero-Class Clearance, Euclid-Class Clearance, Keter-Class Clearance and Thaumiel-Clearance have been uploaded on the patreon and now I am working on the remaining two chapters for the Appolyon-Class Clearance, Chapter 10 ad Chapter 11...
If everything goes according to the plan, they will be uploaded somewhere next week, and the 11th Chapter somewhere around the end of August.
So hopefully see you on the patreon...
*
Another thing about the story that I want to really clarify as I got interesting points in reviews on fanfiction.net...
Till Volume III, this story would have two storylines, the Main Storyline focusing on the happenings in the Lordran and another Secondary Storyline focusing on the happenings in Westeros and Essos. The secondary Storyline would be mainly following Tywin Lannister and Westerlands, with some minor focus on other things...
Reason for that?
Right now, there is a great disparity between the Lordran and the rest of the Known World, and basically, the Great Magic Upheaval has just started and it will take some time until both continents of Westeros and Essos get back to the Magical Heritage and get much stronger in the process of so...
During this time, both Essos and Westeros would develop Magicall, becoming very close or rather similar to Age of Heroes, with each region of the Known World having some particular branch of Magic...
So essentially from Volume III both continents would interact more with each other because for one, the rest of the Known World would get stronger due to the return of Magic and for the second, it would actually have things that Lordran would want to have...
*
Also important clarification...
This is not fanfic on Dark Souls or Bloodborne; I am just borrowing some backstories, things, organizations and aspects from Soulsborne; thus even in the description it is said that the story has Soulsborne Influence.
The proper crossover is with Warhammer Fantasy, DnD (lesser degree mixture), ASOIAF and Witcher...
If everything goes according to the plan, they will be uploaded somewhere next week, and the 11th Chapter somewhere around the end of August.
So hopefully see you on the patreon...
*
Another thing about the story that I want to really clarify as I got interesting points in reviews on fanfiction.net...
Till Volume III, this story would have two storylines, the Main Storyline focusing on the happenings in the Lordran and another Secondary Storyline focusing on the happenings in Westeros and Essos. The secondary Storyline would be mainly following Tywin Lannister and Westerlands, with some minor focus on other things...
Reason for that?
Right now, there is a great disparity between the Lordran and the rest of the Known World, and basically, the Great Magic Upheaval has just started and it will take some time until both continents of Westeros and Essos get back to the Magical Heritage and get much stronger in the process of so...
During this time, both Essos and Westeros would develop Magicall, becoming very close or rather similar to Age of Heroes, with each region of the Known World having some particular branch of Magic...
So essentially from Volume III both continents would interact more with each other because for one, the rest of the Known World would get stronger due to the return of Magic and for the second, it would actually have things that Lordran would want to have...
*
Also important clarification...
This is not fanfic on Dark Souls or Bloodborne; I am just borrowing some backstories, things, organizations and aspects from Soulsborne; thus even in the description it is said that the story has Soulsborne Influence.
The proper crossover is with Warhammer Fantasy, DnD (lesser degree mixture), ASOIAF and Witcher...
Chapter 2 - The Emperor and Lioness
Trafford
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Codex: Ten Commandments of the Silver Knights of The Empire
The Code of Chivalry of the Silver Knights that every Knight of the Empire must follow. These commandments are an integral part of Imperial society and government and are often used to dictate the actions of the Imperial Noble.
1st Commandment: To serve the Great Ones and worship the Old Blood
2nd Commandment: Bear true allegiance to His Holy Imperial Majesty, The Holy Imperator
3rd Commandment: Work to promote the unity of the Empire, even at the cost of individual liberty
4th Commandment: Defend the domains of the Empire and expand the glory of the Empire too beyond
5th Commandment: Protect the weak and fight for the right
6th Commandment: Always fight the enemies of virtue and order
7th Commandment: Never give up the fight until the foe be defeated
8th Commandment: Never to break Faith with a friend or ally
9th Commandment: Honor and valor are reserved for allies; death is judgment for the enemies in battle everything is permitted
10th Commandment: Root out and destroy Greenskins, the Beasts, the Daemons, servants of False Gods, those who corrupt the Arcane, and purge the Heretic, Mutant and Unclean, wherever they may hide.
***
Some time earlier, Lannisport Castle
After they returned to the Castle of the Lannisport, Tywin Lannister went to fetch his daughter to give her the newest instructions. From what he saw about the Imperial Delegation, he knew that they were the real deal.
An actual Empire ruling over a continent behind the Sunset Sea... Just the procession of fifty humongous warships and the smell of an army of thousands of Knights that came with it was enough to affirm him in his decision.
From what he could see, the Holy Arcadia Empire was highly militaristic and appreciated competency and merits, especially personal abilities and capabilities. Those who contributed well would be rewarded and those who did not...
From the little talks with the Imperator, he found out that even the Noble Houses of the Empire would be stripped of their privileges and titles if they didn't perform well in managing their territories and contributing to the state.
Not to mention, even though Tywin Lannister hated to admit it, he knew that their civilization was way ahead compared to that of Westeros. Just looking at the craftsmanship and power of their weapons and armor would put them maybe even centuries ahead.
"I have found you a match... You will be at your best behavior possible, and if you dare to sabotage this..."
Tywin Lannister said to his daughter in the castle's solar when he called for her to tell her a few things. He will use the connection to the Empire to strengthen the Westerlands to become the most powerful Kingdom within Westeros.
Be it in the Military, Economic, or the so-called Industrial area, as the Imperials called it.
"So, to whom did you decide to ship me off?"
She asked patronizingly at her father's command. Deep inside, she hated being treated like this just because she was a woman. Just because of her gender, she was meant to be forever a broodmare for children and a tool for political alliances.
"As you may have noticed... we have very special guests beyond the Sunset Sea and the entire port is swarming with their behemoth-like warships."
He stated sternly, having enough of his daughter's behavior.
"The man I have chosen is the Emperor of the foreign power and just troops that brought with him on the voyage are not even a fraction of his military might and yet would be enough to contend against some Kingdoms of Westeros with this alone."
He knew his daughter very well; she was rebellious, wanted to train like Knight when she was younger and had a full head of other nonsensical things.
"I don't care what you think, Cersei... I brought you here in hopes that I could wed you to the Emperor Karl Franz and I will make that happen. Rhaegar is married to Dornish Princess, which cut out the path to the Iron Throne... let Aerys keep that piece of scrap iron."
He stood up from his seat and motioned his daughter to follow him, which she did as he pointed at enormous warships bearing the sigil of skulls with griffons and hammers bearing the Sigil of The Empire.
"Do you see that? Fleet strong like that would destroy the Ironborns like children and on top of that, they have thousands of Knights and apparently also Wizards with real Magic, not some paltry tricks... not to mention their longevity...."
The Lord Paramount of Westerlands looked at the fleet of the Empire, and even though Cersei was young and not very educated in the matters of state, politics and military because in Westeros, women were not in positions of power.
Be it from the point of Faith of Seven are One or from the traditions of the Nobility of Westerosi.
"Your Job is to secure the favor of the Emperor at any cost. I have already found out that he already has one fianceé in his homeland and due to the fact that polygamy is common, he will have no problem taking multiple wives at that."
He stated sternly as his daughter frowned, but seeing the eyes of her father, which were drilled into her very own soul, she remained silent. Tywin meanwhile knew that Karl Franz was engaged to Lady Maria Vileblood, daughter of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, ruler of Cainhurst.
She herself was the most fearsome warrior in the entire Empire and while it was weird for the Westerosi standards to see women fight and Faith of Seven considered it barbaric, he couldn't help but have certain respect.
Every member to whom he spoke only held two feelings towards Lady Maria.
Reverence and Fear.
He knew that his daughter would have strong concurrent, but he didn't doubt that she would succeed...
She was Lannister, a proud lion.
"Right now, there are no suitable bachelors in Westeros, aside from a few less savory ones, and we don't have enough interests in the Essos to search for a match there. You cannot marry one of the bannerman, for that you are a too precious a tool."
Hearing that, Cersei frowned and her expression morphed into several shades of anger, but deep inside, she knew that resisting was futile. In the end, as long as she was in Westeros, she would be nothing more than a glorified child bearer and bargaining chip to strengthen her House.
"So, I expect for you to gain the favor of Imperator Karl Franz so he decides to agree to my proposal and we could benefit from it... be it military power, riches or longevity of their Religion."
Tywin Lannister wasn't a very religious man; in fact, he hated Gods for taking his beloved wife from him when that little monster was born. Yet, he couldn't help but be shocked when he found that those who worshipped the Healing Church and drank the Old Blood could easily live centuries.
Even the Emperor himself was more than five hundred years old, despite not looking older than thirty. That was way longer than the entire Targaryen Dynasty in the Seven Kingdoms.
***
"Now, before anyone could start screaming and shouting, let's all calm down and resolve this situation in a more civilized way."
I stated calmly when I saw that Tywin Lannister was already going to burst out in anger, though fortunately, there were almost no people in the vicinity. At least that was good or the poor servants would end up dead so that nobody would spread rumors about the House Lannister.
Even though, from what I could see, Magic in Westeros was already being slowly reduced to myth and legend, they still understood the significance of the Blood Curse and to hear that the daughter of Lord Paramount was cursed would be a severe blow to his reputation.
This would be a severe blow for someone as prideful as Tywin Lannister, who put the reputation of his Lineage far above everything else. Not to mention, when he noticed how the people of the Empire reacted to it, he knew that he would be an embarrassment before the foreign power.
Meanwhile, the person in question, who was the epicenter of the attention, was right now shaking in fear; nobody knew what... it could be the way her father was looking at her with a stern and piercing gaze.
Ort the High Scholar Jinfarah, who was looking at her with some kind of curiosity and practically every single person in the room was turning their gaze on her way. I went to her and put my right hand on her shoulder, signaling her to calm down.
"Calm down, just breathe and calm yourself... while the Blood Curse could be problematic, it is nothing that the Healing Church Church or our Wizards won't be able to resolve."
I said calmly as I saw that Cersei was looking down, not meeting my gaze, but she was considerably calmer compared to moments ago.
"Now, the most important question... did you give someone your Blood willingly in the past? Especially to some Magic user?"
This was the most important thing to find out because we would be much more hard-pressed without locating the person who cast the Blood Curse. The sole good thing about the entire situation was that the person who cast the Blood Curse wasn't particularly powerful.
If the spell caster was more powerful, then they would need to think of another strategy to get rid of it.
***
3rd POV
After Karl Franz calmed down everyone, the young Lannister started recalling the events of what happened and hearing that brought various reactions. Her father was visibly enraged; Karl Franz listened attentively while the old wizard frowned or a bit before he grimaced more deeply.
After his encouragement, she started retelling the story of how she went to someone called Maggy the Frog and got a prophecy from her after she gave the witch her Blood. Hearing that, High Scholar Jinfarah frowned deeply because he could see that the young girl was technically scammed...
"I must say, young lady, that all things that the witch told you are lies... in the first place, to make a prophecy, one doesn't need blood."
After everything was said, the elderly member of the Scholars of Bryngenwerth stated.
"So now what... what should we do?"
The Lord of the Castrerly Rock broke the silence when he saw that his daughter was on the verge of an emotional breakdown after she started crying, leaning over Emperor Karl-Franz for support.
Even though Tywin Lannister always seemed cold and distant, he truly loved his eldest children, Cersei and Jamie.
"We need to find this Maggy the Frog... that would be the first step... after securing her, we can break the Blood Curse."
High Scholar Jinfarah stated, not even looking at the Lord of the Casterly Rock, though the Wizards were known for their eccentric behavior and in The Holy Arcadia Empire, personal strength was far more valued than noble titles.
"She is the fortune teller from Lannisport who dealt in cures and love potions. We can assume that 'Maggy' is not even her true name, but most likely a bastardization of the word 'maegi', a term for women from Essoss who practice Blood Magic."
Hearing Kevan Lannister speak that even made several people from The Holy Arcadia Empire look at them with a certain degree of mockery because they were even that someone like her was living in their city and did nothing about it at all.
In the Empire, there were very strict laws regulating Magic users and against the servants of the foul powers, there was no mercy. They would be hunted down immediately after they appeared so they couldn't corrupt their nation.
"Then find her and bring her here... for that, I will send a few Templar Knights to help you in this endeavor."
Karl-Franz said because he wanted to be sure that Maggy the Frog was caught and he had a feeling that if it was left up to more mundane means, she would escape. Magic users, as a whole, were very problematic to deal with.
"Fear the Old Blood... As the Old Blood is the path to the Ascension by the Great Ones, praise the Great Ones!"
Just then, everyone heard the voice of one of the men who arrived at the meeting room. Garbed in the white clothes of a priest, bearing the sigil of the Great Ones and a grail-like object filled with Blood, with people bowing around it and three flowers around it in a pyramid pattern.
"Praise the Great Ones, Father."
The man before them, who arrived with several others, were from the Templar Knight Executioners, the Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church. They were superhumans of the Healing Church with physical strength no less than Ogres and standing on the same level as the Reiksgarde.
Now, seeing them there, everyone grew a bit tense because, from a brief contact that the Westerosi had with the Imperials, it was clear that almost everyone was a religious fanatic; their reverence for their religion was...
To absolute extreme as they worshipped the Religion of the Great Ones.
"Praise the Great Ones, The Chosen One."
The Church Executioners bowed to Emperor Karl-Franz.
"Lord Lannister, this is Father Galahad of the Healing Church, and behind him are the Holy Knight Executioners... they will accompany your soldiers to ensure that the witch is safely caught."
Karl-Franz stated that even Tywin Lannister agreed with this because there was no time to debate his own stance towards religions, but it was time to act. And it seemed that the Templar Executioners were the best to deal with the Magic users.
With that, Tywin ordered some of his men to go and lead the Templar Executioners to find Maggy the Frog as fast as possible. Nobody dared to be a tad slower as the armed men quickly departed to finish their tasks.
***
MC POV
As I watched the Church Executioners depart, I sat down and started praying.
Before my reincarnation, I was an atheist or agnostic; I never believed in God, or rather, I believed in something that was transcending our understanding of the Cosmos, but I didn't know what it was.
Only after I met the Great Ones, I saw the Truth, obtaining the Isight and saw the depths of the Cosmos, something that the mortals could never achieve. One could say that I became a religious fanatic of the Great Ones.
Because even though all the horrors I experienced for whatever reason, probably not more than their own entertainment, it was still worth... at least this world is far more interesting than boring, mundane life on Earth.
Not talking about the endless possibilities that the Cosmos is bringing to us.
I sat down on the nearby sofa and started praying to the Formless God of Blood Oedon, the main God of the Great Ones, the one that we all worshipped and the one that I met personally and got the Old Blood from him.
Other people in the room either dispersed or returned to their matters. It seemed that with the revelation of Lord Tywin's daughter being Blood Cursed by some witch destroyed the festive mood for the banquet.
Lord Tywin, together with his brother, went to take care of some other things, or they were talking with other members of the Imperial delegation to Westeros. The High Scholar Jinfarah was already collecting information about Westeros and politics once again.
"You can sit down next to me if you wish..."
Even though my eyes closed, I knew that Cersei Lannister was standing before me and observing me for more than a minute. With my trans-human senses, it was almost impossible to miss out.
She nervously fidgeted when she heard my voice, but soon enough, she sat down next to me as I was still praying. I could tell that she was still nervous from being studied like an object by High Scholar Jinfarah, but that was normal...
Those of Bryngenwerth didn't care for anything aside from pursuing the deepest mysteries of Truth.
"You seemed to be very nervous, my Lady."
I said mildly when I looked at her sitting down next to me.
"And you seem to be very religious, Your Majesty."
I could hear the nervousness in her voice, stress, anger, hatred, pain and sadness all in one, yet it also contained a longing for comfort. Certainly, I was very good at reading people with Insight; there was nothing that could escape my attention and my "eyes".
"Yes... The Empire stands strong on the Steel, Faith and Magic."
Slowly saying, I finished my prayer as I looked directly into her eyes; for a moment, I admired her beauty... even though she was only fifteen, she was very beautiful for her age...
"Let me tell you a story..."
I began slowly to tell.
"There was once a City that discovered in Ancient Tombs what they called the Blood of the Gods. Those who drank it or were injected with the Blood grew stronger, faster, more powerful, had great healing capability..."
I said... before her eyes, I took my dagger from my waist and cut deeply before her shocked and horrifying eyes that turned into wonder when she saw such injury being healed in a matter of not even seconds.
"And granted almost complete protection from diseases and plagues. Those who drank the Blood would live longer; overcoming centuries with no problem for them and some even discovered that they could tap into the Arcane Energy and obtain various supernatural abilities."
I made a pause as I showed her that my hand was fully healed, and it looked like nothing happened to it.
"But yet, without Faith and with greed, it led only to the disaster. The people who drank the Blood from the Ancient Tombs in their endless avarice in pursuit of power and greater evolution began to be corrupted by the very own power they sought, whose willpower failed and who were overcome by their greed were turned into nothing more than endless beasts that plagued the lands of Lordran."
It certainly brought back some memories, not happy ones, but they certainly were good in some twisted sense.
"Thus, one of the first expeditions to the Ancient Tombs decided to establish a religion to worship the beings from whom the Blood came and to see if the humans could become something greater. And when the Formless God of Blood Oedon sent down the Chosen One, the Healing Church was established, and the corruption began to fade."
As was my part with the Great Ones...
"Those with strong Faith in the Great Ones would never have to fear the corruption of the Old Blood and could enjoy all the benefits... as long as they genuinely believed in the Great Ones, everything was possible. So, yes, my Lady, I am very religious; from a person to not believing in anything to a Chosen One of Great Ones is a great step..."
I swore that I could hear her gasp at my revelation, not that it was some kind of secret because, in the Lordran, it was common knowledge, as I bore the mark of Oedon, the Rune tattooed on my body.
Indeed, life was full of twists and surprises... sometimes they were indeed shocking, even for my own tastes.
"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."
***
Streets of Lannisport, some time later.
After the soldiers were sent to apprehend the witch known as Maggy the Frong, Tywin Lannister also ordered the entire Lannisport to be locked down for the time being.
It was of utmost importance that nobody left the city and the witches were known for their craftiness and scheming nature. It was no doubt that she would try to escape, but for that, he already mobilized several hundreds of Red Guards.
Among the Lord Paramounts, the standing military was non-existent and the sole military strength that the Houses possessed was that of their own Household Guards.
Tywin Lannister always wished to build a standing military of the Westerlands that would be solely loyal to the House Lannister and he was already working on it, albeit a bit slowly for his tastes.
It would achieve two things... for the first one, it would drastically strengthen the might of Westerlands and for the second, it would weaken the power and influence of individual Noble Houses.
Now that he had seen the professional military of the Holy Arcadia Empire and how it operated and when he talked with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein, he was determined to do the same, even if it meant openly copying the structure of the Imperial Military.
"Is it here?"
Father Galahad asked while readying his sword. He was surrounded by two Church Executioners of the Healing Church, several Silver Knights and a whole bunch of Lannister's Reg Guards.
"Yes."
The captain of the Lannisport's City Guards answered rather nervously because something didn't really sit well with him.
From what he was told, they were going to apprehend an old woman and yet there were several people for that, giving him a far more dangerous feeling than Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane.
But he was just the captain of the City Guards and it was not his place to question the order of his Lord, not to mention the people leading their group looked like religious fanatics even more than those mad worshippers of Faith of Seven.
"Then let's start."
Father Galahad ordered because he could smell the foulness of the Blood Magic in here, practices that went against the teaching of the Healing Church, committing the vilest of the heresies.
Suddenly, before he could open the door, he felt something was wrong, like, very, very wrong right now.
"This is..."
***
MC POV, Castle of Lannisport
After I finished my prayer to the Great Ones, it appeared that Tywin ordered his daughter to make a tour of the castle for me, but at the same time, I could see that she was very uncomfortable with all of this.
The first thing was that her father was enraged with her for her entire affair with the Maggy the Frog and right now, she was being practically sold to a stranger. Yet, in the short time of vulnerability, she said that she wanted real power, not just to become a glorified broodmare for her husband.
"Now that we are alone, please drop that mask of pure, innocent lady... not that you are very good at maintaining it..."
I said to her once we were in a place where nobody could see or hear us; aside from that, the entire area was protected by the Reiksgarde, so nobody would even dare to peek at us. As I said that, I could see that Cersei scowled a bit...
"And so what? Everybody in this stupid country is looking at me like three holes to be fucked and one to spit out children... From what am I different from a glorified prostitute? My father sees me just a tool to strengthen the House Lannister; the Faith of Seven sees me just like an obedient cocksleeve and nothing more and nothing less."
She immediately fired; probably, it was a good idea to talk to her on equal ground without any pretensions. At the same time, I was pleased with her response, even though her vocabulary was a bit more vulgar.
"Yes, it is... compared to The Holy Arcadia Empire, your society is backward, stupid and primitive. The fact that you are a woman doesn't make you any less valuable... while here in Westeros, you would always be nothing more than just a trophy wife, without real power, without martial prowess, without political influence, without the opportunity to do actually do something, in the Empire there would be countless possibilities."
Thus, I started telling her about The Lordran, that she could do whatever she wished if she ever married me...
"I can see the ambition behind your beautiful emerald eyes; I know the type of people like you, maybe even better than you know yourself... You want power, power for its own sake, power to be used and wielded. You want it not because it is a duty, not because it is a burden that you must take up, but to fill the emptiness inside you Cersei, the knowledge that you were born the wrong gender."
I could see that she started shaking either from anger or from the sole fact that I was able to read her like a book. Certainly, some bits that I remembered from the canon of ASOIAF helped a bit, but most importantly, during my long life, I have learned to read people.
And read them very well...
"And do you know what?... There is nothing wrong about wanting more power as long as you use it responsibly."
I said as her eyes shot towards me very quickly.
"What do you know about power? About ruling? I seriously doubt that your father would actually teach you something usable; in the end from what I have seen and heard, it is not a trend..."
Her eyes were wandering around me and in truth, I could see that maybe I was a bit hard on her with my speech?
Probably yes, considering the fact she was fourteen, but at the same time, I needed to break her arrogance and pride, or else it would become a real problem at a later date.
"And If I married, you could do I what I wish?"
She asked me after sitting there several minutes in silence straight away, pondering over my previous words.
"You could also become a warrior of renowned prowess if you wished so... even though you have not trained for a long, anyone experienced could tell that you have good basics of swordsmanship."
I said as she stopped in her tracks; something that nobody knew, but when they were younger, she would often switch places with her brother. As they were twins, they could easily pass as each other...
"One of the most powerful and renowned warriors of the Empire these days is a woman too... Lady Maria."
I could see that her eyes glinted when I mentioned Lady Maria, though, at the same time, I had two motives for mentioning her.
One of them was to motivate her that her gender was not something that dictated her future and simultaneously to see her reaction if I revealed that I was close to another woman.
Not to mention, her father for sure already mentioned this information to her, but weirdly enough, while I saw there a hint of jealousy, it was aimed most at the fact that Maria was still able to become one of the most powerful warriors within the Empire despite being a woman.
"Father told me that polygamy is commonly practiced in the Empire."
We both were sitting on a sofa with a clear view of the Lannisport, though from this view, it was a beautiful city for the standards of Westeros. In Westeros, polygamy was not commonly seen, even amongst the nobility, mainly because the Faith of Seven was against it and considered it barbaric.
At the same time, I considered Fath of Seven as the basic definition of barbarism... quite ironic.
"Indeed, especially among the Greater Houses Lord High Magistrates and Elector Counts... and also among the Hunters. For the people of the Old Blood, it is hard to have offspring and the higher Level of your Old Blood is, the harder it is to have a child..."
I said with some sort of sorrow...
Never in my life would I have thought that I would want to marry and have children with Maria... we have been intimate for a few decades already, since the anniversary celebrations at Cainhurst, but there were no signs of her being pregnant.
At this point, it was clear that Tywin Lannister intended for her to marry me, and in truth, I will agree... not only due to Insight but from what I talked with her, she was beautiful, scheming, talented, and ambitious.
A rough diamond.
The Insight was the gift from the Great Ones, Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star, the one who saw the deep, and with it, I can see many things from countless futures, and I saw a certain one here.
The Insight was the thing that made my decision in this matter much easier, as it was never wrong...
Yes, she had some problems with her temperament and low cunning, but she was a rough diamond that everyone ignored just because she was female. And it was clear that Cersei wanted to prove everyone wrong...
I like that confidence.
After tutelage by Annalise Vileblood on the topic of politics and Gehrman in the area of martial training, she would become a force to reckon with. With her mind no inferior to her father, as the old lion was a good schemer and strategist and with her martial prowess no inferior to any Hunter.
"You are like a rough diamond, my Lady... you have very good predispositions to become someone truly great if you overcome your issues with anger and learn to be better at cunning..."
Saying that, I could see her scowl, but after some time she spent with me, she had to admit that I was right. I was probably the first person who treated her for who she really was, and not for who she was supposed to be.
Everyone would certainly fear the daughter of Tywin Lannister because of the deeds he did and the things he achieved, but I did not.
"So, what do you think? Would I be a good partner? And please... when you answer, tell me your honest thoughts and not some bullshit."
I said because I decided to be more proactive.
"I think we can come to an agreement and forgive me for my crass language, Your Majesty, but fuck my father and the old traditions... I want to be my own person who will dictate my own fate."
She said after some time with a roaring passion that was very attractive to me...
"Not to mention... I find you very amicable and handsome, Your Majesty... though..."
She said very straightforwardly with a slight blush as I chuckled at that.
"Though you fear how it would be if I had two wives? Or do you fear for our children that they will kill each other for the Throne or what?"
I knew exactly what she wanted to say... it was common among the nobility of Westeros and Essos to have such kinds of things, especially with the Faith of Seven having a very hard stance on the bastard children born without marriage.
"Then you don't need to fear anything. Maria is a very nice woman who would certainly appreciate sister-wife and I would love all of our children equally. And to the last thing, it is not possible because when I retire, the Emperor will be voted among the candidates of the Imperial House and only the one with the highest achievements and who is most competent would become the Emperor."
She slowly nodded at that, calming down considerably at my assurances.
Not to mention, my marriage with Cersei as a bonus would allow me to have reason to meddle with the Westerosi affairs and, at the same time, open doors to participate in some canon events that I could barely remember.
***
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The Code of Chivalry of the Silver Knights that every Knight of the Empire must follow. These commandments are an integral part of Imperial society and government and are often used to dictate the actions of the Imperial Noble.
1st Commandment: To serve the Great Ones and worship the Old Blood
2nd Commandment: Bear true allegiance to His Holy Imperial Majesty, The Holy Imperator
3rd Commandment: Work to promote the unity of the Empire, even at the cost of individual liberty
4th Commandment: Defend the domains of the Empire and expand the glory of the Empire too beyond
5th Commandment: Protect the weak and fight for the right
6th Commandment: Always fight the enemies of virtue and order
7th Commandment: Never give up the fight until the foe be defeated
8th Commandment: Never to break Faith with a friend or ally
9th Commandment: Honor and valor are reserved for allies; death is judgment for the enemies in battle everything is permitted
10th Commandment: Root out and destroy Greenskins, the Beasts, the Daemons, servants of False Gods, those who corrupt the Arcane, and purge the Heretic, Mutant and Unclean, wherever they may hide.
***
Some time earlier, Lannisport Castle
After they returned to the Castle of the Lannisport, Tywin Lannister went to fetch his daughter to give her the newest instructions. From what he saw about the Imperial Delegation, he knew that they were the real deal.
An actual Empire ruling over a continent behind the Sunset Sea... Just the procession of fifty humongous warships and the smell of an army of thousands of Knights that came with it was enough to affirm him in his decision.
From what he could see, the Holy Arcadia Empire was highly militaristic and appreciated competency and merits, especially personal abilities and capabilities. Those who contributed well would be rewarded and those who did not...
From the little talks with the Imperator, he found out that even the Noble Houses of the Empire would be stripped of their privileges and titles if they didn't perform well in managing their territories and contributing to the state.
Not to mention, even though Tywin Lannister hated to admit it, he knew that their civilization was way ahead compared to that of Westeros. Just looking at the craftsmanship and power of their weapons and armor would put them maybe even centuries ahead.
"I have found you a match... You will be at your best behavior possible, and if you dare to sabotage this..."
Tywin Lannister said to his daughter in the castle's solar when he called for her to tell her a few things. He will use the connection to the Empire to strengthen the Westerlands to become the most powerful Kingdom within Westeros.
Be it in the Military, Economic, or the so-called Industrial area, as the Imperials called it.
"So, to whom did you decide to ship me off?"
She asked patronizingly at her father's command. Deep inside, she hated being treated like this just because she was a woman. Just because of her gender, she was meant to be forever a broodmare for children and a tool for political alliances.
"As you may have noticed... we have very special guests beyond the Sunset Sea and the entire port is swarming with their behemoth-like warships."
He stated sternly, having enough of his daughter's behavior.
"The man I have chosen is the Emperor of the foreign power and just troops that brought with him on the voyage are not even a fraction of his military might and yet would be enough to contend against some Kingdoms of Westeros with this alone."
He knew his daughter very well; she was rebellious, wanted to train like Knight when she was younger and had a full head of other nonsensical things.
"I don't care what you think, Cersei... I brought you here in hopes that I could wed you to the Emperor Karl Franz and I will make that happen. Rhaegar is married to Dornish Princess, which cut out the path to the Iron Throne... let Aerys keep that piece of scrap iron."
He stood up from his seat and motioned his daughter to follow him, which she did as he pointed at enormous warships bearing the sigil of skulls with griffons and hammers bearing the Sigil of The Empire.
"Do you see that? Fleet strong like that would destroy the Ironborns like children and on top of that, they have thousands of Knights and apparently also Wizards with real Magic, not some paltry tricks... not to mention their longevity...."
The Lord Paramount of Westerlands looked at the fleet of the Empire, and even though Cersei was young and not very educated in the matters of state, politics and military because in Westeros, women were not in positions of power.
Be it from the point of Faith of Seven are One or from the traditions of the Nobility of Westerosi.
"Your Job is to secure the favor of the Emperor at any cost. I have already found out that he already has one fianceé in his homeland and due to the fact that polygamy is common, he will have no problem taking multiple wives at that."
He stated sternly as his daughter frowned, but seeing the eyes of her father, which were drilled into her very own soul, she remained silent. Tywin meanwhile knew that Karl Franz was engaged to Lady Maria Vileblood, daughter of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, ruler of Cainhurst.
She herself was the most fearsome warrior in the entire Empire and while it was weird for the Westerosi standards to see women fight and Faith of Seven considered it barbaric, he couldn't help but have certain respect.
Every member to whom he spoke only held two feelings towards Lady Maria.
Reverence and Fear.
He knew that his daughter would have strong concurrent, but he didn't doubt that she would succeed...
She was Lannister, a proud lion.
"Right now, there are no suitable bachelors in Westeros, aside from a few less savory ones, and we don't have enough interests in the Essos to search for a match there. You cannot marry one of the bannerman, for that you are a too precious a tool."
Hearing that, Cersei frowned and her expression morphed into several shades of anger, but deep inside, she knew that resisting was futile. In the end, as long as she was in Westeros, she would be nothing more than a glorified child bearer and bargaining chip to strengthen her House.
"So, I expect for you to gain the favor of Imperator Karl Franz so he decides to agree to my proposal and we could benefit from it... be it military power, riches or longevity of their Religion."
Tywin Lannister wasn't a very religious man; in fact, he hated Gods for taking his beloved wife from him when that little monster was born. Yet, he couldn't help but be shocked when he found that those who worshipped the Healing Church and drank the Old Blood could easily live centuries.
Even the Emperor himself was more than five hundred years old, despite not looking older than thirty. That was way longer than the entire Targaryen Dynasty in the Seven Kingdoms.
***
"Now, before anyone could start screaming and shouting, let's all calm down and resolve this situation in a more civilized way."
I stated calmly when I saw that Tywin Lannister was already going to burst out in anger, though fortunately, there were almost no people in the vicinity. At least that was good or the poor servants would end up dead so that nobody would spread rumors about the House Lannister.
Even though, from what I could see, Magic in Westeros was already being slowly reduced to myth and legend, they still understood the significance of the Blood Curse and to hear that the daughter of Lord Paramount was cursed would be a severe blow to his reputation.
This would be a severe blow for someone as prideful as Tywin Lannister, who put the reputation of his Lineage far above everything else. Not to mention, when he noticed how the people of the Empire reacted to it, he knew that he would be an embarrassment before the foreign power.
Meanwhile, the person in question, who was the epicenter of the attention, was right now shaking in fear; nobody knew what... it could be the way her father was looking at her with a stern and piercing gaze.
Ort the High Scholar Jinfarah, who was looking at her with some kind of curiosity and practically every single person in the room was turning their gaze on her way. I went to her and put my right hand on her shoulder, signaling her to calm down.
"Calm down, just breathe and calm yourself... while the Blood Curse could be problematic, it is nothing that the Healing Church Church or our Wizards won't be able to resolve."
I said calmly as I saw that Cersei was looking down, not meeting my gaze, but she was considerably calmer compared to moments ago.
"Now, the most important question... did you give someone your Blood willingly in the past? Especially to some Magic user?"
This was the most important thing to find out because we would be much more hard-pressed without locating the person who cast the Blood Curse. The sole good thing about the entire situation was that the person who cast the Blood Curse wasn't particularly powerful.
If the spell caster was more powerful, then they would need to think of another strategy to get rid of it.
***
3rd POV
After Karl Franz calmed down everyone, the young Lannister started recalling the events of what happened and hearing that brought various reactions. Her father was visibly enraged; Karl Franz listened attentively while the old wizard frowned or a bit before he grimaced more deeply.
After his encouragement, she started retelling the story of how she went to someone called Maggy the Frog and got a prophecy from her after she gave the witch her Blood. Hearing that, High Scholar Jinfarah frowned deeply because he could see that the young girl was technically scammed...
"I must say, young lady, that all things that the witch told you are lies... in the first place, to make a prophecy, one doesn't need blood."
After everything was said, the elderly member of the Scholars of Bryngenwerth stated.
"So now what... what should we do?"
The Lord of the Castrerly Rock broke the silence when he saw that his daughter was on the verge of an emotional breakdown after she started crying, leaning over Emperor Karl-Franz for support.
Even though Tywin Lannister always seemed cold and distant, he truly loved his eldest children, Cersei and Jamie.
"We need to find this Maggy the Frog... that would be the first step... after securing her, we can break the Blood Curse."
High Scholar Jinfarah stated, not even looking at the Lord of the Casterly Rock, though the Wizards were known for their eccentric behavior and in The Holy Arcadia Empire, personal strength was far more valued than noble titles.
"She is the fortune teller from Lannisport who dealt in cures and love potions. We can assume that 'Maggy' is not even her true name, but most likely a bastardization of the word 'maegi', a term for women from Essoss who practice Blood Magic."
Hearing Kevan Lannister speak that even made several people from The Holy Arcadia Empire look at them with a certain degree of mockery because they were even that someone like her was living in their city and did nothing about it at all.
In the Empire, there were very strict laws regulating Magic users and against the servants of the foul powers, there was no mercy. They would be hunted down immediately after they appeared so they couldn't corrupt their nation.
"Then find her and bring her here... for that, I will send a few Templar Knights to help you in this endeavor."
Karl-Franz said because he wanted to be sure that Maggy the Frog was caught and he had a feeling that if it was left up to more mundane means, she would escape. Magic users, as a whole, were very problematic to deal with.
"Fear the Old Blood... As the Old Blood is the path to the Ascension by the Great Ones, praise the Great Ones!"
Just then, everyone heard the voice of one of the men who arrived at the meeting room. Garbed in the white clothes of a priest, bearing the sigil of the Great Ones and a grail-like object filled with Blood, with people bowing around it and three flowers around it in a pyramid pattern.
"Praise the Great Ones, Father."
The man before them, who arrived with several others, were from the Templar Knight Executioners, the Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church. They were superhumans of the Healing Church with physical strength no less than Ogres and standing on the same level as the Reiksgarde.
Now, seeing them there, everyone grew a bit tense because, from a brief contact that the Westerosi had with the Imperials, it was clear that almost everyone was a religious fanatic; their reverence for their religion was...
To absolute extreme as they worshipped the Religion of the Great Ones.
"Praise the Great Ones, The Chosen One."
The Church Executioners bowed to Emperor Karl-Franz.
"Lord Lannister, this is Father Galahad of the Healing Church, and behind him are the Holy Knight Executioners... they will accompany your soldiers to ensure that the witch is safely caught."
Karl-Franz stated that even Tywin Lannister agreed with this because there was no time to debate his own stance towards religions, but it was time to act. And it seemed that the Templar Executioners were the best to deal with the Magic users.
With that, Tywin ordered some of his men to go and lead the Templar Executioners to find Maggy the Frog as fast as possible. Nobody dared to be a tad slower as the armed men quickly departed to finish their tasks.
***
MC POV
As I watched the Church Executioners depart, I sat down and started praying.
Before my reincarnation, I was an atheist or agnostic; I never believed in God, or rather, I believed in something that was transcending our understanding of the Cosmos, but I didn't know what it was.
Only after I met the Great Ones, I saw the Truth, obtaining the Isight and saw the depths of the Cosmos, something that the mortals could never achieve. One could say that I became a religious fanatic of the Great Ones.
Because even though all the horrors I experienced for whatever reason, probably not more than their own entertainment, it was still worth... at least this world is far more interesting than boring, mundane life on Earth.
Not talking about the endless possibilities that the Cosmos is bringing to us.
I sat down on the nearby sofa and started praying to the Formless God of Blood Oedon, the main God of the Great Ones, the one that we all worshipped and the one that I met personally and got the Old Blood from him.
Other people in the room either dispersed or returned to their matters. It seemed that with the revelation of Lord Tywin's daughter being Blood Cursed by some witch destroyed the festive mood for the banquet.
Lord Tywin, together with his brother, went to take care of some other things, or they were talking with other members of the Imperial delegation to Westeros. The High Scholar Jinfarah was already collecting information about Westeros and politics once again.
"You can sit down next to me if you wish..."
Even though my eyes closed, I knew that Cersei Lannister was standing before me and observing me for more than a minute. With my trans-human senses, it was almost impossible to miss out.
She nervously fidgeted when she heard my voice, but soon enough, she sat down next to me as I was still praying. I could tell that she was still nervous from being studied like an object by High Scholar Jinfarah, but that was normal...
Those of Bryngenwerth didn't care for anything aside from pursuing the deepest mysteries of Truth.
"You seemed to be very nervous, my Lady."
I said mildly when I looked at her sitting down next to me.
"And you seem to be very religious, Your Majesty."
I could hear the nervousness in her voice, stress, anger, hatred, pain and sadness all in one, yet it also contained a longing for comfort. Certainly, I was very good at reading people with Insight; there was nothing that could escape my attention and my "eyes".
"Yes... The Empire stands strong on the Steel, Faith and Magic."
Slowly saying, I finished my prayer as I looked directly into her eyes; for a moment, I admired her beauty... even though she was only fifteen, she was very beautiful for her age...
"Let me tell you a story..."
I began slowly to tell.
"There was once a City that discovered in Ancient Tombs what they called the Blood of the Gods. Those who drank it or were injected with the Blood grew stronger, faster, more powerful, had great healing capability..."
I said... before her eyes, I took my dagger from my waist and cut deeply before her shocked and horrifying eyes that turned into wonder when she saw such injury being healed in a matter of not even seconds.
"And granted almost complete protection from diseases and plagues. Those who drank the Blood would live longer; overcoming centuries with no problem for them and some even discovered that they could tap into the Arcane Energy and obtain various supernatural abilities."
I made a pause as I showed her that my hand was fully healed, and it looked like nothing happened to it.
"But yet, without Faith and with greed, it led only to the disaster. The people who drank the Blood from the Ancient Tombs in their endless avarice in pursuit of power and greater evolution began to be corrupted by the very own power they sought, whose willpower failed and who were overcome by their greed were turned into nothing more than endless beasts that plagued the lands of Lordran."
It certainly brought back some memories, not happy ones, but they certainly were good in some twisted sense.
"Thus, one of the first expeditions to the Ancient Tombs decided to establish a religion to worship the beings from whom the Blood came and to see if the humans could become something greater. And when the Formless God of Blood Oedon sent down the Chosen One, the Healing Church was established, and the corruption began to fade."
As was my part with the Great Ones...
"Those with strong Faith in the Great Ones would never have to fear the corruption of the Old Blood and could enjoy all the benefits... as long as they genuinely believed in the Great Ones, everything was possible. So, yes, my Lady, I am very religious; from a person to not believing in anything to a Chosen One of Great Ones is a great step..."
I swore that I could hear her gasp at my revelation, not that it was some kind of secret because, in the Lordran, it was common knowledge, as I bore the mark of Oedon, the Rune tattooed on my body.
Indeed, life was full of twists and surprises... sometimes they were indeed shocking, even for my own tastes.
"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."
***
Streets of Lannisport, some time later.
After the soldiers were sent to apprehend the witch known as Maggy the Frong, Tywin Lannister also ordered the entire Lannisport to be locked down for the time being.
It was of utmost importance that nobody left the city and the witches were known for their craftiness and scheming nature. It was no doubt that she would try to escape, but for that, he already mobilized several hundreds of Red Guards.
Among the Lord Paramounts, the standing military was non-existent and the sole military strength that the Houses possessed was that of their own Household Guards.
Tywin Lannister always wished to build a standing military of the Westerlands that would be solely loyal to the House Lannister and he was already working on it, albeit a bit slowly for his tastes.
It would achieve two things... for the first one, it would drastically strengthen the might of Westerlands and for the second, it would weaken the power and influence of individual Noble Houses.
Now that he had seen the professional military of the Holy Arcadia Empire and how it operated and when he talked with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein, he was determined to do the same, even if it meant openly copying the structure of the Imperial Military.
"Is it here?"
Father Galahad asked while readying his sword. He was surrounded by two Church Executioners of the Healing Church, several Silver Knights and a whole bunch of Lannister's Reg Guards.
"Yes."
The captain of the Lannisport's City Guards answered rather nervously because something didn't really sit well with him.
From what he was told, they were going to apprehend an old woman and yet there were several people for that, giving him a far more dangerous feeling than Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane.
But he was just the captain of the City Guards and it was not his place to question the order of his Lord, not to mention the people leading their group looked like religious fanatics even more than those mad worshippers of Faith of Seven.
"Then let's start."
Father Galahad ordered because he could smell the foulness of the Blood Magic in here, practices that went against the teaching of the Healing Church, committing the vilest of the heresies.
Suddenly, before he could open the door, he felt something was wrong, like, very, very wrong right now.
"This is..."
***
MC POV, Castle of Lannisport
After I finished my prayer to the Great Ones, it appeared that Tywin ordered his daughter to make a tour of the castle for me, but at the same time, I could see that she was very uncomfortable with all of this.
The first thing was that her father was enraged with her for her entire affair with the Maggy the Frog and right now, she was being practically sold to a stranger. Yet, in the short time of vulnerability, she said that she wanted real power, not just to become a glorified broodmare for her husband.
"Now that we are alone, please drop that mask of pure, innocent lady... not that you are very good at maintaining it..."
I said to her once we were in a place where nobody could see or hear us; aside from that, the entire area was protected by the Reiksgarde, so nobody would even dare to peek at us. As I said that, I could see that Cersei scowled a bit...
"And so what? Everybody in this stupid country is looking at me like three holes to be fucked and one to spit out children... From what am I different from a glorified prostitute? My father sees me just a tool to strengthen the House Lannister; the Faith of Seven sees me just like an obedient cocksleeve and nothing more and nothing less."
She immediately fired; probably, it was a good idea to talk to her on equal ground without any pretensions. At the same time, I was pleased with her response, even though her vocabulary was a bit more vulgar.
"Yes, it is... compared to The Holy Arcadia Empire, your society is backward, stupid and primitive. The fact that you are a woman doesn't make you any less valuable... while here in Westeros, you would always be nothing more than just a trophy wife, without real power, without martial prowess, without political influence, without the opportunity to do actually do something, in the Empire there would be countless possibilities."
Thus, I started telling her about The Lordran, that she could do whatever she wished if she ever married me...
"I can see the ambition behind your beautiful emerald eyes; I know the type of people like you, maybe even better than you know yourself... You want power, power for its own sake, power to be used and wielded. You want it not because it is a duty, not because it is a burden that you must take up, but to fill the emptiness inside you Cersei, the knowledge that you were born the wrong gender."
I could see that she started shaking either from anger or from the sole fact that I was able to read her like a book. Certainly, some bits that I remembered from the canon of ASOIAF helped a bit, but most importantly, during my long life, I have learned to read people.
And read them very well...
"And do you know what?... There is nothing wrong about wanting more power as long as you use it responsibly."
I said as her eyes shot towards me very quickly.
"What do you know about power? About ruling? I seriously doubt that your father would actually teach you something usable; in the end from what I have seen and heard, it is not a trend..."
Her eyes were wandering around me and in truth, I could see that maybe I was a bit hard on her with my speech?
Probably yes, considering the fact she was fourteen, but at the same time, I needed to break her arrogance and pride, or else it would become a real problem at a later date.
"And If I married, you could do I what I wish?"
She asked me after sitting there several minutes in silence straight away, pondering over my previous words.
"You could also become a warrior of renowned prowess if you wished so... even though you have not trained for a long, anyone experienced could tell that you have good basics of swordsmanship."
I said as she stopped in her tracks; something that nobody knew, but when they were younger, she would often switch places with her brother. As they were twins, they could easily pass as each other...
"One of the most powerful and renowned warriors of the Empire these days is a woman too... Lady Maria."
I could see that her eyes glinted when I mentioned Lady Maria, though, at the same time, I had two motives for mentioning her.
One of them was to motivate her that her gender was not something that dictated her future and simultaneously to see her reaction if I revealed that I was close to another woman.
Not to mention, her father for sure already mentioned this information to her, but weirdly enough, while I saw there a hint of jealousy, it was aimed most at the fact that Maria was still able to become one of the most powerful warriors within the Empire despite being a woman.
"Father told me that polygamy is commonly practiced in the Empire."
We both were sitting on a sofa with a clear view of the Lannisport, though from this view, it was a beautiful city for the standards of Westeros. In Westeros, polygamy was not commonly seen, even amongst the nobility, mainly because the Faith of Seven was against it and considered it barbaric.
At the same time, I considered Fath of Seven as the basic definition of barbarism... quite ironic.
"Indeed, especially among the Greater Houses Lord High Magistrates and Elector Counts... and also among the Hunters. For the people of the Old Blood, it is hard to have offspring and the higher Level of your Old Blood is, the harder it is to have a child..."
I said with some sort of sorrow...
Never in my life would I have thought that I would want to marry and have children with Maria... we have been intimate for a few decades already, since the anniversary celebrations at Cainhurst, but there were no signs of her being pregnant.
At this point, it was clear that Tywin Lannister intended for her to marry me, and in truth, I will agree... not only due to Insight but from what I talked with her, she was beautiful, scheming, talented, and ambitious.
A rough diamond.
The Insight was the gift from the Great Ones, Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star, the one who saw the deep, and with it, I can see many things from countless futures, and I saw a certain one here.
The Insight was the thing that made my decision in this matter much easier, as it was never wrong...
Yes, she had some problems with her temperament and low cunning, but she was a rough diamond that everyone ignored just because she was female. And it was clear that Cersei wanted to prove everyone wrong...
I like that confidence.
After tutelage by Annalise Vileblood on the topic of politics and Gehrman in the area of martial training, she would become a force to reckon with. With her mind no inferior to her father, as the old lion was a good schemer and strategist and with her martial prowess no inferior to any Hunter.
"You are like a rough diamond, my Lady... you have very good predispositions to become someone truly great if you overcome your issues with anger and learn to be better at cunning..."
Saying that, I could see her scowl, but after some time she spent with me, she had to admit that I was right. I was probably the first person who treated her for who she really was, and not for who she was supposed to be.
Everyone would certainly fear the daughter of Tywin Lannister because of the deeds he did and the things he achieved, but I did not.
"So, what do you think? Would I be a good partner? And please... when you answer, tell me your honest thoughts and not some bullshit."
I said because I decided to be more proactive.
"I think we can come to an agreement and forgive me for my crass language, Your Majesty, but fuck my father and the old traditions... I want to be my own person who will dictate my own fate."
She said after some time with a roaring passion that was very attractive to me...
"Not to mention... I find you very amicable and handsome, Your Majesty... though..."
She said very straightforwardly with a slight blush as I chuckled at that.
"Though you fear how it would be if I had two wives? Or do you fear for our children that they will kill each other for the Throne or what?"
I knew exactly what she wanted to say... it was common among the nobility of Westeros and Essos to have such kinds of things, especially with the Faith of Seven having a very hard stance on the bastard children born without marriage.
"Then you don't need to fear anything. Maria is a very nice woman who would certainly appreciate sister-wife and I would love all of our children equally. And to the last thing, it is not possible because when I retire, the Emperor will be voted among the candidates of the Imperial House and only the one with the highest achievements and who is most competent would become the Emperor."
She slowly nodded at that, calming down considerably at my assurances.
Not to mention, my marriage with Cersei as a bonus would allow me to have reason to meddle with the Westerosi affairs and, at the same time, open doors to participate in some canon events that I could barely remember.
***
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Chapter 3 - Fear the Old Blood
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"My twin brother has his sword and my imp of a brother on the other hand, has his mind... but I have my sword and my looks, yet I don't lack a mind, so don't take me for a fool. I know that Seven Kingdoms is far too in debt... indebted to House Lannister of Westeros, Elector Count House Gausser and Iron Bank of Braavos... so why should Empire lend you money?"
- Cersei Lannister Holswig-Schliestein speaking to a delegation of Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Anor Londo, Year 297 AC of Westeros Calendar / Year 10,297 Age of Old Blood of Lordranese Calendar
***
Codex: Introduction to the Nobility of the Empire
In the modern Empire, there are four Ranks of Nobility that one could achieve.
As The Empire was a system based on Meritocratic Principles, among others, it was possible even for commoners to be elevated to the Nobility as long as they fulfilled the requirements; originally, even some of the Great Houses of the Empire stemmed from commoners.
From the lowest to highest, the Noble Ranks were: Grand Paladin, Baron, Viceroy, Elector Count and High Lord Magistrate.
Grand Paladins, Barons and Viceroys were collectively termed as Lesser Houses, while the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates were termed Greater Houses of The Empire.
***
"Your Majesty!"
Suddenly, as we were talking, I saw one of the Reiksgarde Knights burst into the room. I frowned deeply because something was wrong, and Cersei was very annoyed that someone had destroyed our pleasant bonding atmosphere.
"What has happened?"
I asked the stressed Reiksgarde Knight.
"Message from Father Galahad... he sensed Daemonic Aura in the lair of the witch and... it belongs to the Daemon Lord."
When I heard that, I almost froze at one place, while Cersei didn't know what was happening as everyone around her was looking grim, and she knew that it was related to her.
She was only 14 years old, and while she was taught to appear always strong, this time, she knew that it was too much on her as everyone spoke with the Common Tongue used in Westeros and Essoss.
I went to her, hugging her soft and delicate body, while patting her long blonde hair as she started calming down in my embrace. Standing like that, I was enjoying it too...
In truth, I would want this moment to last a little longer. When I remembered the character of Cersei Lannister in the canon of ASOIAF and compared it to reality, it made me wonder what the reason for her change was...
Certainly, the marriage with Robert Baratheon wasn't the best thing that happened in her life and probably only strengthened all negative aspects of her personality and characteristics.
"Hey, don't worry... it would be okey, just remain here with Reiksgarde and watch how I banish the big bad daemon."
I said with a laugh, with her head resting on my chest.
While she didn't know what exactly was happening, I knew that she suspected that it was connected to Maggy the Frog and that something had gone wrong. Otherwise, nobody would be in such a hurry.
"Be safe... your Majesty."
She said with a whisper before I felt her lips on mine as she leaned over and kissed me; in a moment after I overcame the shock, I kissed her back with even more passion as our tongues interviewed together.
"Call in Ornstein and guard her... it is possible that the Daemon Lord is coming for her."
I ordered while saying the last part of the sentence in Ancient Lordranese.
Ornstein was someone who achieved Hunter level in terms of Old Blood Level, but only a few years ago, he would be no match against the Daemon Lord. So, I needed to go personally because while I was also Level 6 Golden Blood of the Old Blood, I was only one step away from Level 7.
Not to mention, I was personally taught by Gehrman the First Hunter, a sole Level 7 Old Blood being in The Empire and the most powerful warrior in the Empire.
***
3rd POV
"Lord Tywin, please, for a moment..."
Karl Franz stated when he left the solar after ordering the Reiksgarde to guard Cersei because he had a suspicion that the Daemon Lord was coming for her.
She was, in the end, the person who was "Blessed" by Fate.
Such people were rare, but they existed and with Sha Naqba Imuru, I could see them clearly as day because those without Insight would never see that.
If the world was a book, a story, then everyone would be a Character, and some people are unimportant side characters, some are more important, but their influence on the "story" is not very big, and some are Protagonists or Main Characters destined to great things.
The people who are "Blessed by Fate" are those who are destined to play a significant part in the story. They are the people who have an enormous influence on the world and how things will play, deciding the fates of millions.
Such people are invaluable for the Daemons because Daemons could get tremendously stronger by devouring the souls of such people. That was because of the power of Fate or whatever... the Scholars of Bryngenwerth were far more knowledgeable about that aspect.
Now everything made perfect sense...
"Something happened, Your Majesty?"
He asked, noticing that something was not right. He saw that the foreign Emperor was in full armor, and his personal Guard and Holy Knights were all concentrating in the Lannisport Castle.
Something was definitely not right.
"Yes... there were complications with the capture of Maggy the Frog."
Karl Franz said with a serious voice as the old lion frowned deeply; he didn't doubt the competency of his own soldiers because he personally trained the Red Guards or the strength of Imperial ones when he saw them.
"What complications?"
Indeed, something must have indeed happened.
"When Father Galahad went to apprehend the witch... he noticed that her lair has an aura of Daemon, more precisely Daemon Lord."
Usually, Tywin would laugh at that, but seeing that Emperor Karl Franz was very serious about the matter, he listened.
"Daemon Lords have no problem with wiping our entire cities and annihilating entire Regiments of Silver Knights and decimating Legions of Imperial Guard and... unfortunately, right now, there is nobody here who would fight such being aside from me..."
Tywin maintained his composure, but at the same time, he was already very nervous inside because seeing the Emperor so serious about it made him believe it to be true. Not to mention, he even told him that he would be going to fight the creature on his own.
"What do you need me to do?"
He was a decisive man who knew what to do in all situations and right now, the best one would be to cooperate with the Emperor.
"Evacuate the area of Lannisport where is the lair of the witch... then go to Ornstein and remain with him; if the situation turns to worse, he will take you out of the city."
Karl Franz said as the Lord of Westerlands nodded his head in acknowledgment and went to do as the Emperor said. Meanwhile, the Emperor of the Empire looked at the distance because even he himself was a bit nervous about his encounter with the Daemon Lord.
Daemon Lords were one of the most powerful Daemons in the Abyss; each of them ruled the entire Floor of the Abyss and was an extremely ruthless character. Contrary to the Beasts, they were far more cunning and dangerous because they didn't just act on their instincts.
"Still, under the Golden Light of Destruction, he will still fall."
Karl Franz stated as he summoned his personal weapon of choice.
It was a crimson-golden lance with runic inscriptions upon the blade as it shined with crimson-golden color.
Covenant - The Golden Spear of Destiny, the Longinuslanze Testament.
The Holy Relic of the Healing Church, the mythical lance that pierced the heart of Lord Gwyn himself, the so-called Lance of Longinus, is truly a peerless Holy Relic unlike any other. A mythical weapon dating back to the ancient era, forged by the first blacksmith, Tubalcain himself.
Lord Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, was a mighty warrior and the greatest of lords. He was known as the Lord of Sunlight and headed the efforts to end the Age of Ancients, founder of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and the first person to transcend the mortality to become a Great One.
He ended the Age of Ancients by sacrificing himself to spark the First Flame, which began a new Age of the Lordran, the Age of Fire, which then ended the foundations of the Ancient Tombs underneath the Yharnam, ushering the Age of Strife.
Karl Franz looked at the Longinuslanze Testament fondly as he gripped the lance in his right hand.
A weapon of such caliber shall be wielded by an equally great existence. As such, no mere mortal can hope even to lay a hand on the spear lest they invoke a divine punishment unto themselves.
Only the best of the overlord, with the greatest dominance, the soul of a conqueror, and the dignity of a king, may hold the authority to lord over this Holy Lance. Otherwise, the Holy Lance would kill the person who attempted to touch it.
"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."
He recited the sacred text of the Healing Church as he went to the battle against the Daemon Lord.
The Chosen One of the Great Ones, Holy Royarch of the Lord of Sunlight and Cider.
***
MC POV
Lannisport, around the lair of Maggy the Frog
They quickly managed to evacuate the entire district of the Lannisport; thankfully, Lord Tywin's ruthless reputation helped immensely in this aspect as the place was emptied rapidly.
One of the reasons was to have fewer civilian casualties, but there was also a deeper meaning to everything... I didn't want the Daemon Prince to start recuperating during the fight by eating the souls of mortals.
That would be indeed very bad.
"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."
I stood in front of the witch's lair, while everywhere around me, Scholars of Byrgenwerth from Eight Imperial Magic Colleges and even the Priests of the Healing Church were setting up barriers to prevent the Daemon Lord from escaping.
"Because the Old Blood shows us the way, in the Blood is the truth and power."
While continuing reciting the chants of the Holy Texts, I started feeling the evil and foul aura of the Abyss, as in a split moment, the house exploded into flames. It seemed that the Daemon Lord couldn't bear it and decided to act already.
"Let the blessings of the Formless God of Blood show me the path forward. Unhindered by disease, plagues, or my own mortality and fear, I am the mortal instrument of his will on the material plane."
Soon enough, I saw the Daemon Lord that descended on the material plane from the Abyss.
It was Daemon Lord Demogorgon, referred to as the Imprisoned One by some. It was a powerful Daemon Lord of domination and draining energy, an embodiment of madness and destruction that sought to drag down all into the infinite depths of the Abyss.
Demogorgon lived on the 88th Layer of the Abyss, known as the Gaping Maw. This was a layer consisting of a great sea of briny water broken by tall, sharp, ugly, rocky promontories.
He towered a full 5.5 meters in height, his body at once sinuous like that of a snake and powerful like that of a great ape. Two baleful baboon heads, with blue and red faces similar to those of mandrills, leered from atop his lumbering shoulders, from which two long tentacles writhed.
His lower torso was saurian, like some great reptile with blue-green, scaly skin with an immense forked tail.
Yet what was weird about this entire situation was the fact that Daemongorgon had the reputation of Daemon Lord who preferred to avoid direct conflict, instead using Magic to help his servants.
'It seems that he reached the peak of his realm and wants to become Daemon Prince, so the soul of "Blessed by Fate" would certainly serve as his trump card.'
When a Daemon Lord wanted to become a Daemon Prince, from what I heard, they needed to be recognized by the Will of the Abyss by conquering several layers of the Abyss and obtaining the allegiance of multiple Daemon Lords.
Everything falls perfectly together.
Maggy the Frog was a worshipper of some Daemon Cult, most probably a servant of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who was tasked with searching for people that were "Blessed by Fate" and if she found such person, she would cast a Blood Curse on such person.
That would mark the person's soul as a target for the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who would then reap the soul when the time was right.
It seemed that Daemon Lord Demogorgon paid a great price to descend onto the material plane and wanted to obtain the soul at any cost, which would make the fight even harder than initially anticipated because he would be going all out.
"But this is also a good thing..."
I said as I felt a white flower appear in my right hand... it was the white flower of the Hunters that protected every Hunter of the Workshop.
"The Hunt has begun."
***
3rd POV
The Old Blood was boiling inside the Emperor's body because it had been a long time since he fought against such an opponent. Normally, when an entity on Level 6 appeared within the territory of the Empire, Hunters would take care of it very swiftly.
Such was the disadvantage of being tied to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cider. Finally, now he could taste some Blood and it was a very refreshing thing to do so.
Karl-Franz gripped his lance, the Longinuslanze Testament and disappeared from the position as he appeared in front of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and slashed at the Demogorgon, with the Longinuslanze Testament shining with golden sunlight.
Despite his enormous build, the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was pretty agile, as he managed to dodge the incoming Longinuslanze Testament, swiftly forcing Karl Franz to attack once more.
One of the strong abilities of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was its ability to inflict its enemies with diseases and plagues, using them as its most effective weaponry in a single combat.
Unfortunately, against the Emperor of the Empire, it was futile because he was of the Old Blood and thus, he was protected from diseases and plagues. As the Demogorgon slashed at Karl Franz with his tail, aiming at his head, he dodged swiftly by jumping backward.
In a split of a second, the Longinuslanze Testament shined with the golden light as he mobilized Arcane Energy inside his body and struck at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon with full force.
Daemon Lord Demongorgon shrieked with pain because the golden light produced by the Holy Relic of the Healing Church as its very own existence was antithetical to that of the Abyss.
Per se, Arcane Energy wasn't Magic, but it was something different and something far greater only available to those of the Old Blood who reached high levels of the Old Blood.
Karl Franz knew that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was highly resistant to any kind of Magic-based attack, so he chose to attack purely with the Longinuslanze Testament.
While the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was distracted from the pain inflicted on him, Karl Franz disappeared from his original position, appearing behind the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and piercing through his stomach with the Longinuslanze Testament.
In a split second, he was hit by the full force on his stomach by the Daemon Lord's tail, sending him crashing through several buildings of the Lannisport. Yet, at the same time, he achieved far more as he stood up and coughed some blood, seeing the golden lines across the body of his opponent.
"Mortal!!"
One of the Daemon Lord's heads screamed at him with rage and anger.
Each of Demogorgon's heads had its own name and personality, a duality that created an enduring internal conflict in his personality while shaping all his actions and even his realm.
His left head was named Aameul, while the right was named Hethradiah. The two heads warred with each other, constantly seeking to obtain the upper hand on each other.
"We should kill the mortal as soon as possible."
Stated the left head Aameul.
Aameul, the more charismatic and calculating, relished deception and wished to break free from the other half. The more impulsive and feral Hethradiah relished destruction and did not wish to be separated.
This was something that Karl Franz planned to exploit because due to the fact that both of the heads were in control of the body and they were occasionally bickering with each other, which gave tons of opportunities to strike.
Just as now, he gripped the Longinuslanze Testament and rushed at the Demon Lord Demogorgon, dodging his sharp claws, dring behind him and slashing at his tail, severing it from the rest of the body.
Daemon Lord's tail was one of its strongest weapons, not to mention it was protecting him from attacking behind him and could be used as a trump card or surprise attack in case of need.
Karl Franz was a very experienced Hunter; he was taught personally by the Gehrman the First Hunter and was one of two students that the old madman took under his wings.
Even though, in the past decades, he didn't get the opportunity to fight against some worthy opponents, he was still in top condition. He often sparred with the members of the Hunter Order and even against Lady Maria Vileblood.
Now, truth to be told, he was greatly enjoying the fight against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon. Even though the Daemon Lord Demongorgon was pretty powerful, he was still weaker than Karl Franz by the whole hunch.
The main reason was the fact that Daemon Lords were most powerful when they were in the Abyss, especially when they were in the Layer, which they ruled and had the support of the entire Abyssal Layer to their fight.
In that case, they were extremely powerful and very hard to defeat, which on the contrary, made this entire situation even more bugging because Karl Franz didn't really comprehend why the Daemon Lord Demogorgon would risk everything by descending into the Material Plane.
Using the Longinuslanze Testament, he rushed at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon once again, charging straight away at him, digging his poisonous claws and jumping in the air while simultaneously slashing at the right arm of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon.
The creature shrieked in enormous pain as the Holy Relic pierced through a large part of his right shoulder. Technically speaking, if Karl Franz was pretty lucky, he would be able to kill the Daemon Lord Demogorgon with relative ease.
On that point, he also suspected why the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who was ranked as one of the most cunning ones, was doing something as dangerous as this... for the past years, the reports were going that there were increased activities of the Daemons in the Imperial Territory.
According to the Elector House Marian that specialized in Daemon Hunting, something big was happening in the Abyss, and apparently, some of the Daemon Princes were waging war on each other and assimilating some weaker Daemon Lords and their Layers into their influence for the final clash.
"It seems that your end has been found on the insignificant mortal world... Oh'h, Great Daemon Lord..."
Karl Franz mocked the Daemon Lord Demogorgon because even though the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was considered as one of the smarter ones, he was nevertheless a Daemon Lord, so his pride was astronomical.
It was something that couldn't be challenged at any costs, so almost instantaneously, the Daemon Lord was enraged; even though part of its mind was telling it that it fell into the trap, it ignored everything as Demogorgon rushed at the Emperor of the Empire with a full speed.
The Holy Energy was penetrating the Daemon Lord's very own existence due to being struck several times by the Longinuslanze Testament, which was the Holy Relic of the Healing Church and the entire Religion of the Great Ones.
Seeing the Daemon Lord Demogorgon charging straight at him, he grinned and charged at the Daemon Lord, heading directly towards him, as he struck with the Longinuslanze Testament to the ground, and a golden barrier suddenly erupted from the ground.
This barrier of the golden particles immediately started expanding more and more until it enveloped the entire area around him, inflicting a great deal of pain, injuries and other unsavory effects on the Daemon Lord.
"Let the Great Ones descend from the depths of the Cosmos to judge the enemy of the Old Blood!"
After mastering the Old Blood to a greater degree and attaining Level 5 Old Blood, also titled Blue Blood, one would awaken a unique ability of his Bloodline. For Karl Franz, the ability he awakened was rather peculiar.
It represented his position as the Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Royarch of Lordran and Chosen One of the Great Ones.
The Golden Light of Holy Destruction, the Ultimate Judgment done by the Great Ones on the Heretics and Enemies of their very own existence. Nothing could survive the judgment of the Great Ones, nothing could escape it, and the only Fate was death.
As long as it was decreed that something presented a grave threat to the continual existence of the Empire, Imperial House, Healing Church and a few other things on the list, Karl Franz was able to use the Divine Judgement of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
Just like now, it was happening as he was chanting the chant.
"For the Daemon Lord Demogorgon has defiled the Old Blood and rose against the Great Ones, spilling the Golden Blood of the Empire."
Karl Franz chanted as golden blood dripped from various parts of his body, but at the same time, it was also regenerating because his healing factor was truly frightening to see.
The Daemon Lord Demogorgon realized that it had fallen into the trap and the first thing it did, was that two heads started bickering with each other.
"This is your fault!"
Shouted one of the heads at another one in annoyance and frustration and a right deal of anger and hatred.
"No, you bastard, it's your!! It's your responsibility to scheme and analyzes opponents."
While they were bickering, the Golden Barrier enveloping them became complete and wholly locked them in.
"And with this, I deem, in my name of Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, Holy Imperator of The Empire, Royarch of the Lordran, High Lord Magistrate of City of Gods Anor Londo and Lord of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, The Chosen One of the Great Ones and the Formless God of Blood that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon to be Judged in their name and power."
Instantly the Golden Light started cracking like lighting, attracting the attention of every single person in the Lannisport to the event, as it created a translucent figure of being with six pairs of wings in the air holding a spear reminiscent of that of Longinuszlance Testament.
"Let the Holy Judgement of Great Ones descend."
With the final words staid, the Golden Light Figure of Archangel raised its spear and threw it at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, skewering the head of the Daemon Lord in one hit, killing the Daemon Lord faster than lighting.
'This would be probably the best opportunity to start spreading our faith in Westeros... more people worshipping the Great Ones is never the bad thing.'
Karl Franz thought as he saw the Golden Light barrier dispersing into countless parts, creating a spectacular show for the people who were watching while he was observing the corpse of the Daemon Lord.
What had happened today was by one word... miracle... or fluke of luck.
Or probably a combination of both of them.
He knew that he would have a lot of luck if not for the situation in the Abyss, which, according to Elector Count of House Marian, Cross Marian, was pretty severe; the Daemon Lord Demogorgon would have never descended down with his true body.
And if not for the right circumstances, enticement of a special soul, and slight provocations and his own experiences, he would have never managed to kill the creature.
Under any other circumstances, this would be a much harder fight; the Daemon Lord was clearly significantly weakened from not being in the Abyss. Yet, Karl Franz noticed that it was also weakened from not being summoned to the material plane correctly.
"Your Majesty!!"
Karl Franz turned around as he saw there a High Scholar Jinfarah from the Byrgenwerth marching to him with lightning speed, outrunning countless knights despite his old body and skeleton-like appearance.
"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to study this specimen right now... I am willing to pay any price, even all of my Merit Credits."
He said with a fanatical look on his face as he looked at the corpse of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon. It seemed that trip of Karl Franz to Westeros would be cut short because he would need to return back to the Empire with the corpse.
There was a need for someone as strong as him to transport to the corpse to prevent any mishaps personally.
"Congratulations on your victory, Your Majesty."
Karl Franz heard the voice of Tywin Lannister shortly afterward and noticed that right now, the old lord of the Casterly Rock was looking at him with a good amount of fear...
Actually, the Hand of the King was observing the fight between them from the start, and he witnessed the destructive prowess of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and Karl Franz, their capabilities and abilities that were out of this world, and many other things.
"Thank you, Lord Tywin... but it seems that I will need to return back home. With the Daemon Lord being killed here, we need to transport his corpse back to the Faust as soon as possible and I need to oversee the transportation personally."
Normally, he could entrust it to Ornstein, but Karl Franz felt that he needed to oversee it personally.
"I, of course, understand, but before you leave, would you be amiable to private discussion after you take a rest?"
The Emperor nodded his head as several Priests from the Healing Church together with Wizards from Byrgenwerth, started securing the area of fight, cleaning it from the daemonic corruption and sealing the corpse of Daemon Lord.
***
Three Hours Later
"I trust that with the Daemon Lord dead, the state of my daughter should be resolved, right?"
Tywin Lannister asked the Emperor of the Empire when both of them were sitting in the private chambers of the Lannisport's castle.
"Yes... but because the Blood Curse was lingering on the soul for a long time, it also affected her mind, and soul corrosion is not fully healed; she would need to recover for some time... most preferably in the Healing Church."
Karl Franz stated nonchalantly, because right now, as the Daemon Lord Demogrogn was dead, the Blood Curse was automatically null, but the side effects still remained, and they needed to be cured.
"Your Majesty, do you agree to my proposal? As a dowry, I am willing to offer you exclusive contracts on the Dimeritium, Lacrimas, and other precious minerals and ores that are mined from our mines..."
Tywin Lannister stated calmly as Karl Franz cursed Jinfarah and his stupid mouth that he always said more than needed. Dammed, old man, while it didn't present any complications, but right now, the offer was pretty much enticing.
Originally, Karl Franz thought that Westeros wouldn't have anything that would take his interest, but apparently, he was very wrong. Lacrimas were essential in countless Magical aspects, experiments done by the Colleges of Magic or Imperial College of Engineers...
Dimeritium was one of the rarest metals across the Lordran, famed for its anti-magic properties, so it was very rare. Even though there were several large veins that were discovered across the Lordran, there was never enough of the Dimeritium.
And same could be said about Lacrimas.
"I am not opposed to it... but I have my own condition; as you have seen, your House would benefit much more from it than the Empire in the short term and for the long term... we will see..."
Karl Franz said as the old lion's expression didn't change a bit as he was deeply aware of the truth. On the other hand, it was pleasant to negotiate with someone so straightforwardly, but from what he knew, the Emperor was a few centuries old and he liked being straightforward with people.
"First thing... the wedding will take place in four years in the Grand Cathedral of Yharnam and Cersei must convert to the Faith of Great Ones; this is non-negotiable because nobody in The Empire will accept an Empress with a different faith and also it is a matter of lifespan."
Tywin Lannister readily accepted the first conditions because he as many today, saw that Gods maybe really existed... what he saw today was indeed like a scene cut out from the fairy tales.
"If I may ask... why in the four years?"
The Lord of the Westerlands didn't like this a bit because he wanted to have a solid connection with The Empire and his daughter was already in marriageable age... Bethrotals could be broken and that was something that the old lion of Casterly Rock didn't really appreciate.
"Simple... if we take out of question the fact that we still need to get to know each other better, she needs to receive a basic education in politics, ruling, and economics and needs to be trained in combat. Otherwise, she will appear weak, and at the Imperial Court, every bit of weakness will be used against her."
Karl Franz explained patiently as he played the cards right because he knew that for the Lords of Westeros, women being warriors and rulers was something unthinkable.
But even though Tywin Lannister may not like this, there was another thing that he didn't like even more...
If his House and Lineage were viewed as weak.
In the past, during the era when his father Tytos Lannister, was Lord of the House Lannister, it was like that. He was called Laughing Lion or Toothless Lion due to his personality and character, and while he was a jovial and amiable man... on the other hand...
However, he was also weak-willed, eager to please, slow to anger, quick to forgive, and too trusting by half. He saw the good in everyone, great and small, but this trust blinded him to threats to House Lannister.
That was something that greatly paid off to the House Lannister as everyone took advantage of his father; the House was on the verge of collapse, undeveloped, in debt, and catastrophic state.
It was he who made the name Lannister feared and respected one more and if there was one thing that he hated the most in this world, then it was being viewed as weak.
"Second thing, I want exclusive buying rights to some strategic resources that may or may not be found within your mines. Third thing, I want your help in propagating the interests of the Empire at Westeros or at Essos."
Neither of the conditions was something outrageous or something that was putting him in a disadvantageous position.
"Fourth thing, I want to spread Religion of the Great Ones in the Westerlands, build a Church that would be protected by a small contingent of Knights and Priests..."
Tywin Lannister accepted all of the conditions because, in the end, he was still winning in the end, or at least so he thought. In truth, Karl Franz was more satisfied with this deal because the illusion of power indeed worked well.
***
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- Cersei Lannister Holswig-Schliestein speaking to a delegation of Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Anor Londo, Year 297 AC of Westeros Calendar / Year 10,297 Age of Old Blood of Lordranese Calendar
***
Codex: Introduction to the Nobility of the Empire
In the modern Empire, there are four Ranks of Nobility that one could achieve.
As The Empire was a system based on Meritocratic Principles, among others, it was possible even for commoners to be elevated to the Nobility as long as they fulfilled the requirements; originally, even some of the Great Houses of the Empire stemmed from commoners.
From the lowest to highest, the Noble Ranks were: Grand Paladin, Baron, Viceroy, Elector Count and High Lord Magistrate.
Grand Paladins, Barons and Viceroys were collectively termed as Lesser Houses, while the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates were termed Greater Houses of The Empire.
***
"Your Majesty!"
Suddenly, as we were talking, I saw one of the Reiksgarde Knights burst into the room. I frowned deeply because something was wrong, and Cersei was very annoyed that someone had destroyed our pleasant bonding atmosphere.
"What has happened?"
I asked the stressed Reiksgarde Knight.
"Message from Father Galahad... he sensed Daemonic Aura in the lair of the witch and... it belongs to the Daemon Lord."
When I heard that, I almost froze at one place, while Cersei didn't know what was happening as everyone around her was looking grim, and she knew that it was related to her.
She was only 14 years old, and while she was taught to appear always strong, this time, she knew that it was too much on her as everyone spoke with the Common Tongue used in Westeros and Essoss.
I went to her, hugging her soft and delicate body, while patting her long blonde hair as she started calming down in my embrace. Standing like that, I was enjoying it too...
In truth, I would want this moment to last a little longer. When I remembered the character of Cersei Lannister in the canon of ASOIAF and compared it to reality, it made me wonder what the reason for her change was...
Certainly, the marriage with Robert Baratheon wasn't the best thing that happened in her life and probably only strengthened all negative aspects of her personality and characteristics.
"Hey, don't worry... it would be okey, just remain here with Reiksgarde and watch how I banish the big bad daemon."
I said with a laugh, with her head resting on my chest.
While she didn't know what exactly was happening, I knew that she suspected that it was connected to Maggy the Frog and that something had gone wrong. Otherwise, nobody would be in such a hurry.
"Be safe... your Majesty."
She said with a whisper before I felt her lips on mine as she leaned over and kissed me; in a moment after I overcame the shock, I kissed her back with even more passion as our tongues interviewed together.
"Call in Ornstein and guard her... it is possible that the Daemon Lord is coming for her."
I ordered while saying the last part of the sentence in Ancient Lordranese.
Ornstein was someone who achieved Hunter level in terms of Old Blood Level, but only a few years ago, he would be no match against the Daemon Lord. So, I needed to go personally because while I was also Level 6 Golden Blood of the Old Blood, I was only one step away from Level 7.
Not to mention, I was personally taught by Gehrman the First Hunter, a sole Level 7 Old Blood being in The Empire and the most powerful warrior in the Empire.
***
3rd POV
"Lord Tywin, please, for a moment..."
Karl Franz stated when he left the solar after ordering the Reiksgarde to guard Cersei because he had a suspicion that the Daemon Lord was coming for her.
She was, in the end, the person who was "Blessed" by Fate.
Such people were rare, but they existed and with Sha Naqba Imuru, I could see them clearly as day because those without Insight would never see that.
If the world was a book, a story, then everyone would be a Character, and some people are unimportant side characters, some are more important, but their influence on the "story" is not very big, and some are Protagonists or Main Characters destined to great things.
The people who are "Blessed by Fate" are those who are destined to play a significant part in the story. They are the people who have an enormous influence on the world and how things will play, deciding the fates of millions.
Such people are invaluable for the Daemons because Daemons could get tremendously stronger by devouring the souls of such people. That was because of the power of Fate or whatever... the Scholars of Bryngenwerth were far more knowledgeable about that aspect.
Now everything made perfect sense...
"Something happened, Your Majesty?"
He asked, noticing that something was not right. He saw that the foreign Emperor was in full armor, and his personal Guard and Holy Knights were all concentrating in the Lannisport Castle.
Something was definitely not right.
"Yes... there were complications with the capture of Maggy the Frog."
Karl Franz said with a serious voice as the old lion frowned deeply; he didn't doubt the competency of his own soldiers because he personally trained the Red Guards or the strength of Imperial ones when he saw them.
"What complications?"
Indeed, something must have indeed happened.
"When Father Galahad went to apprehend the witch... he noticed that her lair has an aura of Daemon, more precisely Daemon Lord."
Usually, Tywin would laugh at that, but seeing that Emperor Karl Franz was very serious about the matter, he listened.
"Daemon Lords have no problem with wiping our entire cities and annihilating entire Regiments of Silver Knights and decimating Legions of Imperial Guard and... unfortunately, right now, there is nobody here who would fight such being aside from me..."
Tywin maintained his composure, but at the same time, he was already very nervous inside because seeing the Emperor so serious about it made him believe it to be true. Not to mention, he even told him that he would be going to fight the creature on his own.
"What do you need me to do?"
He was a decisive man who knew what to do in all situations and right now, the best one would be to cooperate with the Emperor.
"Evacuate the area of Lannisport where is the lair of the witch... then go to Ornstein and remain with him; if the situation turns to worse, he will take you out of the city."
Karl Franz said as the Lord of Westerlands nodded his head in acknowledgment and went to do as the Emperor said. Meanwhile, the Emperor of the Empire looked at the distance because even he himself was a bit nervous about his encounter with the Daemon Lord.
Daemon Lords were one of the most powerful Daemons in the Abyss; each of them ruled the entire Floor of the Abyss and was an extremely ruthless character. Contrary to the Beasts, they were far more cunning and dangerous because they didn't just act on their instincts.
"Still, under the Golden Light of Destruction, he will still fall."
Karl Franz stated as he summoned his personal weapon of choice.
It was a crimson-golden lance with runic inscriptions upon the blade as it shined with crimson-golden color.
Covenant - The Golden Spear of Destiny, the Longinuslanze Testament.
The Holy Relic of the Healing Church, the mythical lance that pierced the heart of Lord Gwyn himself, the so-called Lance of Longinus, is truly a peerless Holy Relic unlike any other. A mythical weapon dating back to the ancient era, forged by the first blacksmith, Tubalcain himself.
Lord Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, was a mighty warrior and the greatest of lords. He was known as the Lord of Sunlight and headed the efforts to end the Age of Ancients, founder of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and the first person to transcend the mortality to become a Great One.
He ended the Age of Ancients by sacrificing himself to spark the First Flame, which began a new Age of the Lordran, the Age of Fire, which then ended the foundations of the Ancient Tombs underneath the Yharnam, ushering the Age of Strife.
Karl Franz looked at the Longinuslanze Testament fondly as he gripped the lance in his right hand.
A weapon of such caliber shall be wielded by an equally great existence. As such, no mere mortal can hope even to lay a hand on the spear lest they invoke a divine punishment unto themselves.
Only the best of the overlord, with the greatest dominance, the soul of a conqueror, and the dignity of a king, may hold the authority to lord over this Holy Lance. Otherwise, the Holy Lance would kill the person who attempted to touch it.
"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."
He recited the sacred text of the Healing Church as he went to the battle against the Daemon Lord.
The Chosen One of the Great Ones, Holy Royarch of the Lord of Sunlight and Cider.
***
MC POV
Lannisport, around the lair of Maggy the Frog
They quickly managed to evacuate the entire district of the Lannisport; thankfully, Lord Tywin's ruthless reputation helped immensely in this aspect as the place was emptied rapidly.
One of the reasons was to have fewer civilian casualties, but there was also a deeper meaning to everything... I didn't want the Daemon Prince to start recuperating during the fight by eating the souls of mortals.
That would be indeed very bad.
"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood."
I stood in front of the witch's lair, while everywhere around me, Scholars of Byrgenwerth from Eight Imperial Magic Colleges and even the Priests of the Healing Church were setting up barriers to prevent the Daemon Lord from escaping.
"Because the Old Blood shows us the way, in the Blood is the truth and power."
While continuing reciting the chants of the Holy Texts, I started feeling the evil and foul aura of the Abyss, as in a split moment, the house exploded into flames. It seemed that the Daemon Lord couldn't bear it and decided to act already.
"Let the blessings of the Formless God of Blood show me the path forward. Unhindered by disease, plagues, or my own mortality and fear, I am the mortal instrument of his will on the material plane."
Soon enough, I saw the Daemon Lord that descended on the material plane from the Abyss.
It was Daemon Lord Demogorgon, referred to as the Imprisoned One by some. It was a powerful Daemon Lord of domination and draining energy, an embodiment of madness and destruction that sought to drag down all into the infinite depths of the Abyss.
Demogorgon lived on the 88th Layer of the Abyss, known as the Gaping Maw. This was a layer consisting of a great sea of briny water broken by tall, sharp, ugly, rocky promontories.
He towered a full 5.5 meters in height, his body at once sinuous like that of a snake and powerful like that of a great ape. Two baleful baboon heads, with blue and red faces similar to those of mandrills, leered from atop his lumbering shoulders, from which two long tentacles writhed.
His lower torso was saurian, like some great reptile with blue-green, scaly skin with an immense forked tail.
Yet what was weird about this entire situation was the fact that Daemongorgon had the reputation of Daemon Lord who preferred to avoid direct conflict, instead using Magic to help his servants.
'It seems that he reached the peak of his realm and wants to become Daemon Prince, so the soul of "Blessed by Fate" would certainly serve as his trump card.'
When a Daemon Lord wanted to become a Daemon Prince, from what I heard, they needed to be recognized by the Will of the Abyss by conquering several layers of the Abyss and obtaining the allegiance of multiple Daemon Lords.
Everything falls perfectly together.
Maggy the Frog was a worshipper of some Daemon Cult, most probably a servant of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who was tasked with searching for people that were "Blessed by Fate" and if she found such person, she would cast a Blood Curse on such person.
That would mark the person's soul as a target for the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who would then reap the soul when the time was right.
It seemed that Daemon Lord Demogorgon paid a great price to descend onto the material plane and wanted to obtain the soul at any cost, which would make the fight even harder than initially anticipated because he would be going all out.
"But this is also a good thing..."
I said as I felt a white flower appear in my right hand... it was the white flower of the Hunters that protected every Hunter of the Workshop.
"The Hunt has begun."
***
3rd POV
The Old Blood was boiling inside the Emperor's body because it had been a long time since he fought against such an opponent. Normally, when an entity on Level 6 appeared within the territory of the Empire, Hunters would take care of it very swiftly.
Such was the disadvantage of being tied to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cider. Finally, now he could taste some Blood and it was a very refreshing thing to do so.
Karl-Franz gripped his lance, the Longinuslanze Testament and disappeared from the position as he appeared in front of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and slashed at the Demogorgon, with the Longinuslanze Testament shining with golden sunlight.
Despite his enormous build, the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was pretty agile, as he managed to dodge the incoming Longinuslanze Testament, swiftly forcing Karl Franz to attack once more.
One of the strong abilities of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was its ability to inflict its enemies with diseases and plagues, using them as its most effective weaponry in a single combat.
Unfortunately, against the Emperor of the Empire, it was futile because he was of the Old Blood and thus, he was protected from diseases and plagues. As the Demogorgon slashed at Karl Franz with his tail, aiming at his head, he dodged swiftly by jumping backward.
In a split of a second, the Longinuslanze Testament shined with the golden light as he mobilized Arcane Energy inside his body and struck at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon with full force.
Daemon Lord Demongorgon shrieked with pain because the golden light produced by the Holy Relic of the Healing Church as its very own existence was antithetical to that of the Abyss.
Per se, Arcane Energy wasn't Magic, but it was something different and something far greater only available to those of the Old Blood who reached high levels of the Old Blood.
Karl Franz knew that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was highly resistant to any kind of Magic-based attack, so he chose to attack purely with the Longinuslanze Testament.
While the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was distracted from the pain inflicted on him, Karl Franz disappeared from his original position, appearing behind the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and piercing through his stomach with the Longinuslanze Testament.
In a split second, he was hit by the full force on his stomach by the Daemon Lord's tail, sending him crashing through several buildings of the Lannisport. Yet, at the same time, he achieved far more as he stood up and coughed some blood, seeing the golden lines across the body of his opponent.
"Mortal!!"
One of the Daemon Lord's heads screamed at him with rage and anger.
Each of Demogorgon's heads had its own name and personality, a duality that created an enduring internal conflict in his personality while shaping all his actions and even his realm.
His left head was named Aameul, while the right was named Hethradiah. The two heads warred with each other, constantly seeking to obtain the upper hand on each other.
"We should kill the mortal as soon as possible."
Stated the left head Aameul.
Aameul, the more charismatic and calculating, relished deception and wished to break free from the other half. The more impulsive and feral Hethradiah relished destruction and did not wish to be separated.
This was something that Karl Franz planned to exploit because due to the fact that both of the heads were in control of the body and they were occasionally bickering with each other, which gave tons of opportunities to strike.
Just as now, he gripped the Longinuslanze Testament and rushed at the Demon Lord Demogorgon, dodging his sharp claws, dring behind him and slashing at his tail, severing it from the rest of the body.
Daemon Lord's tail was one of its strongest weapons, not to mention it was protecting him from attacking behind him and could be used as a trump card or surprise attack in case of need.
Karl Franz was a very experienced Hunter; he was taught personally by the Gehrman the First Hunter and was one of two students that the old madman took under his wings.
Even though, in the past decades, he didn't get the opportunity to fight against some worthy opponents, he was still in top condition. He often sparred with the members of the Hunter Order and even against Lady Maria Vileblood.
Now, truth to be told, he was greatly enjoying the fight against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon. Even though the Daemon Lord Demongorgon was pretty powerful, he was still weaker than Karl Franz by the whole hunch.
The main reason was the fact that Daemon Lords were most powerful when they were in the Abyss, especially when they were in the Layer, which they ruled and had the support of the entire Abyssal Layer to their fight.
In that case, they were extremely powerful and very hard to defeat, which on the contrary, made this entire situation even more bugging because Karl Franz didn't really comprehend why the Daemon Lord Demogorgon would risk everything by descending into the Material Plane.
Using the Longinuslanze Testament, he rushed at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon once again, charging straight away at him, digging his poisonous claws and jumping in the air while simultaneously slashing at the right arm of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon.
The creature shrieked in enormous pain as the Holy Relic pierced through a large part of his right shoulder. Technically speaking, if Karl Franz was pretty lucky, he would be able to kill the Daemon Lord Demogorgon with relative ease.
On that point, he also suspected why the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, who was ranked as one of the most cunning ones, was doing something as dangerous as this... for the past years, the reports were going that there were increased activities of the Daemons in the Imperial Territory.
According to the Elector House Marian that specialized in Daemon Hunting, something big was happening in the Abyss, and apparently, some of the Daemon Princes were waging war on each other and assimilating some weaker Daemon Lords and their Layers into their influence for the final clash.
"It seems that your end has been found on the insignificant mortal world... Oh'h, Great Daemon Lord..."
Karl Franz mocked the Daemon Lord Demogorgon because even though the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was considered as one of the smarter ones, he was nevertheless a Daemon Lord, so his pride was astronomical.
It was something that couldn't be challenged at any costs, so almost instantaneously, the Daemon Lord was enraged; even though part of its mind was telling it that it fell into the trap, it ignored everything as Demogorgon rushed at the Emperor of the Empire with a full speed.
The Holy Energy was penetrating the Daemon Lord's very own existence due to being struck several times by the Longinuslanze Testament, which was the Holy Relic of the Healing Church and the entire Religion of the Great Ones.
Seeing the Daemon Lord Demogorgon charging straight at him, he grinned and charged at the Daemon Lord, heading directly towards him, as he struck with the Longinuslanze Testament to the ground, and a golden barrier suddenly erupted from the ground.
This barrier of the golden particles immediately started expanding more and more until it enveloped the entire area around him, inflicting a great deal of pain, injuries and other unsavory effects on the Daemon Lord.
"Let the Great Ones descend from the depths of the Cosmos to judge the enemy of the Old Blood!"
After mastering the Old Blood to a greater degree and attaining Level 5 Old Blood, also titled Blue Blood, one would awaken a unique ability of his Bloodline. For Karl Franz, the ability he awakened was rather peculiar.
It represented his position as the Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Royarch of Lordran and Chosen One of the Great Ones.
The Golden Light of Holy Destruction, the Ultimate Judgment done by the Great Ones on the Heretics and Enemies of their very own existence. Nothing could survive the judgment of the Great Ones, nothing could escape it, and the only Fate was death.
As long as it was decreed that something presented a grave threat to the continual existence of the Empire, Imperial House, Healing Church and a few other things on the list, Karl Franz was able to use the Divine Judgement of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
Just like now, it was happening as he was chanting the chant.
"For the Daemon Lord Demogorgon has defiled the Old Blood and rose against the Great Ones, spilling the Golden Blood of the Empire."
Karl Franz chanted as golden blood dripped from various parts of his body, but at the same time, it was also regenerating because his healing factor was truly frightening to see.
The Daemon Lord Demogorgon realized that it had fallen into the trap and the first thing it did, was that two heads started bickering with each other.
"This is your fault!"
Shouted one of the heads at another one in annoyance and frustration and a right deal of anger and hatred.
"No, you bastard, it's your!! It's your responsibility to scheme and analyzes opponents."
While they were bickering, the Golden Barrier enveloping them became complete and wholly locked them in.
"And with this, I deem, in my name of Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, Holy Imperator of The Empire, Royarch of the Lordran, High Lord Magistrate of City of Gods Anor Londo and Lord of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, The Chosen One of the Great Ones and the Formless God of Blood that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon to be Judged in their name and power."
Instantly the Golden Light started cracking like lighting, attracting the attention of every single person in the Lannisport to the event, as it created a translucent figure of being with six pairs of wings in the air holding a spear reminiscent of that of Longinuszlance Testament.
"Let the Holy Judgement of Great Ones descend."
With the final words staid, the Golden Light Figure of Archangel raised its spear and threw it at the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, skewering the head of the Daemon Lord in one hit, killing the Daemon Lord faster than lighting.
'This would be probably the best opportunity to start spreading our faith in Westeros... more people worshipping the Great Ones is never the bad thing.'
Karl Franz thought as he saw the Golden Light barrier dispersing into countless parts, creating a spectacular show for the people who were watching while he was observing the corpse of the Daemon Lord.
What had happened today was by one word... miracle... or fluke of luck.
Or probably a combination of both of them.
He knew that he would have a lot of luck if not for the situation in the Abyss, which, according to Elector Count of House Marian, Cross Marian, was pretty severe; the Daemon Lord Demogorgon would have never descended down with his true body.
And if not for the right circumstances, enticement of a special soul, and slight provocations and his own experiences, he would have never managed to kill the creature.
Under any other circumstances, this would be a much harder fight; the Daemon Lord was clearly significantly weakened from not being in the Abyss. Yet, Karl Franz noticed that it was also weakened from not being summoned to the material plane correctly.
"Your Majesty!!"
Karl Franz turned around as he saw there a High Scholar Jinfarah from the Byrgenwerth marching to him with lightning speed, outrunning countless knights despite his old body and skeleton-like appearance.
"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to study this specimen right now... I am willing to pay any price, even all of my Merit Credits."
He said with a fanatical look on his face as he looked at the corpse of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon. It seemed that trip of Karl Franz to Westeros would be cut short because he would need to return back to the Empire with the corpse.
There was a need for someone as strong as him to transport to the corpse to prevent any mishaps personally.
"Congratulations on your victory, Your Majesty."
Karl Franz heard the voice of Tywin Lannister shortly afterward and noticed that right now, the old lord of the Casterly Rock was looking at him with a good amount of fear...
Actually, the Hand of the King was observing the fight between them from the start, and he witnessed the destructive prowess of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon and Karl Franz, their capabilities and abilities that were out of this world, and many other things.
"Thank you, Lord Tywin... but it seems that I will need to return back home. With the Daemon Lord being killed here, we need to transport his corpse back to the Faust as soon as possible and I need to oversee the transportation personally."
Normally, he could entrust it to Ornstein, but Karl Franz felt that he needed to oversee it personally.
"I, of course, understand, but before you leave, would you be amiable to private discussion after you take a rest?"
The Emperor nodded his head as several Priests from the Healing Church together with Wizards from Byrgenwerth, started securing the area of fight, cleaning it from the daemonic corruption and sealing the corpse of Daemon Lord.
***
Three Hours Later
"I trust that with the Daemon Lord dead, the state of my daughter should be resolved, right?"
Tywin Lannister asked the Emperor of the Empire when both of them were sitting in the private chambers of the Lannisport's castle.
"Yes... but because the Blood Curse was lingering on the soul for a long time, it also affected her mind, and soul corrosion is not fully healed; she would need to recover for some time... most preferably in the Healing Church."
Karl Franz stated nonchalantly, because right now, as the Daemon Lord Demogrogn was dead, the Blood Curse was automatically null, but the side effects still remained, and they needed to be cured.
"Your Majesty, do you agree to my proposal? As a dowry, I am willing to offer you exclusive contracts on the Dimeritium, Lacrimas, and other precious minerals and ores that are mined from our mines..."
Tywin Lannister stated calmly as Karl Franz cursed Jinfarah and his stupid mouth that he always said more than needed. Dammed, old man, while it didn't present any complications, but right now, the offer was pretty much enticing.
Originally, Karl Franz thought that Westeros wouldn't have anything that would take his interest, but apparently, he was very wrong. Lacrimas were essential in countless Magical aspects, experiments done by the Colleges of Magic or Imperial College of Engineers...
Dimeritium was one of the rarest metals across the Lordran, famed for its anti-magic properties, so it was very rare. Even though there were several large veins that were discovered across the Lordran, there was never enough of the Dimeritium.
And same could be said about Lacrimas.
"I am not opposed to it... but I have my own condition; as you have seen, your House would benefit much more from it than the Empire in the short term and for the long term... we will see..."
Karl Franz said as the old lion's expression didn't change a bit as he was deeply aware of the truth. On the other hand, it was pleasant to negotiate with someone so straightforwardly, but from what he knew, the Emperor was a few centuries old and he liked being straightforward with people.
"First thing... the wedding will take place in four years in the Grand Cathedral of Yharnam and Cersei must convert to the Faith of Great Ones; this is non-negotiable because nobody in The Empire will accept an Empress with a different faith and also it is a matter of lifespan."
Tywin Lannister readily accepted the first conditions because he as many today, saw that Gods maybe really existed... what he saw today was indeed like a scene cut out from the fairy tales.
"If I may ask... why in the four years?"
The Lord of the Westerlands didn't like this a bit because he wanted to have a solid connection with The Empire and his daughter was already in marriageable age... Bethrotals could be broken and that was something that the old lion of Casterly Rock didn't really appreciate.
"Simple... if we take out of question the fact that we still need to get to know each other better, she needs to receive a basic education in politics, ruling, and economics and needs to be trained in combat. Otherwise, she will appear weak, and at the Imperial Court, every bit of weakness will be used against her."
Karl Franz explained patiently as he played the cards right because he knew that for the Lords of Westeros, women being warriors and rulers was something unthinkable.
But even though Tywin Lannister may not like this, there was another thing that he didn't like even more...
If his House and Lineage were viewed as weak.
In the past, during the era when his father Tytos Lannister, was Lord of the House Lannister, it was like that. He was called Laughing Lion or Toothless Lion due to his personality and character, and while he was a jovial and amiable man... on the other hand...
However, he was also weak-willed, eager to please, slow to anger, quick to forgive, and too trusting by half. He saw the good in everyone, great and small, but this trust blinded him to threats to House Lannister.
That was something that greatly paid off to the House Lannister as everyone took advantage of his father; the House was on the verge of collapse, undeveloped, in debt, and catastrophic state.
It was he who made the name Lannister feared and respected one more and if there was one thing that he hated the most in this world, then it was being viewed as weak.
"Second thing, I want exclusive buying rights to some strategic resources that may or may not be found within your mines. Third thing, I want your help in propagating the interests of the Empire at Westeros or at Essos."
Neither of the conditions was something outrageous or something that was putting him in a disadvantageous position.
"Fourth thing, I want to spread Religion of the Great Ones in the Westerlands, build a Church that would be protected by a small contingent of Knights and Priests..."
Tywin Lannister accepted all of the conditions because, in the end, he was still winning in the end, or at least so he thought. In truth, Karl Franz was more satisfied with this deal because the illusion of power indeed worked well.
***
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Chapter 4 – Unexpected Circumstances
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"Treason? No... not my dear brother, this is not treason... this is advance! I saw! The might of the seas, the depths of the oceans! I heard the calling of the deep ones from the Drowned God, the Great One Chthullhu! So, here the war beings, and let the fleets of the Empire shatter the holds of Westeros! We will take it all! The Arbor. Oldtown. Citadel. Stepstones, all would be conquered as the will of the Gods dictate!"
Euron Greyjoy, Lord Admiral of the Imperial Fleets of Holy Arcadia Empire
***
Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Lesser Houses
Grand Paladin - Is the lowest Noble Title of The Empire.
It is specially reserved for the Grand Knight Houses. Grand Paladin is a Non-Inheritable Noble Title and is personally tied to the martial might of the Head of the House. Most Grand Paladin Houses will strive to produce as many talented and powerful Knights as possible to ensure that they will maintain their noble status for the next generation.
Baron - Members of the Lesser Nobility that usually ruled Barony, territory smaller territory within a Province. Barons are typically either under the Viceroy or directly under the Elector Cout or Lord High Magistrate.
Viceroy - Members of Nobility with actual power and responsibility within The Holy Arcadia Empire and are required to be the best warriors, knights, wizards, administrators and professionals to serve their homeland.
Viceroy Houses usually rule large territories within the Grand Provinces of Elector Counts and are typically in charge of Territorial Cities or other essential points of interest.
***
Even though the Holy Arcadia Empire was tremendously power compared to that of Westeros, the thing was, even if the Holy Arcadia Empire wanted to attack Westeros, they could mobilize only a very small part of their armed forces to do so...
Most of their military was tied to the things on the Lordran... the endless hordes of Greenskins, Daemons, barbarians to the south, Heretics, and other enemies that were lurking within the Lands of Ancients.
Thus, the Holy Arcadia Empire actually didn't really have any interest in expanding beyond their already owned land, without significant reason, as it would be a very costly decision. In truth, Westeros and neither Essos didn't have things that would warrant such a decision.
Naturally, Westeros has proved to be of strategic interest for the Holy Arcadia Empire of Lordran because of Lacrimas and Dimeritium, and the Great Ones know what they would find underneath the mountains.
While the last condition would be problematic for the Lord Paramount of Westerlands, there was nothing he could do to prevent the spreading of the Religion of the Great Ones...
Sicne the fight between Emperor Karl-Franz and the Daemon Lord on the streets of Lannisport that left parts of the outskirts of the port city entirely destroyed, the people already started whispering about supernatural powers and people blessed by Gods.
So, pragmatically speaking, he decided to make use of the Religion of Great Ones; if possible, if he was lucky, he would get a prolonged Lifespan by a few centuries. At least, he would watch over the House Lannister until somebody who was worthy of Lordship appeared.
His son Jamie wasn't interested in being Lord even a bit, which was a great disappointment on his side, and Tyrion couldn't be Lord; he was an Imp who would be ridiculed by everyone else.
"Very well then, Your Majesty... we have an agreement."
Tywin then formally agreed to the conditions because if the Faith of Seven made any problems, he had enough means to deal with some unruly Septons and even the High Septon.
During his time as Hand of the King, evidence about corruption in the Faith of Seven was only flooding in. From what he understood, the Healing Church had a very powerful standing in The Holy Arcadia Empire and they controlled one of three Holy Cities in The Holy Arcadia Empire.
Basically, they were a force to reckon with and having a good relationship with them would be only beneficial to the House Lannister. Apparently, from what he learned from Kevan, the Healing Church would help their believers when they had problems, be it commoners or nobles.
As long as they believed in the Healing Church, they could always get help from the Healing Church.
"Splendidly, then soon enough, the Minister of Foreign Relationships will arrive to discuss matters in more detail. I need to return back to the homeland as it seems, cutting my trip short, unfortunately."
Karl Franz sighed in a sad sigh because, in truth, he wanted to remain a bit longer at Westeros, as it was a nice vacation. But unfortunately for him, he needed to transport the corpse of Daemon Lord back home personally.
The corpse of Daemon Lord was a peerless treasure for The Holy Arcadia Empire because they could learn much from it, not to mention its Blood, once purified by the Healing Church, could be used to strengthen their troops.
Even in The Holy Arcadia Empire, it was very rare for beings on the level of Daemons Lords to materialize on the material plane freely, and thus, they were considered rare resources. When such a thing happened, all Hunters and all Level 6s would gather across the entire Empire and hunt it down.
For sure, the Scholars of Byrgenwerth are now shaking with excitement because the last time they obtained a specimen like this was around three hundred years ago when a mighty Beast was born in the Grand Duchy of Fenris.
"There is one more thing that I would like to ask Your Majesty, or rather it is more like request..."
Before Karl-Franz could leave the office of his host and return to organize his men, there was another topic on the table as he motioned for the Hand of the King to follow.
"As you already heard... Seven Kingdoms are undergoing a hard time under King's madness and he may or may not see the act of you being engaged to my daughter as a direct challenge to his authority..."
Indeed, Karl Franz heard that the King was mad, and his madness was getting worse and worse with each passing day. To the point where all the Nobles of the realm were walking on tiptoes around him because nobody knew when Wildfire would burn them.
"And you want support in case such a thing happened, right?"
While such an act would undoubtedly be the start of the civil war, nobody knew what sides the rest of the Seven Kingdoms would choose, but Tywin Lannister, due to his reputation, indeed had very few allies in Westeros.
"Consider it done... father-in-law, I will leave a few Wizards here who can contact us back home in case of trouble and also leave here a small consignment of the Silver Knights, approximately one Chapter numbering 5,000."
He stated that he knew that sooner or later, Robert's Rebellion would happen, and this would give him the opportunity to rob some things from Westeros, ranging from the Valyrian Steel that was of crucial interest to The Holy Arcadia Empire and especially the King's Landing...
The Targaryens survived Doom of Valyria and ruled Westeros for three hundred years, Great Ones knew what treasures they must have gathered, but the real object of his desires was the Citadel.
Organization old for millennia, gathering treasures, knowledge, and other things across Westeros and even Essos and other parts of the known world, manipulating everyone like puppets.
Not to mention, at least they could kill a few of the magic-hating Maesters when they would be robbing the Old Town.
"Then I must thank you, Your Majesty."
While Tywin was surprised at how easily the Emperor agreed to his request and even left him five thousand top-notch Knights to protect the Westerlands, his instincts were telling him that there should be another reason.
Because nobody was this generous without reason...
"I will introduce you to Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who will remain here; he is a splendid soldier and highly competent one as rest of the commanders within our armed forces... I am sure that you two will like each other."
Karl Franz chuckled at that because, indeed, Agamemnon Atreides was the epitome of a strict, unrelenting, and fiercely loyal commander who would do the job right at any cost.
***
MC POV
Sometime later, the chambers of Karl Franz at the Castle of Lannisport
Before we left, I called to my chambers several people with whom I needed to have some talks. While I was returning back to the homeland, our people would remain here with various tasks that they needed to complete.
"Now, please sit, gentlemen... I have some final orders before I depart back home together with loot, victory and my beautiful fianceé..."
I said jokingly, but apparently not as funny as I thought I would be... but whatever, not that I cared about it; at least nobody is forcing himself to laugh.
"Chapter Master Atreides, you will have the task of protecting and helping Lord Lannister and protecting the interests of the Empire at Westeros. As you have been briefed, King Aerys is mad and our close relationship with House Lannister may or may not be seen as a hostile act."
Agamemnon was a young-looking man with long blonde hair and wearing heavy armor of the Silver Knights. He was the son of the current Elector Count of Grand Duchy of Caladan, Lord Atreus Atreides, who was also General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde.
"Of course, Your Majesty, you can consider it done. Do you have any further instructions?"
He asked with not much formal tone, as I was not very fan of formalities when it was private, especially among soldiers with whom I often fought side by side.
"Yes... in a year or two, there would be Rebellion here, and during the ensuing chaos, you will raid and obtain these things for the glory of the nation."
I then passed him a list of things, names and locations.
"Cooperate with Wizards from Byrgenwerth and Imperial Battle Wizard Legion in his task."
Then I turned my sight to High Scholar Jinfarah, who was sitting there absentmindedly, probably thinking over the corpse of the Daemon Lord I killed.
"Ornstein, you will remain here until the Churches of the Healing Church are finished and Priests and Holy Knights are not settled. Afterward, you will depart to North of Westeros and scout the place for any traces of Magic or anything of interest."
Because I knew what dwelled behind the Wall, I was cautious not to mention, as this was a vastly different world from the canon I barely remembered; I had a hunch that the Night King would be a frightening entity...
"Also, I will inform Ciaran to send some of his spies to create a spy network in Westeros and Essos; this would take a few months, so coordinate everything on this matter."
Ornstein wordlessly nodded because no words were needed; he was a man of action. He knew that he was a very powerful power and that if I spent him personally on a scouting mission, then it must be for a very, very good reason.
"High Scholar, how much time do we have until the corpse starts reeking?"
One of the main reasons why I needed to transport the corpse of the Daemon Lord personally was because, after some time, the corpse of Daemons started leaking very dangerous Miasma.
This Miasma will, in turn, attract various types of monsters, beasts, and other creatures, including the other Daemons, because this Miasma was very nutritious and they could get more powerful.
Not to mention, if some lower-ranked Daemon managed to devour the corpse of a Daemon Lord, then it would experience a very fast level-up among the Daemon Ranks.
"Probably week and with the Seals we put around it to contain it, we have approximately two weeks, maximally eighteen days when the Miasma from the corpse will start leaking to the outside world."
For that reason, we needed to transport the corpse back to Faust, preferably because they had the best equipment to deal with it and to contain it properly.
"Ts... we would need to sail at maximum speed. Fortunately, we installed those experimental engines so that we will put them to the test."
I grimaced because it was a much lower timeframe than I anticipated, but at the same time, Daemon Lord Demogorgon was one of the more powerful Daemon Lords in the Abyss and close to the Daemon Prince.
And for that reason, we needed to secure and transport his corpse as a top priority. Many things could be gained from it; the blood of such powerful beings was always in high demand once it was purified.
"We are sailing right now."
I made the final decision because we needed to act fast and I gave them around three hours to pack up the things for the people who would be leaving back to the Lordran, and I also sent someone to inform Lord Tywin about this development, as Cersei would depart with us back to the Lordran.
She needed to advance her education and convert to the Faith of the Great Ones at the grand ceremony, which would be more like a show of power, but it was tradition for those who were not of our religion.
***
3rd POV
One hour later, Lannisport Castle, the Lord's Solar
"The times are changing, Kevan..."
Tywin Lannister stood in his solar while observing the fleet of The Holy Arcadia Empire, who were packing their things and preparing to return home. One hour earlier, he got a message from Emperor Karl Franz, who had already called him father-in-law to tickle his ego, that they were returning back sooner than planned.
The reason was the corpse of the Daemon the Emperor killed.
"He even left us 5,000 of his Silver Knights... a worthy show of power, protection of his interests and... there is one more thing, does he anticipate the civil war here?"
Tywin muttered as he went over the possibilities; simultaneously, he was particularly pleased because it seemed that his newest ally or family was a good Player. But after centuries of ruling, that was to be expected.
"Kevan, go and find Chapter Master Atreides, who is commanding the Silver Knight Chapter that is remaining in Westeros and cooperate with him for their accommodation. Also, how is Cersei?"
Now, the most important thing was the proper accommodation of the Silver Knight Chapter; because the Empire was a very militaristic nation, army commanders sometimes had an even bigger influence than most of the Lesser Houses within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"She is good, even looking better after the witch and Daemon were both killed... should I send for her?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock nodded and Kevan then left to do his duties; as his brother was Hand of the King, he spent a little time in the Westerlands and most of the responsibilities befall on his shoulders.
"Something is not right... should we speed up the militarization and perhaps even openly support the Healing Church? The Old Blood is tempting..."
Like every other person in power, Tywin was very tempted by the possibility of living for centuries to come, but at the same time, he was hesitant.
He heard what happened to the people who consumed the Old Blood in their great, would sooner or later succumb to their inner beast, becoming nothing more than a Beast, losing every bit of their previous sanity.
The only fate that awaited them was to be cut down by the Hunters of the Workshop... For him, the Holy Arcadia Empire was a fascinating place, and as old schemer, as he was, he was already preparing to create a branch of House Lannister within the Empire.
He learned that in the Empire, establishment of the Noble Hosues was at the same time easier and harder than it was in Westeros. Noble Houses could be stripped of their land and titles and even face execution if they were not upholding the standards of the Empire.
He didn't have the illusion that one of his grandchildren would sit once on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder; he knew that chances were low, considering how the Succession worked in the Empire.
But at the same time, he knew that his grandchildren, if they were talented and capable enough, won't have a problem inheriting either the Elector Count of Reikland title similar to the Wardens in the Seven Kingdoms or they would find their own Houses.
Several minutes his daughter arrived; this time, she was already wearing clothes of the Imperial fashion. Contrary to the long lady dresses that were worn in the Westories by high-born ladies, women in the Empire wore much less complicated clothes.
She wore something that appeared to be a several-piece uniform slash suit of white color. Even though it was no dress, it still appeared very luxurious and more importantly, it subtly radiated authority and power.
"You called for me father?"
Her hair was tied into a ponytail as she finished dressing with the help of two female apprentices of Healing Church's Holy Knights. For Cersei, while she enjoyed wearing dressed that enhanced her beauty, she had to admit that these clothes were more comfortable and she looked more powerful in them.
Like a soldier or military officer.
"Yes... sit down."
He ordered as they sat down across each other.
"How are you feeling?"
The past few hours were hectic and very stressful...
"Good; Father Galahad said that I would be alright after some recuperation."
Now that Maggy the Witch and the Daemon Lord Demogorgon were killed, Cersei could feel that something was better; it was a very obscure and indescribable feeling that she had...
But it was a very pleasant feeling like the burden she was carrying was finally lifted and gone.
"As you were informed, you would be departing to the Lordran for further healing at the Healing Church..."
Tywin Lannister said slowly as he observed his daughter. She needed some further recuperation at the hands of the Healing Church from the Blood Curse and it was the only place that was capable of providing it.
"Another piece of news is that Emperor Karl Franz agreed to the engagement so you would be married after three or four years; till that, you would be fostered at Cainhurst by Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood and be educated in all Imperial matters."
He was informed that his daughter would need to be educated in combat and ruling; it was very foreign to the concepts of the Seven Kingdoms and felt unnatural.
"That is the mother of his first fianceé..."
Cersei recognized the name because Karl Franz told her about Lady Maria Vileblood, the dazzling gem of the Holy Arcadia Empire and one of two personal students of the Gehrman the First Hunter.
"Yes, Lady Annalise Vileblood is by all accounts one of the most prestigious and powerful Noble within the Holy Arcadia Empire. Not to mention, the Vilebloods of Cainhurst have a very strong connection to the Gehrman the First Hunter... so you would be able to foster a good relationship with your sister-wife to prevent any conflicts in your marriage."
Tywin said the name of the man with a good deal of respect because, as he heard from the Emperor, Gehrman was the reason why the Empire stood strong. He could have killed the Daemon Lord with one hit... and his position within the Empie was almost if not equal to that of Emperor.
'But that is to be expected in a place where many have supernatural powers... the strongest are always venerated the most.'
He thought as he noticed that his daughter looked almost eager... Cersei was always a child that desired power, all kinds of power... While Jamie was meant to be his heir, he was not interested or capable of it.
That Tywin knew very well.
Unfortunately, nobody in Westeros would accept a female as Lord Paramount, Dorne not included. He knew that in the Empire, his daughter would thrive; with proper education, she could become a true player of the Great Game like himself or Olena Tyrell.
"Now, during these years before the marriage, you will need to convert to the Religion of the Great Ones and Imperator said that you would need to spend a rather extensive courtship before you are married."
He could see that his daughter was clearly fond of Emperor Karl Franz... the man was charming enough, could behave like a proper gentleman, and was jovial, but he was also a very ruthless ruler.
The fact that no rebellion happened during several centuries since his rule was only proof of that.
"I... thank you, father."
Cersei muttered quietly, as it didn't escape her eyes that Tywin smiled for a very, very brief time before his expression returned to the normally stoic and cold one.
***
MC POV
Lannisport, Port Area
After we put the corpse of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon back on the flagship, I was only waiting for the last people. Part of the fleet would remain here at the Lannisport, according to the agreement with Lord Tywin.
Chapter Master Agamemnon was already busy accommodating his Chapter of five thousand Silver Knights as they would be divided based on the Divisions, as one Division would go to the Casterly Rock and another would remain at the Lannisport.
From a distance, I then saw my newest fianceé in a more traditional outfit that was popular among the Cainhurstian Nobility and female Hunters. She looked beautifully, like a shining golden light in the west.
We would be spending the next two weeks on the open sea, crossing the Sunset Sea back to the Lordran; afterward, we would depart to Faust and then to Anor Londo, and later on, she would go to the Cainhurst.
Still, the Empire was working on large-scale teleportation arrays across the entire Empire, interconnecting all the biggest cities and hopefully, it would be finished in a few years.
"You looked breathtaking, my lady... like a proper Huntress of the Dream."
I complimented her appearance and kissed her hand, to which she bashfully covered her mouth. With her arrival, it seemed that we could finally depart back to Lordran, though shame my trip ended even faster than it began.
"It seems that we will be departing, Lord Tywin... soon another part of a delegation from the Empire will arrive and maybe, soon, you will, too, visit the Empire."
I said with a smile as we shook hands.
"Maybe yes, but for now, I will have a lot of things to do after finding the level of your nation; I have many things that I want to incorporate from there and also, a wave of new mining projects have been opened."
Tywin knew that something was brewing in the future, an uncertain future and thus, he decided to act appropriately and speed up all of the plans he had. Starting with the creation of a professional military, tactics and weapons.
He already planned to buy a large number of weapons to arm the Knights loyal to the House Lannister and himself from the dwarves of the Ironforge. Yes, in the Empire, apparently, there were not only humans but also other species; among them were dwarves.
Not deformed like his imp devil son was.
But they were master smiths and engineers, masterful constructors, and they were also apparently fierce warriors at that. And they produced the best equipment that one could wish for, and everyone in the Imperial Military used the dwarven-made weapons and armor.
***
MC POV
Sunset Sea, three days later
It had been three days since we left Westeros and right now, we were heading back to the Lordran, the home of The Holy Arcadia Empire. I was enjoying the fresh air on the deck of the Smeidnir and, at the same time, cursing the sea...
I wasn't really cut out for this. Hopefully, we will have airships finished one day... I heard that some egg heads at the College of Engineers already had some initial designs for the airships; hopefully, they would be much more comfortable to travel with.
"Enjoying the fresh air?"
While looking in the direction of the Seven Kingdoms, I heard the voice of my new fianceé.
"Yes... for several centuries, I almost never spent a few days on the sea and now that I have, I must admit that I hate it... everything is wet; food is not up to my standards, and many, many other things... I can't even train properly."
Oh, the Great Ones, I swear that right now I am whining like a little kid that didn't get what he wanted.
"And you told me that I am acting spoiled..."
She laughed a bit as she went up to my side and we were observing the calmness of the sea, which was probably the sole advantage of sea travel. No matter how much I hated the conditions, I must admit that the sea was beautiful.
"So what? Never seen a hypocrite? And a handsome one at that?"
I said with a laugh because it was indeed a bit hypocritical of me.
"Yes, yes, the most handsome hypocrite I laid my eyes on."
Now that we were heading towards the Lordran and especially without anyone from her House, Cersei was actually much more straightforward and behaved more freely and authentically.
In the Empire, we were not really bent on formal behavior and other things, aside from the social events and formal events where the code of conduct was very strictly demanded.
"So, how are you enjoying the bits o the Imperial life?"
I asked because I noticed that she remarkably took a liking to our swordsmanship classes and also to Imperial fashion.
"Very much so far... it is different from Westeros, but at the same time, you have a lot of freedoms that equaled the responsibilities... especially for women."
She was certainly pleased that I wasn't lying to her when I told her all the things about the Holy Arcadia Empire and how our society was different from all previous ones. Not only that but even I was surprised that she was a very fast learner.
On the first day, she was training with members of the Reiksgarde the basis, but shockingly enough, she was swift at learning everything that the Reiksgarde could teach her. She was eager and wanted to learn; thus, after seeing that I was personally teaching her combat arts.
At the same time, it was also a nice opportunity to get to know each other. Weirdly though she was very attuned to the dual-wielding, there were not many dual-wielders even in the Empire; such people were rare because it was very hard to master such style.
For example, in Westeros, only one person mastered the dual-wielding style and that was Arthur Dayne; with his limited lifespan, it was indeed solid proof that the man was a genius when it came to swordsmanship to the point where I wanted to recruit him personally...
And maybe I would have the opportunity, as he was on the list of people of interest that could be most probably swayed to the Imperial Banner during Robert's Rebellion.
As we were sailing back to the Empire, suddenly, the alarm went on... it meant that pirates were attacking, which was good; at least it won't be boring.
"My Lord, there twenty ships sailing our way, bearing the sigils of the House Greyjoy."
Ironborn... we have only three battleships and nothing more and there was only one person who was mad enough to attack such huge ships, Euron Greyjoy.
"Everyone to battle position, load the canons."
I shouted as everyone started running here and there, though I saw that Cersei was a bit shaking. Ironborn had a pretty terrible reputation in Westeros and even at the Essos, as they were reavers, rapists and an overall bunch of scum.
"Take these... Blades of Mercy, a special trick weapon passed down among hunters of hunters. One of the oldest weapons of the workshop. Splits into two when activated. The weapon's warped blades are forged with siderite, a rare mineral of the heavens. Most effective swift attacks, such as after a quick-stepping."
Summoning twin swords, I passed them to her, as this would be her first time, but I was certainly confident, with the Reiskgarde at her back, there was nothing that could happen to her, especially with the top-notch armor she was wearing right now.
"Cersei remember your training, be calm, aim for the vital spots, and use every weakness you see; that is how true Hunter fights."
I said as she nodded and soon enough, the Ironborn ships were already in the vicinity.
"Father always said that we should have burned the Iron Islands down..."
It was true; Tywin was right on this one because the Ironborn would never change their reaving, raping and pillaging culture across the entire Westeros and Essos, though they were not my problem.
But at the same time, I was a bit interested in Euron Greyjoy; he was another "Blessed by Fate" and under the strictest Magic Contract to ensure his loyalty to the Divine Throne, he would be a good addition to the Empire.
The Holy Arcadia Empire had one great weakness... our navy was almost non-existence. While he had ships and the big ones, technically speaking, there were no people within the Empire who were experienced in leading naval warfare.
I knew that if we met some nation that was skilled in naval warfare, we would lose, like this time, we were meeting with the Ironborn, but we had a moment of surprise. For several seconds the cannons firing was heard as some of the more unfortunate ships sank down.
This was the moment of surprise.
Though it would become only a great advantage once they learned how to properly counter the cannons and other siege artillery and things that we installed on our ships and for that, I needed someone who could create a navy.
And truthfully, Euron Greyjoy filled those criteria.
Yes, he was the mad, uncontrollable bastard that only cared that he wanted to be part of history and that was something that I could give him. He could be the greatest Admiral that ever broader the seas and oceans of the known world.
And it was not like he would be the sole uncontrollable madman in my services, but once someone's Soul was tied to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, then even the slightest action that would go to betrayal would end in immediate death.
But still, there was one field where we were unbeatable... I was confident that Euron Greyjoy seeing our weapons and the size of our ships, would do anything to occupy them because these ships were bigger than anything built in Westeros.
And that was an opportunity for the good old fight between soldiers.
Ironborn, while relatively skilled compared to most levies and people who had never seen a fight or the Summer Knights of Westeros, compared to them Ironborn were indeed skilled warriors because they were tempered in blood and iron.
But they were no match for the professional standing military of the Holy Arcadia Empire and our Knights.
Not to mention there were Reiksgarde and Church Executioners on the ships together with Battle Wizards. The moment they boarded our ships and started fishing would be the moment that spelled their doom, as they would stand no chance.
Everyone knew it, which was also why we even deliberately let them board; if not for that, we would sink their ships from a distance, but I wanted to capture Euron Greyjoy alive.
***
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Euron Greyjoy, Lord Admiral of the Imperial Fleets of Holy Arcadia Empire
***
Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Lesser Houses
Grand Paladin - Is the lowest Noble Title of The Empire.
It is specially reserved for the Grand Knight Houses. Grand Paladin is a Non-Inheritable Noble Title and is personally tied to the martial might of the Head of the House. Most Grand Paladin Houses will strive to produce as many talented and powerful Knights as possible to ensure that they will maintain their noble status for the next generation.
Baron - Members of the Lesser Nobility that usually ruled Barony, territory smaller territory within a Province. Barons are typically either under the Viceroy or directly under the Elector Cout or Lord High Magistrate.
Viceroy - Members of Nobility with actual power and responsibility within The Holy Arcadia Empire and are required to be the best warriors, knights, wizards, administrators and professionals to serve their homeland.
Viceroy Houses usually rule large territories within the Grand Provinces of Elector Counts and are typically in charge of Territorial Cities or other essential points of interest.
***
Even though the Holy Arcadia Empire was tremendously power compared to that of Westeros, the thing was, even if the Holy Arcadia Empire wanted to attack Westeros, they could mobilize only a very small part of their armed forces to do so...
Most of their military was tied to the things on the Lordran... the endless hordes of Greenskins, Daemons, barbarians to the south, Heretics, and other enemies that were lurking within the Lands of Ancients.
Thus, the Holy Arcadia Empire actually didn't really have any interest in expanding beyond their already owned land, without significant reason, as it would be a very costly decision. In truth, Westeros and neither Essos didn't have things that would warrant such a decision.
Naturally, Westeros has proved to be of strategic interest for the Holy Arcadia Empire of Lordran because of Lacrimas and Dimeritium, and the Great Ones know what they would find underneath the mountains.
While the last condition would be problematic for the Lord Paramount of Westerlands, there was nothing he could do to prevent the spreading of the Religion of the Great Ones...
Sicne the fight between Emperor Karl-Franz and the Daemon Lord on the streets of Lannisport that left parts of the outskirts of the port city entirely destroyed, the people already started whispering about supernatural powers and people blessed by Gods.
So, pragmatically speaking, he decided to make use of the Religion of Great Ones; if possible, if he was lucky, he would get a prolonged Lifespan by a few centuries. At least, he would watch over the House Lannister until somebody who was worthy of Lordship appeared.
His son Jamie wasn't interested in being Lord even a bit, which was a great disappointment on his side, and Tyrion couldn't be Lord; he was an Imp who would be ridiculed by everyone else.
"Very well then, Your Majesty... we have an agreement."
Tywin then formally agreed to the conditions because if the Faith of Seven made any problems, he had enough means to deal with some unruly Septons and even the High Septon.
During his time as Hand of the King, evidence about corruption in the Faith of Seven was only flooding in. From what he understood, the Healing Church had a very powerful standing in The Holy Arcadia Empire and they controlled one of three Holy Cities in The Holy Arcadia Empire.
Basically, they were a force to reckon with and having a good relationship with them would be only beneficial to the House Lannister. Apparently, from what he learned from Kevan, the Healing Church would help their believers when they had problems, be it commoners or nobles.
As long as they believed in the Healing Church, they could always get help from the Healing Church.
"Splendidly, then soon enough, the Minister of Foreign Relationships will arrive to discuss matters in more detail. I need to return back to the homeland as it seems, cutting my trip short, unfortunately."
Karl Franz sighed in a sad sigh because, in truth, he wanted to remain a bit longer at Westeros, as it was a nice vacation. But unfortunately for him, he needed to transport the corpse of Daemon Lord back home personally.
The corpse of Daemon Lord was a peerless treasure for The Holy Arcadia Empire because they could learn much from it, not to mention its Blood, once purified by the Healing Church, could be used to strengthen their troops.
Even in The Holy Arcadia Empire, it was very rare for beings on the level of Daemons Lords to materialize on the material plane freely, and thus, they were considered rare resources. When such a thing happened, all Hunters and all Level 6s would gather across the entire Empire and hunt it down.
For sure, the Scholars of Byrgenwerth are now shaking with excitement because the last time they obtained a specimen like this was around three hundred years ago when a mighty Beast was born in the Grand Duchy of Fenris.
"There is one more thing that I would like to ask Your Majesty, or rather it is more like request..."
Before Karl-Franz could leave the office of his host and return to organize his men, there was another topic on the table as he motioned for the Hand of the King to follow.
"As you already heard... Seven Kingdoms are undergoing a hard time under King's madness and he may or may not see the act of you being engaged to my daughter as a direct challenge to his authority..."
Indeed, Karl Franz heard that the King was mad, and his madness was getting worse and worse with each passing day. To the point where all the Nobles of the realm were walking on tiptoes around him because nobody knew when Wildfire would burn them.
"And you want support in case such a thing happened, right?"
While such an act would undoubtedly be the start of the civil war, nobody knew what sides the rest of the Seven Kingdoms would choose, but Tywin Lannister, due to his reputation, indeed had very few allies in Westeros.
"Consider it done... father-in-law, I will leave a few Wizards here who can contact us back home in case of trouble and also leave here a small consignment of the Silver Knights, approximately one Chapter numbering 5,000."
He stated that he knew that sooner or later, Robert's Rebellion would happen, and this would give him the opportunity to rob some things from Westeros, ranging from the Valyrian Steel that was of crucial interest to The Holy Arcadia Empire and especially the King's Landing...
The Targaryens survived Doom of Valyria and ruled Westeros for three hundred years, Great Ones knew what treasures they must have gathered, but the real object of his desires was the Citadel.
Organization old for millennia, gathering treasures, knowledge, and other things across Westeros and even Essos and other parts of the known world, manipulating everyone like puppets.
Not to mention, at least they could kill a few of the magic-hating Maesters when they would be robbing the Old Town.
"Then I must thank you, Your Majesty."
While Tywin was surprised at how easily the Emperor agreed to his request and even left him five thousand top-notch Knights to protect the Westerlands, his instincts were telling him that there should be another reason.
Because nobody was this generous without reason...
"I will introduce you to Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who will remain here; he is a splendid soldier and highly competent one as rest of the commanders within our armed forces... I am sure that you two will like each other."
Karl Franz chuckled at that because, indeed, Agamemnon Atreides was the epitome of a strict, unrelenting, and fiercely loyal commander who would do the job right at any cost.
***
MC POV
Sometime later, the chambers of Karl Franz at the Castle of Lannisport
Before we left, I called to my chambers several people with whom I needed to have some talks. While I was returning back to the homeland, our people would remain here with various tasks that they needed to complete.
"Now, please sit, gentlemen... I have some final orders before I depart back home together with loot, victory and my beautiful fianceé..."
I said jokingly, but apparently not as funny as I thought I would be... but whatever, not that I cared about it; at least nobody is forcing himself to laugh.
"Chapter Master Atreides, you will have the task of protecting and helping Lord Lannister and protecting the interests of the Empire at Westeros. As you have been briefed, King Aerys is mad and our close relationship with House Lannister may or may not be seen as a hostile act."
Agamemnon was a young-looking man with long blonde hair and wearing heavy armor of the Silver Knights. He was the son of the current Elector Count of Grand Duchy of Caladan, Lord Atreus Atreides, who was also General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde.
"Of course, Your Majesty, you can consider it done. Do you have any further instructions?"
He asked with not much formal tone, as I was not very fan of formalities when it was private, especially among soldiers with whom I often fought side by side.
"Yes... in a year or two, there would be Rebellion here, and during the ensuing chaos, you will raid and obtain these things for the glory of the nation."
I then passed him a list of things, names and locations.
"Cooperate with Wizards from Byrgenwerth and Imperial Battle Wizard Legion in his task."
Then I turned my sight to High Scholar Jinfarah, who was sitting there absentmindedly, probably thinking over the corpse of the Daemon Lord I killed.
"Ornstein, you will remain here until the Churches of the Healing Church are finished and Priests and Holy Knights are not settled. Afterward, you will depart to North of Westeros and scout the place for any traces of Magic or anything of interest."
Because I knew what dwelled behind the Wall, I was cautious not to mention, as this was a vastly different world from the canon I barely remembered; I had a hunch that the Night King would be a frightening entity...
"Also, I will inform Ciaran to send some of his spies to create a spy network in Westeros and Essos; this would take a few months, so coordinate everything on this matter."
Ornstein wordlessly nodded because no words were needed; he was a man of action. He knew that he was a very powerful power and that if I spent him personally on a scouting mission, then it must be for a very, very good reason.
"High Scholar, how much time do we have until the corpse starts reeking?"
One of the main reasons why I needed to transport the corpse of the Daemon Lord personally was because, after some time, the corpse of Daemons started leaking very dangerous Miasma.
This Miasma will, in turn, attract various types of monsters, beasts, and other creatures, including the other Daemons, because this Miasma was very nutritious and they could get more powerful.
Not to mention, if some lower-ranked Daemon managed to devour the corpse of a Daemon Lord, then it would experience a very fast level-up among the Daemon Ranks.
"Probably week and with the Seals we put around it to contain it, we have approximately two weeks, maximally eighteen days when the Miasma from the corpse will start leaking to the outside world."
For that reason, we needed to transport the corpse back to Faust, preferably because they had the best equipment to deal with it and to contain it properly.
"Ts... we would need to sail at maximum speed. Fortunately, we installed those experimental engines so that we will put them to the test."
I grimaced because it was a much lower timeframe than I anticipated, but at the same time, Daemon Lord Demogorgon was one of the more powerful Daemon Lords in the Abyss and close to the Daemon Prince.
And for that reason, we needed to secure and transport his corpse as a top priority. Many things could be gained from it; the blood of such powerful beings was always in high demand once it was purified.
"We are sailing right now."
I made the final decision because we needed to act fast and I gave them around three hours to pack up the things for the people who would be leaving back to the Lordran, and I also sent someone to inform Lord Tywin about this development, as Cersei would depart with us back to the Lordran.
She needed to advance her education and convert to the Faith of the Great Ones at the grand ceremony, which would be more like a show of power, but it was tradition for those who were not of our religion.
***
3rd POV
One hour later, Lannisport Castle, the Lord's Solar
"The times are changing, Kevan..."
Tywin Lannister stood in his solar while observing the fleet of The Holy Arcadia Empire, who were packing their things and preparing to return home. One hour earlier, he got a message from Emperor Karl Franz, who had already called him father-in-law to tickle his ego, that they were returning back sooner than planned.
The reason was the corpse of the Daemon the Emperor killed.
"He even left us 5,000 of his Silver Knights... a worthy show of power, protection of his interests and... there is one more thing, does he anticipate the civil war here?"
Tywin muttered as he went over the possibilities; simultaneously, he was particularly pleased because it seemed that his newest ally or family was a good Player. But after centuries of ruling, that was to be expected.
"Kevan, go and find Chapter Master Atreides, who is commanding the Silver Knight Chapter that is remaining in Westeros and cooperate with him for their accommodation. Also, how is Cersei?"
Now, the most important thing was the proper accommodation of the Silver Knight Chapter; because the Empire was a very militaristic nation, army commanders sometimes had an even bigger influence than most of the Lesser Houses within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"She is good, even looking better after the witch and Daemon were both killed... should I send for her?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock nodded and Kevan then left to do his duties; as his brother was Hand of the King, he spent a little time in the Westerlands and most of the responsibilities befall on his shoulders.
"Something is not right... should we speed up the militarization and perhaps even openly support the Healing Church? The Old Blood is tempting..."
Like every other person in power, Tywin was very tempted by the possibility of living for centuries to come, but at the same time, he was hesitant.
He heard what happened to the people who consumed the Old Blood in their great, would sooner or later succumb to their inner beast, becoming nothing more than a Beast, losing every bit of their previous sanity.
The only fate that awaited them was to be cut down by the Hunters of the Workshop... For him, the Holy Arcadia Empire was a fascinating place, and as old schemer, as he was, he was already preparing to create a branch of House Lannister within the Empire.
He learned that in the Empire, establishment of the Noble Hosues was at the same time easier and harder than it was in Westeros. Noble Houses could be stripped of their land and titles and even face execution if they were not upholding the standards of the Empire.
He didn't have the illusion that one of his grandchildren would sit once on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder; he knew that chances were low, considering how the Succession worked in the Empire.
But at the same time, he knew that his grandchildren, if they were talented and capable enough, won't have a problem inheriting either the Elector Count of Reikland title similar to the Wardens in the Seven Kingdoms or they would find their own Houses.
Several minutes his daughter arrived; this time, she was already wearing clothes of the Imperial fashion. Contrary to the long lady dresses that were worn in the Westories by high-born ladies, women in the Empire wore much less complicated clothes.
She wore something that appeared to be a several-piece uniform slash suit of white color. Even though it was no dress, it still appeared very luxurious and more importantly, it subtly radiated authority and power.
"You called for me father?"
Her hair was tied into a ponytail as she finished dressing with the help of two female apprentices of Healing Church's Holy Knights. For Cersei, while she enjoyed wearing dressed that enhanced her beauty, she had to admit that these clothes were more comfortable and she looked more powerful in them.
Like a soldier or military officer.
"Yes... sit down."
He ordered as they sat down across each other.
"How are you feeling?"
The past few hours were hectic and very stressful...
"Good; Father Galahad said that I would be alright after some recuperation."
Now that Maggy the Witch and the Daemon Lord Demogorgon were killed, Cersei could feel that something was better; it was a very obscure and indescribable feeling that she had...
But it was a very pleasant feeling like the burden she was carrying was finally lifted and gone.
"As you were informed, you would be departing to the Lordran for further healing at the Healing Church..."
Tywin Lannister said slowly as he observed his daughter. She needed some further recuperation at the hands of the Healing Church from the Blood Curse and it was the only place that was capable of providing it.
"Another piece of news is that Emperor Karl Franz agreed to the engagement so you would be married after three or four years; till that, you would be fostered at Cainhurst by Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood and be educated in all Imperial matters."
He was informed that his daughter would need to be educated in combat and ruling; it was very foreign to the concepts of the Seven Kingdoms and felt unnatural.
"That is the mother of his first fianceé..."
Cersei recognized the name because Karl Franz told her about Lady Maria Vileblood, the dazzling gem of the Holy Arcadia Empire and one of two personal students of the Gehrman the First Hunter.
"Yes, Lady Annalise Vileblood is by all accounts one of the most prestigious and powerful Noble within the Holy Arcadia Empire. Not to mention, the Vilebloods of Cainhurst have a very strong connection to the Gehrman the First Hunter... so you would be able to foster a good relationship with your sister-wife to prevent any conflicts in your marriage."
Tywin said the name of the man with a good deal of respect because, as he heard from the Emperor, Gehrman was the reason why the Empire stood strong. He could have killed the Daemon Lord with one hit... and his position within the Empie was almost if not equal to that of Emperor.
'But that is to be expected in a place where many have supernatural powers... the strongest are always venerated the most.'
He thought as he noticed that his daughter looked almost eager... Cersei was always a child that desired power, all kinds of power... While Jamie was meant to be his heir, he was not interested or capable of it.
That Tywin knew very well.
Unfortunately, nobody in Westeros would accept a female as Lord Paramount, Dorne not included. He knew that in the Empire, his daughter would thrive; with proper education, she could become a true player of the Great Game like himself or Olena Tyrell.
"Now, during these years before the marriage, you will need to convert to the Religion of the Great Ones and Imperator said that you would need to spend a rather extensive courtship before you are married."
He could see that his daughter was clearly fond of Emperor Karl Franz... the man was charming enough, could behave like a proper gentleman, and was jovial, but he was also a very ruthless ruler.
The fact that no rebellion happened during several centuries since his rule was only proof of that.
"I... thank you, father."
Cersei muttered quietly, as it didn't escape her eyes that Tywin smiled for a very, very brief time before his expression returned to the normally stoic and cold one.
***
MC POV
Lannisport, Port Area
After we put the corpse of the Daemon Lord Demogorgon back on the flagship, I was only waiting for the last people. Part of the fleet would remain here at the Lannisport, according to the agreement with Lord Tywin.
Chapter Master Agamemnon was already busy accommodating his Chapter of five thousand Silver Knights as they would be divided based on the Divisions, as one Division would go to the Casterly Rock and another would remain at the Lannisport.
From a distance, I then saw my newest fianceé in a more traditional outfit that was popular among the Cainhurstian Nobility and female Hunters. She looked beautifully, like a shining golden light in the west.
We would be spending the next two weeks on the open sea, crossing the Sunset Sea back to the Lordran; afterward, we would depart to Faust and then to Anor Londo, and later on, she would go to the Cainhurst.
Still, the Empire was working on large-scale teleportation arrays across the entire Empire, interconnecting all the biggest cities and hopefully, it would be finished in a few years.
"You looked breathtaking, my lady... like a proper Huntress of the Dream."
I complimented her appearance and kissed her hand, to which she bashfully covered her mouth. With her arrival, it seemed that we could finally depart back to Lordran, though shame my trip ended even faster than it began.
"It seems that we will be departing, Lord Tywin... soon another part of a delegation from the Empire will arrive and maybe, soon, you will, too, visit the Empire."
I said with a smile as we shook hands.
"Maybe yes, but for now, I will have a lot of things to do after finding the level of your nation; I have many things that I want to incorporate from there and also, a wave of new mining projects have been opened."
Tywin knew that something was brewing in the future, an uncertain future and thus, he decided to act appropriately and speed up all of the plans he had. Starting with the creation of a professional military, tactics and weapons.
He already planned to buy a large number of weapons to arm the Knights loyal to the House Lannister and himself from the dwarves of the Ironforge. Yes, in the Empire, apparently, there were not only humans but also other species; among them were dwarves.
Not deformed like his imp devil son was.
But they were master smiths and engineers, masterful constructors, and they were also apparently fierce warriors at that. And they produced the best equipment that one could wish for, and everyone in the Imperial Military used the dwarven-made weapons and armor.
***
MC POV
Sunset Sea, three days later
It had been three days since we left Westeros and right now, we were heading back to the Lordran, the home of The Holy Arcadia Empire. I was enjoying the fresh air on the deck of the Smeidnir and, at the same time, cursing the sea...
I wasn't really cut out for this. Hopefully, we will have airships finished one day... I heard that some egg heads at the College of Engineers already had some initial designs for the airships; hopefully, they would be much more comfortable to travel with.
"Enjoying the fresh air?"
While looking in the direction of the Seven Kingdoms, I heard the voice of my new fianceé.
"Yes... for several centuries, I almost never spent a few days on the sea and now that I have, I must admit that I hate it... everything is wet; food is not up to my standards, and many, many other things... I can't even train properly."
Oh, the Great Ones, I swear that right now I am whining like a little kid that didn't get what he wanted.
"And you told me that I am acting spoiled..."
She laughed a bit as she went up to my side and we were observing the calmness of the sea, which was probably the sole advantage of sea travel. No matter how much I hated the conditions, I must admit that the sea was beautiful.
"So what? Never seen a hypocrite? And a handsome one at that?"
I said with a laugh because it was indeed a bit hypocritical of me.
"Yes, yes, the most handsome hypocrite I laid my eyes on."
Now that we were heading towards the Lordran and especially without anyone from her House, Cersei was actually much more straightforward and behaved more freely and authentically.
In the Empire, we were not really bent on formal behavior and other things, aside from the social events and formal events where the code of conduct was very strictly demanded.
"So, how are you enjoying the bits o the Imperial life?"
I asked because I noticed that she remarkably took a liking to our swordsmanship classes and also to Imperial fashion.
"Very much so far... it is different from Westeros, but at the same time, you have a lot of freedoms that equaled the responsibilities... especially for women."
She was certainly pleased that I wasn't lying to her when I told her all the things about the Holy Arcadia Empire and how our society was different from all previous ones. Not only that but even I was surprised that she was a very fast learner.
On the first day, she was training with members of the Reiksgarde the basis, but shockingly enough, she was swift at learning everything that the Reiksgarde could teach her. She was eager and wanted to learn; thus, after seeing that I was personally teaching her combat arts.
At the same time, it was also a nice opportunity to get to know each other. Weirdly though she was very attuned to the dual-wielding, there were not many dual-wielders even in the Empire; such people were rare because it was very hard to master such style.
For example, in Westeros, only one person mastered the dual-wielding style and that was Arthur Dayne; with his limited lifespan, it was indeed solid proof that the man was a genius when it came to swordsmanship to the point where I wanted to recruit him personally...
And maybe I would have the opportunity, as he was on the list of people of interest that could be most probably swayed to the Imperial Banner during Robert's Rebellion.
As we were sailing back to the Empire, suddenly, the alarm went on... it meant that pirates were attacking, which was good; at least it won't be boring.
"My Lord, there twenty ships sailing our way, bearing the sigils of the House Greyjoy."
Ironborn... we have only three battleships and nothing more and there was only one person who was mad enough to attack such huge ships, Euron Greyjoy.
"Everyone to battle position, load the canons."
I shouted as everyone started running here and there, though I saw that Cersei was a bit shaking. Ironborn had a pretty terrible reputation in Westeros and even at the Essos, as they were reavers, rapists and an overall bunch of scum.
"Take these... Blades of Mercy, a special trick weapon passed down among hunters of hunters. One of the oldest weapons of the workshop. Splits into two when activated. The weapon's warped blades are forged with siderite, a rare mineral of the heavens. Most effective swift attacks, such as after a quick-stepping."
Summoning twin swords, I passed them to her, as this would be her first time, but I was certainly confident, with the Reiskgarde at her back, there was nothing that could happen to her, especially with the top-notch armor she was wearing right now.
"Cersei remember your training, be calm, aim for the vital spots, and use every weakness you see; that is how true Hunter fights."
I said as she nodded and soon enough, the Ironborn ships were already in the vicinity.
"Father always said that we should have burned the Iron Islands down..."
It was true; Tywin was right on this one because the Ironborn would never change their reaving, raping and pillaging culture across the entire Westeros and Essos, though they were not my problem.
But at the same time, I was a bit interested in Euron Greyjoy; he was another "Blessed by Fate" and under the strictest Magic Contract to ensure his loyalty to the Divine Throne, he would be a good addition to the Empire.
The Holy Arcadia Empire had one great weakness... our navy was almost non-existence. While he had ships and the big ones, technically speaking, there were no people within the Empire who were experienced in leading naval warfare.
I knew that if we met some nation that was skilled in naval warfare, we would lose, like this time, we were meeting with the Ironborn, but we had a moment of surprise. For several seconds the cannons firing was heard as some of the more unfortunate ships sank down.
This was the moment of surprise.
Though it would become only a great advantage once they learned how to properly counter the cannons and other siege artillery and things that we installed on our ships and for that, I needed someone who could create a navy.
And truthfully, Euron Greyjoy filled those criteria.
Yes, he was the mad, uncontrollable bastard that only cared that he wanted to be part of history and that was something that I could give him. He could be the greatest Admiral that ever broader the seas and oceans of the known world.
And it was not like he would be the sole uncontrollable madman in my services, but once someone's Soul was tied to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, then even the slightest action that would go to betrayal would end in immediate death.
But still, there was one field where we were unbeatable... I was confident that Euron Greyjoy seeing our weapons and the size of our ships, would do anything to occupy them because these ships were bigger than anything built in Westeros.
And that was an opportunity for the good old fight between soldiers.
Ironborn, while relatively skilled compared to most levies and people who had never seen a fight or the Summer Knights of Westeros, compared to them Ironborn were indeed skilled warriors because they were tempered in blood and iron.
But they were no match for the professional standing military of the Holy Arcadia Empire and our Knights.
Not to mention there were Reiksgarde and Church Executioners on the ships together with Battle Wizards. The moment they boarded our ships and started fishing would be the moment that spelled their doom, as they would stand no chance.
Everyone knew it, which was also why we even deliberately let them board; if not for that, we would sink their ships from a distance, but I wanted to capture Euron Greyjoy alive.
***
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Chapter 5 - Lands of Ancient Lords
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"Night is long, and the path is dark;
look to the sky; the Dawn will come...
The Blood has come, and a full of might,
for the brave, the horrors come.
*
Look to the stars, as the beasts have come,
Kill all them now, as the scourge has come.
Bare your blade, and raise it high,
for what is come; stand your ground.
*
And of the scourge, the beasts are here,
for Hunters now, the time has come.
And tear them'part, as they bleed in here,
for we are now, in the Hunter's Dreams...
*
Shadows fall, and the hope has come;
the kiln has been lit, in the ancient fire.
Steel your heart, for the nightmares come,
look for the stars, and Insight comes.
*
Drink the Blood, of the formless god,
as you fight; the Great Ones come.
Fear Old Blood, as the Hunters hunt,
for we wake up, in the Waking World.
*
And when we woke, we did see the truth,
That the dreams are past, and sunlight rose.
The Dawn has come, and the Hunters killed,
For we of Blood, are the sons of the Moon...
The Dawn has come."
The Hunter's Waking World Hymn of the Workshop, sung by the Hunters of the Workshop, composer unknown.
***
Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Greater Houses
Elector Count - Elector Count is the highest rank held by the Nobility in The Empire that one can achieve either by inheriting or being raised to such rank. An Elector Count, who may be male or female, is the feudal ruler of one of the Empire's constituent Electoral Provinces, the primary subdivisions of the realm.
As the name suggests, each Elector Count possesses one vote, which can be used to determine which candidate is elected to succeed to the Throne from the Imperial Children within the Landsraad. Yet, at the same time, they themselves are Elected the same way from by their own Houses.
They are required to serve the Empire with all of their resources and fight the enemies of the state at the frontlines.
Lord High Magistrate - Lord High Magistrate is a very unique title within the Empire, not awarded or given, special only to those who control one of the Three Holy Cities and the City of Gods.
The Three Holy Cities are essentially the City-States within the Holy Arcadia Empire and the Lord High Magistrates are the most powerful Nobles of the entire Empire.
***
The Ironborn were good fighters; if not, they would not be feared by the entirety of Westeros and Essos as the most skilled and fearsome reavers across the seas and oceans. They were a vicious, cruel, and disgusting bunch of pirates that pillaged, raped, and slaughtered.
They even called it "Paying the Iron Price"; therefore, nobody really liked them, and most would rather wish for them to be wholly eradicated. Right now, the battleships of the Holy Arcadia Empire were being boarded by hordes and hordes of Ironborn reavers.
The Ironborn ships that survived the initial attack from the cannons now started boarding the battleships and a fight between the crew and Ironborn broke out. The men from the Iron Islands attacked with their famous ferocity and brutality, but the Imperials faced way worse.
Naturally, while the Ironborn were outnumbering the soldiers of the Empire, the forces of the Imperial Army, Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, Priests of Healing Church, Battle Wizards and Holy Executioner Knights were fighting back.
And they were doing it splendidly.
While their numbers were much lower, they charged against the pirates with bravery and courage, killing everything that came into their path.
Three pirates fell for every Imperial Army soldier that Ironborn killed, and while Silver Knights fell too, they took even more pirates with them to the endless dream.
However, they didn't manage to kill even a single Silver Knight in a single combat and could only kill them by deception or numbers, as the Silver Knights were unmatched on the battlefield.
The Silver Knight Order was the best of the best because they were the true elites of the Empire.
From the Silver Knight, the future members of Reiksgarde, Church Executioners, personal Guards of the Elector Couts, Lord High Magistrates, and even a few Hunters even started in the Silver Knight Order.
They were the elite military of the Holy Arcadia Empire; they were the shield and sword that fought against the horrors of the night and terrors that inhabited the darkness. Now, the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners were not making any moves; they were just protecting the Battle Wizards and Priests, respectively.
The Priests of the Healing Church were casting various Divine Spells that were buffing their troops and, simultaneously, healing the injured, saving lives, and almost nullifying their losses to zero.
Priests of the Healing Church were exceptionally proficient at any kind of healing, and they already saved the lives of several soldiers of the Imperial Army who were severely injured by the Ironborn Reaver.
***
POV Cersei
'Calm down, calm down, Cersei... remember your training for the past days; you are a Lion those don't fear its prey.'
I was calming down... this was my first fight, and I felt fear... was this how every man felt when they stepped on the battlefield?
However, it was admirably worse because the enemies were not untrained levies but seasoned killers of Ironborn.
Still, I could see many of them falling to the swords and spears of Silver Knights and Imperial Soldiers.
'If the king doesn't move, then his subject won't follow... remember this, Cersei: Empire is vastly different from Westeros and Essos; the only thing most people care about in the Empire is Skill and Power; they won't care about our Lineage, Status or anything, they will only see you as a person and if you are strong enough... Never show weakness and always be strong...'
I remembered words that Karl said to me when we started training, as I mildly laughed at that... we were already calling each other by our names because he felt that it felt distant if we called each other by our titles.
Imperials were different in culture from Westeros. Their society venerated those who were strong, and they would never bow to anyone weaker than them.
Be it of noble lineage or not.
This was my time to show them that I was just not some spoiled bitch... It didn't escape my sight that while nobody said it, it was clear that most of people looked down on me, and I hated it...
They thought that I was like the rest of the women of Westeros, weak and not capable of fighting; I will show you all...
I readied my blades, the Blades of Mercy Karl gave me... He was right now leading the charge on the ship Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy.
Evidently, he wanted to capture that madman... though I sincerely doubt that Quelon Greyjoy would care about his son if he was captured. Ironborns were a bunch of savage bastards that wouldn't bet an eye if their entire families were butchered.
Father told me that Euron Greyjoy was one of the skilled and most dangerous captains of the Iron Islands as well as one of the sons of the current Lord Reaver of Pyke.
"We are joining the battle; they will soon overwhelm the bridge..."
I said to two Reiksgarde behind me whose task was my protection.
During the past few days, combat training wasn't the sole thing that we were doing, but I was also taught about military strategy, how to lead soldiers in battle and other vital specialties in this area.
"As you wish, My Lady."
Both of the Reiksgarde followed after me as I mustered all of the courage I had and did exactly what I was taught. In mere moments, I quickly dodged an incoming sword from one of the Ironborn; bending down, I stabbed the pirate in the stomach with my blades.
He fell onto the ground as I looked at him dying...
This was the first time I took a life and It felt... weird; at the same time, I wanted to puke at the sight, but on the other hand, whatever the Priests were casting around was calming me down.
I still remember when father said to Jamie that the more one killed, the duller he would become to it, and sooner or later, it would be like feeling nothing... absolutely nothing... and it certainly helped that these men were rapist scum that terrorized Westerlands for generations.
Karl told me that I was small and agile, so my combat style would need to revolve around speed, agility and dexterity, dodging the strikes and using the opponents of my enemies...
For now, I didn't have the physical strength to combat against grown men.
"Are you feeling well, My Lady?"
One of the Reiksgarde Knights asked me, but this time, they were not mocking me and were instead... neutral?
"Yes..."
I composed myself as the huge knights nodded in approval.
"The feeling would soon go away..."
And, as he said that, I could feel better within a few upcoming moments as more and more Ironborn were boarding the ship.
***
3rd POV
Across the battleship, Smeidnir Ironborn was being slaughtered left and right. Soon enough, under the order of Cersei Lannister, the Reiksgarde joined the fray as she led several of them to fight.
Karl Franz noticed them descending from the main deck like the gods of war, as they were install-killing every single pirate that they encountered. The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire smiled when he saw the blonde-haired noble lady fighting against the pirated with her twin swords.
While she was a bit clumsy, she managed to kill five Ironborn before she retreated to safe lines, as she was tired from her first fight. Still, it was a very good result for the first combat ever.
Karl Franz meanwhile killed his way to the flagship of the Ironborns, the Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy, holding the Longinuslanze Testament together with his Reiksgarde and Church Executioners and two Battle Wizards; they were unstoppable.
Silence has a single mast, black sails, and a dark red hull. Its decks are painted red to hide better the blood that soaks them. The ship's figurehead is a mouthless maiden with one arm outstretched.
The figure was made of black iron, with long, shapely legs, a slender waist, and high breasts, and had streaming black iron hair and mother-of-pearl eyes.
Soon enough, on the command deck of Silence was a pale and handsome with black hair and a neat dark beard. He wore a black patch over his left eye; for that, he had the nickname "Crow's Eye".
It was Euron Greyjoy, the captain of this fine vessel...
His right eye was as blue as summer sky and was regarded as his "smiling eye" and his lips were pale blue as well...
"So you are the infamous Crow's Eye..."
Karl Franz observed the Crow's Eye with keen interest; a whole few of the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners killed everyone on the board of silence within a few moments. All of these Knights were of Level 3 Old Blood.
Their physical strength was comparable to that of the strongest Ogres; they were many times faster than even the fastest of men and had at least two or three centuries under their belt of combat...
"So... what would it be, surrender or death?"
The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire asked him with amusement because something that he didn't truly expect had happened. The Crow's Eye dropped his weapon and surrendered... it was a weird sight from the madman, but Karl Franz knew that the man was scheming something.
But it played into their cards perfectly, as he was soon handcuffed with Dimeritium handcuffs and Battle Wizard cast a few binding spells on his person. Euron Greyjoy was a highly intelligent person who knew how to play the game and realized the odds were against him.
And he also noticed that for some reason, the enemies were not killing him, not because they couldn't but because they didn't want to, so he decided to make use of it and just surrendered.
***
Several weeks after the departure of the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Westeros, Westerlands, Casterly Rock
Casterly Rock is carved out of a colossal stone hill beside the Sunset Sea. It is popularly believed to resemble a lion in repose at sunset; the Rock was six miles long from west to east and has a width of two miles from north to south. Its peak is about 640,08 meters.
The base of the Rock contains large sea-carved caverns. The stone has been mined for thousands of years, so there are hundreds of mineshafts in the depths of the Rock.
The face of the mount has windows and arrow slits scattered all over, they look small from the outside, but it is only an illusion due to the massive size of the Rock.
The entire stronghold—tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, a sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armories, chambers, servant's quarters, etc.—lies within the Rock itself.
In the Lord's Solar, Tywin Lannister was meeting with the Chapter Master of Silver Knight, Agamemnon Atreides.
"I must say, Lord Lannister, your castle is one of the finest fortresses that I have ever seen."
It was evident that Tywin Lannister beamed with pride hearing that and after accommodating the Silver Knights proved to be useful, as few of the more educated ones among them pointed out several weak points within the fortress.
He dismisses it at first, but soon enough, he was even presented with a potential hostile takeover of the Casterly Rock through the sewers of the Rock. Now that problem was addressed, and sewers were reconstructed and strengthened to be one of the strongest points of the Rock.
"You speak from experience from what I see..."
He met a few times with Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, and he noticed that while the man in question was a peerless warrior, he had a very noble demeanor and reminded him very much of Prince Rhaegar.
"Yes... Casterly Rock reminds me pretty much of Ironforge, the most majestic kingdom of Dwarves that I visited with my father when I was younger."
Saying that made Tywin raise his brow at him in curiosity.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself fully because we are forbidden to use our titles when part of the Order. But I am Heir of the Elector House of Atredies; my mother is Elector Countess and Grand Duchy of Caladan, and my father is currently serving as General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde."
Hearing that made Tywin stop for a moment because he didn't expect that somebody this important would be left here. He knew that Elector Counts were the pinnacle of Imperial Nobility, so hearing that he was hosting Heir to the Elector Count House was a pleasant and unnerving surprise.
Not to mention that his father was the leader of the Reiksgarde, which was a position even above that of Nobility. Tywin learned that there was one thing that the Empire valued above everything else and that was power.
Lineage, origin, or social status didn't matter as long as one was powerful; it was a very foreign concept to Westeros, where lineage was seen as everything.
"Now, to the more important matters, I want to ask you for a favor, if possible. Naturally, you would also be rewarded for it; Lannister always pays his debts."
Tywin said slowly as Agamemnon Atreides waited for the Lord of Lions to state his request.
"I want advice on the creation of a professional standing military."
Agamemnon Atreides wasn't very surprised by this, but he nodded nevertheless because he was already briefed about this by his Emperor, who already foresaw that the Lord of Lions would ask for this.
"That seems possible..."
The Chapter Master Atreides said slowly.
"The first thing we need to start is to create the core of the Army, for that your Red Guards could serve, and we need officers, and before you say you want to appoint some of your vassals for that, I would strictly advise against it."
Tywin was surprised hearing that, but he was intelligent enough because he suspected the answer as well, but he still proceeded to ask for clarification.
"The best course of action would be cultivating a new generation of officers from commoners, abandoned nobles, or trustworthy mercenaries that want a stable life. These men and women would solely depend on you for their existence and life, and contrary to members of other Houses, they won't have any side thoughts."
The Lord of Westerlands nodded at that because it was a logical explanation, and while all Westerlands Lords were loyal to him, either through fear or loyalty, they would always have the benefits of their House as a priority.
He wanted people who would complete his orders to the dot without any complaints and without any other interests.
"And where to find them? While we could cultivate some, it won't be enough for a full army."
This was a problem that he was currently facing because education in Westeros was a thing of privilege for those of Noble birth.
"Recruit them from the Empire."
Agamemnon Atreides answered frankly.
"???"
He looked at the Chapter Master.
"Every year, there are dozens of commoners of the Empire who graduate from Imperial Gunnery School, Schola Progenium, Aquila Academy, or Diesdorf Military College, so you have two options. One would be sponsoring some of the commoners from Westerlands who show promise to go to schools or participate in the final recruitment."
Chapter Master patiently explained the options.
"Final recruitment?"
He already decided on sponsoring some commoners if it was possible, but it would be as his daughter was the fianceé of the Emperor, so technically speaking, Westerlands were close allies and family of the Imperial Throne.
"Yes, at the end of each year, most nobles of the Empire would try to recruit talents to their service, and while, unfortunately, Westeros won't be appealing to many, you have two big advantages over others."
Tywin knew what it was...
"Gold and Glory..."
Tywin knew that if he went all out, then he could spend even more than some of the Elector Count Houses, and for the second, it was glory in the unknown lands to make a name for themselves as pioneers.
"Yes... most of the Elector Count Houses are directly sponsoring people or sending their descendants to study, and only a few of the most brilliant ones that are not affiliated with anyone are then recruited through Final Recruitment. Aside from that, Elector Counts won't be spending much money on this endeavor, and the second is glory..."
Certainly, many would be tempted to go to Westeros and search for glory for themselves.
"Then it seems that I would need to go to the Empire sooner or later."
***
Sunset Sea, around the same time...
The first golden sun rays rose from the west and fell onto the ships sailing back home as the familiar visage of land appeared before them. Everyone on the deck gathered on the majestic shores of their homeland.
Karl Franz stood on the deck, observing the sun rising as he felt the golden rays of the sun fall on his face. He felt a woman's hand interviewing with his own as he looked at the familiar visage of fortress port-city.
"Welcome, welcome and welcome thrice! To the Land of Ancient Lords!"
They were finally at home.
"Come, we need to hurry back to the Faust before the corpse of the Daemon Lord starts attracting problems."
Karl Franz said with nostalgia as they were slowly heading to the port of Marienburg, which was the biggest fortress port-city in the Empire, under the rule of Elector Count Gausser.
Marienburg was considered to be the largest trading hub in the Lordran and was the greatest of its ports. It was a place of great wealth and great opportunity and also served as home to one of the Imperial Fleets.
"It looks majestic."
He heard Cersei mutter, seeing the majestic walls of the fortress port city of Marienburg; it was a majestic place, with very tall walls, sharp architecture and features, and high white towers everywhere around it.
"It is..., but it is nothing compared to the Anor Londo or the other three Holy Cities... they are far more breathtaking than you can ever think."
Karl Franz stated while Smeidnir was heading to the docks. In front of the docks several ships were acting as escorts in front of the docks, and at the docks themselves, a small procession was prepared.
Though not mostly for him, but it was rather filled with Wizards and Sorcerers from the Byrgenwerth who were here to check up on the corpse of the Daemon Lord because it was their precious merchandise.
Smeidnir was slowly heading towards the deck, where it slowly docked, and they started disembarking with Cersei closely following after her financeé as she saw several tens of Sorcerers and Wizards similar to High Scholar Jinfarah, whom she met.
Though they didn't pay them much attention, though, because after greeting the Emperor and asking where the corpse of Daemon Lord was, they ignored them and went to the corpse.
She learned during their journey that scholars of Byrgenwerth didn't care much about almost anything aside from their magic research and uncovering the secrets of the Arcane. While it was certainly rude, it seemed that everyone had already gotten used to it.
"What a wondrous specimen, Your Majesty..."
Remarked one of the scholars who was examining the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon.
"Indeed, Daemon Lord Demogorgon is one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Abyss and he was slain in the material place in rather a pathetic way."
Said another one, who stroked his beard while casting some spells.
"This one would serve a greater purpose to our research and all the materials..."
Soon enough, the Scholars, Sorcerers, and Wizards started bickering with each other about what to do with the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon and how to use the corpse in the most efficient way.
Naturally, each one of them had their own agenda and wanted to use it for their own research...
"You see why? They only care about their research; I think it would be best to stop them now, or they would start fighting among themselves."
Karl Franz said to his fianceé, observing the group of old men arguing with each other, which was undoubtedly amusing. They were like a bunch of bickering children and would have turned on their favorite toy.
Just these ones had Magic and didn't fear to shoot spells at each other when someone insulted them or if they wanted to advance their research. When things started getting hotter, Karl Franz raised his hand, and invisible power burst out of him and dispersed all of the spells that they attempted to cast.
"Please, gentlemen... remain civil."
He said with tired sight because attempting to rule them in was problematic.
The corpse of something as powerful as Demogorgon was something that was driving them crazy, and he would need to have a talk about this Supreme Patriarch Balthazar Gelt, or else they would fight among each other for it.
"Praise the Old Blood and Bless the Empire, Your Majesty."
Suddenly, a man stepped forward, wearing a luxurious-looking outfit adorned with gems and laminated with gold.
"His Lordship, Elector Count Gausser, was unable to attend as he is preparing his personal army to squash a new threat of Ork Waaagh led by Ork Boss."
It was castellan of the Marienburg as Karl Franz nodded; not like he planned to remain at the Marienburg any longer because they were planning to head to the Faust as soon as possible.
Cersei meanwhile looked surprised mainly about the difference in social protocol between the Imperium and Westeros, seeing that the Imperium wasn't very keen on formalities when they were not required and also she was surprised about the Orks being close to the Marienburg.
She learned that the Lordran was much more dangerous than Westeros and Essos combined several times over. They were facing hordes of Daemon, nightmare horrors, Greenskins, Beasts, and god knows what.
Yet they were standing powerful, expanding their reach and only a few places in the Lordran were not officially under the control of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but they would soon be.
These findings fascinated her because they told the power of the Imperium. While she wanted to see more of the City, they were going to the Marienburg and Karl Franz didn't wish to leave her alone for the time being as he was the only person she knew here.
And in his mind, Faust as one of the Holy Cities of the Holy Arcadia Empire, was far more majestic and would be much nicer to tour. Marienburg was filled with hundreds of thousands of people; it was a crowded city and not suitable as the first introduction to the Empire.
Their procession then loaded the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon onto the huge carriage, and they went towards Faust, the City of Miracles, and one of the Holy Cities, and fortunately for them, the journey was much faster than anticipated.
Because all carriages were enhanced by Magic and the animals that were pulling them were also of Magic heritage, their traveling speed was very fast. Aside from that, Faust actually wasn't right now far from the Marienburg.
***
MC POV
For the past two days, we were spending time in the Imperial War Wagon, which was something akin to a siege engine or warmachine. It was an extremely heavy version of a chariot, essentially a mobile, armored battle tower that was typically armed with a crew and pulled by warhorses.
The high walls of the tower protect its crew from arrows and attacks from the ground as they unload their own ranged firepower upon the foe.
This one was repurposed to serve as a method of transportation for the Nobility and because of its huge size, it was pretty much comfortable, as I could lay on the couch and read books.
"Are we there yet?"
During the two days, Cersei kept pestering me about various things, so we either talked or she was furthering her education. Her prideful nature wouldn't allow her to be seen as inferior or a country bumpkin, so she was constantly doing something.
"Yes, Faust is heading towards our way as we speak; we should be there in a few hours..."
She looked at me bewildered, probably questioning inside if I didn't go mad, but it seemed that I forgot to tell her the most crucial thing about Faust.
"My mistake... you see... Faust is an ancient Floating City that is floating high in the skies; some call it a city in the skies."
And just as I said that, suddenly, the wagon stopped because we were already under the Fuast.
I motioned for my fianceé to follow me as she looked through the window and saw an enormous complex of floating islands above our head.
"Faust, the City of Miracles... one of the wonders of the Lordran. According to the legends, this City existed even before races came to the Lordran and was sealed in the Eternal Plains."
I explained the origins of Faust as we were observing Faust in wonder.
"Sometime during the Age of Ancients, it was found by Lord Gwyn and was used as headquarters for various Orders of Magic and Silver Knights until the collapse of the Age of Ancients and the beginning of the Age of Fire, when Faust was almost entirely destroyed and for millennia it became ruins until I conquered it from the Beasts and reconstructed it..."
Now the Faust was the true City of Magic and the center of all Magical Research and study into the depths of the Arcane of the Holy Arcadia Empire; just like the Cainhurst the City of Silver was known for producing the finest knights of the Imperium.
Still.. no matter how many times I saw that, I was still astonished by the sheer majesty of the Faust because it was truly a wonderous place and one of the wonders of the ancient Lordran...
Even Cersei was observing various floating islands that were interconnected with each other as soon as the small enchanted ship started descending down, as it was one of the primary means of transportation to Faust.
Either that or Teleportation or opening a Portal. Unfortunately, transporting the corpse of the Demon Lord, which had already started leaving its aura to the outside world, would be very hazardous to transport through a portal.
On top of that, they needed to go through the old method, as the floating ship landed down and a whole bunch of Wizards and Scholars exited the floating ship. Based on the insignias and robes they were wearing, they should be from the Grey Order and Amethyst Order.
Byrgenwerth was the most prestigious magic organization that was studying the Magic and Arcane and under it were Eight Magic Orders that studied respective aspects of Magic and Lore.
And then there were Eight Magic Colleges; each College was maintained by one of the Orders as they taught their branch of Magic and Lore at it. Right now, the Headmaster of Byrgenwerth and Supreme Patriarch of Eight Magic Orders was Balthasar Gelt.
***
3rd POV
"Cersei, we are now going to the Faust, so while we are at it, we will also check out your possible affinity for Magic; there is a high possibility that you have one."
As both betrothed observed how the Wizards loaded the corpse of Demon Lord Demogorgon into the floating ship, Karl Franz then remarked to his fianceé. He himself was a rather accomplished Magic user in a special branch of Magic, Arcane Magic.
The purest and most profound form of Magic that was available to only a very few Scholars in the Byrgenwerth or Hunters of the Workshop.
Hearing that made her loot at him with wonder and little sparkles in her eyes.
"Really?"
Magic was always a thing of myth in the Westeros, but in the Essos, it was very much alive, as there were many Sorcerers and other types of Magic Users though most of them were using pretty unsavory means to obtain Magic.
Meanwhile, in Westeros, the Faith of Seven saw Magic as an abomination that should be exterminated, but she saw in Magic power. Her fainceé showed her that with a wave of his hand, he was able to cast spells that could annihilate thousands of men.
Such was the power of Magic.
"Your blood should be Magical enough from what I know... for example, Starks has a very high affinity for Ice Magic and Druidism, so I don't see a reason why your bloodline shouldn't be too Magical, as it is almost equally old."
This made her raise her brow because he told her during their travel that one of their Elector Counts was closely related to the House Stark to the North of Westeros. This was a shocking discovery.
'Brandon Stark the Shipwright, sailed across the Sunset Sea, where he landed on the shores of Lordran; from the initial fleet of twenty ships, only seven arrived at the shores of northern Lordran at today's Duchy of Fenris. There, the King of Winter formed a pact with local warrior tribes called Vikings and married the daughter of the Viking Warrior King Leman Russ, Astrid Russ and by merging, they established the Stark an Russ Lineage.'
Even in Westeros, knowing the history of the various noble houses was important and in the Empire, even more. So, together with Karl Franz, as part of the bonding time, he was teaching her about various Houses, Lineages, and important figures of the Empire.
Starting with the Elector Counts and Lords High Magistrates.
"Who would have thought that the barren North would actually have this connection... aren't they interested in meeting their distant family?"
She asked as Karl Franz shook his head in mild denial.
"Not really... right now, Duchy of Fenris is dealing with enough problems because a few years ago, there was an overpopulation of Frost Trolls and Frost Giants in the Fenris, so they are quelling down their number. Due to that, nobody is interested in voyaging for several weeks to who knows where."
Lordran was a land of dangers as well, but there was a certain reason why they let the monsters roam the lands and didn't root them out. This was it would put people constantly on edge and in danger.
Yes... many would die.
But overall, the population would get only stronger because they would need to constantly strife for the better tomorrows.
******
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look to the sky; the Dawn will come...
The Blood has come, and a full of might,
for the brave, the horrors come.
*
Look to the stars, as the beasts have come,
Kill all them now, as the scourge has come.
Bare your blade, and raise it high,
for what is come; stand your ground.
*
And of the scourge, the beasts are here,
for Hunters now, the time has come.
And tear them'part, as they bleed in here,
for we are now, in the Hunter's Dreams...
*
Shadows fall, and the hope has come;
the kiln has been lit, in the ancient fire.
Steel your heart, for the nightmares come,
look for the stars, and Insight comes.
*
Drink the Blood, of the formless god,
as you fight; the Great Ones come.
Fear Old Blood, as the Hunters hunt,
for we wake up, in the Waking World.
*
And when we woke, we did see the truth,
That the dreams are past, and sunlight rose.
The Dawn has come, and the Hunters killed,
For we of Blood, are the sons of the Moon...
The Dawn has come."
The Hunter's Waking World Hymn of the Workshop, sung by the Hunters of the Workshop, composer unknown.
***
Codex: Nobility of the Empire - Greater Houses
Elector Count - Elector Count is the highest rank held by the Nobility in The Empire that one can achieve either by inheriting or being raised to such rank. An Elector Count, who may be male or female, is the feudal ruler of one of the Empire's constituent Electoral Provinces, the primary subdivisions of the realm.
As the name suggests, each Elector Count possesses one vote, which can be used to determine which candidate is elected to succeed to the Throne from the Imperial Children within the Landsraad. Yet, at the same time, they themselves are Elected the same way from by their own Houses.
They are required to serve the Empire with all of their resources and fight the enemies of the state at the frontlines.
Lord High Magistrate - Lord High Magistrate is a very unique title within the Empire, not awarded or given, special only to those who control one of the Three Holy Cities and the City of Gods.
The Three Holy Cities are essentially the City-States within the Holy Arcadia Empire and the Lord High Magistrates are the most powerful Nobles of the entire Empire.
***
The Ironborn were good fighters; if not, they would not be feared by the entirety of Westeros and Essos as the most skilled and fearsome reavers across the seas and oceans. They were a vicious, cruel, and disgusting bunch of pirates that pillaged, raped, and slaughtered.
They even called it "Paying the Iron Price"; therefore, nobody really liked them, and most would rather wish for them to be wholly eradicated. Right now, the battleships of the Holy Arcadia Empire were being boarded by hordes and hordes of Ironborn reavers.
The Ironborn ships that survived the initial attack from the cannons now started boarding the battleships and a fight between the crew and Ironborn broke out. The men from the Iron Islands attacked with their famous ferocity and brutality, but the Imperials faced way worse.
Naturally, while the Ironborn were outnumbering the soldiers of the Empire, the forces of the Imperial Army, Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, Priests of Healing Church, Battle Wizards and Holy Executioner Knights were fighting back.
And they were doing it splendidly.
While their numbers were much lower, they charged against the pirates with bravery and courage, killing everything that came into their path.
Three pirates fell for every Imperial Army soldier that Ironborn killed, and while Silver Knights fell too, they took even more pirates with them to the endless dream.
However, they didn't manage to kill even a single Silver Knight in a single combat and could only kill them by deception or numbers, as the Silver Knights were unmatched on the battlefield.
The Silver Knight Order was the best of the best because they were the true elites of the Empire.
From the Silver Knight, the future members of Reiksgarde, Church Executioners, personal Guards of the Elector Couts, Lord High Magistrates, and even a few Hunters even started in the Silver Knight Order.
They were the elite military of the Holy Arcadia Empire; they were the shield and sword that fought against the horrors of the night and terrors that inhabited the darkness. Now, the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners were not making any moves; they were just protecting the Battle Wizards and Priests, respectively.
The Priests of the Healing Church were casting various Divine Spells that were buffing their troops and, simultaneously, healing the injured, saving lives, and almost nullifying their losses to zero.
Priests of the Healing Church were exceptionally proficient at any kind of healing, and they already saved the lives of several soldiers of the Imperial Army who were severely injured by the Ironborn Reaver.
***
POV Cersei
'Calm down, calm down, Cersei... remember your training for the past days; you are a Lion those don't fear its prey.'
I was calming down... this was my first fight, and I felt fear... was this how every man felt when they stepped on the battlefield?
However, it was admirably worse because the enemies were not untrained levies but seasoned killers of Ironborn.
Still, I could see many of them falling to the swords and spears of Silver Knights and Imperial Soldiers.
'If the king doesn't move, then his subject won't follow... remember this, Cersei: Empire is vastly different from Westeros and Essos; the only thing most people care about in the Empire is Skill and Power; they won't care about our Lineage, Status or anything, they will only see you as a person and if you are strong enough... Never show weakness and always be strong...'
I remembered words that Karl said to me when we started training, as I mildly laughed at that... we were already calling each other by our names because he felt that it felt distant if we called each other by our titles.
Imperials were different in culture from Westeros. Their society venerated those who were strong, and they would never bow to anyone weaker than them.
Be it of noble lineage or not.
This was my time to show them that I was just not some spoiled bitch... It didn't escape my sight that while nobody said it, it was clear that most of people looked down on me, and I hated it...
They thought that I was like the rest of the women of Westeros, weak and not capable of fighting; I will show you all...
I readied my blades, the Blades of Mercy Karl gave me... He was right now leading the charge on the ship Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy.
Evidently, he wanted to capture that madman... though I sincerely doubt that Quelon Greyjoy would care about his son if he was captured. Ironborns were a bunch of savage bastards that wouldn't bet an eye if their entire families were butchered.
Father told me that Euron Greyjoy was one of the skilled and most dangerous captains of the Iron Islands as well as one of the sons of the current Lord Reaver of Pyke.
"We are joining the battle; they will soon overwhelm the bridge..."
I said to two Reiksgarde behind me whose task was my protection.
During the past few days, combat training wasn't the sole thing that we were doing, but I was also taught about military strategy, how to lead soldiers in battle and other vital specialties in this area.
"As you wish, My Lady."
Both of the Reiksgarde followed after me as I mustered all of the courage I had and did exactly what I was taught. In mere moments, I quickly dodged an incoming sword from one of the Ironborn; bending down, I stabbed the pirate in the stomach with my blades.
He fell onto the ground as I looked at him dying...
This was the first time I took a life and It felt... weird; at the same time, I wanted to puke at the sight, but on the other hand, whatever the Priests were casting around was calming me down.
I still remember when father said to Jamie that the more one killed, the duller he would become to it, and sooner or later, it would be like feeling nothing... absolutely nothing... and it certainly helped that these men were rapist scum that terrorized Westerlands for generations.
Karl told me that I was small and agile, so my combat style would need to revolve around speed, agility and dexterity, dodging the strikes and using the opponents of my enemies...
For now, I didn't have the physical strength to combat against grown men.
"Are you feeling well, My Lady?"
One of the Reiksgarde Knights asked me, but this time, they were not mocking me and were instead... neutral?
"Yes..."
I composed myself as the huge knights nodded in approval.
"The feeling would soon go away..."
And, as he said that, I could feel better within a few upcoming moments as more and more Ironborn were boarding the ship.
***
3rd POV
Across the battleship, Smeidnir Ironborn was being slaughtered left and right. Soon enough, under the order of Cersei Lannister, the Reiksgarde joined the fray as she led several of them to fight.
Karl Franz noticed them descending from the main deck like the gods of war, as they were install-killing every single pirate that they encountered. The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire smiled when he saw the blonde-haired noble lady fighting against the pirated with her twin swords.
While she was a bit clumsy, she managed to kill five Ironborn before she retreated to safe lines, as she was tired from her first fight. Still, it was a very good result for the first combat ever.
Karl Franz meanwhile killed his way to the flagship of the Ironborns, the Silence that belonged to Euron Greyjoy, holding the Longinuslanze Testament together with his Reiksgarde and Church Executioners and two Battle Wizards; they were unstoppable.
Silence has a single mast, black sails, and a dark red hull. Its decks are painted red to hide better the blood that soaks them. The ship's figurehead is a mouthless maiden with one arm outstretched.
The figure was made of black iron, with long, shapely legs, a slender waist, and high breasts, and had streaming black iron hair and mother-of-pearl eyes.
Soon enough, on the command deck of Silence was a pale and handsome with black hair and a neat dark beard. He wore a black patch over his left eye; for that, he had the nickname "Crow's Eye".
It was Euron Greyjoy, the captain of this fine vessel...
His right eye was as blue as summer sky and was regarded as his "smiling eye" and his lips were pale blue as well...
"So you are the infamous Crow's Eye..."
Karl Franz observed the Crow's Eye with keen interest; a whole few of the Reiksgarde and Church Executioners killed everyone on the board of silence within a few moments. All of these Knights were of Level 3 Old Blood.
Their physical strength was comparable to that of the strongest Ogres; they were many times faster than even the fastest of men and had at least two or three centuries under their belt of combat...
"So... what would it be, surrender or death?"
The Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire asked him with amusement because something that he didn't truly expect had happened. The Crow's Eye dropped his weapon and surrendered... it was a weird sight from the madman, but Karl Franz knew that the man was scheming something.
But it played into their cards perfectly, as he was soon handcuffed with Dimeritium handcuffs and Battle Wizard cast a few binding spells on his person. Euron Greyjoy was a highly intelligent person who knew how to play the game and realized the odds were against him.
And he also noticed that for some reason, the enemies were not killing him, not because they couldn't but because they didn't want to, so he decided to make use of it and just surrendered.
***
Several weeks after the departure of the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Westeros, Westerlands, Casterly Rock
Casterly Rock is carved out of a colossal stone hill beside the Sunset Sea. It is popularly believed to resemble a lion in repose at sunset; the Rock was six miles long from west to east and has a width of two miles from north to south. Its peak is about 640,08 meters.
The base of the Rock contains large sea-carved caverns. The stone has been mined for thousands of years, so there are hundreds of mineshafts in the depths of the Rock.
The face of the mount has windows and arrow slits scattered all over, they look small from the outside, but it is only an illusion due to the massive size of the Rock.
The entire stronghold—tunnels, dungeons, storerooms, barracks, halls, grand halls, stables, stairways, courtyards, balconies, gardens, a sept, passages, caves, mines, galleries, chutes, wells, barracks, armories, chambers, servant's quarters, etc.—lies within the Rock itself.
In the Lord's Solar, Tywin Lannister was meeting with the Chapter Master of Silver Knight, Agamemnon Atreides.
"I must say, Lord Lannister, your castle is one of the finest fortresses that I have ever seen."
It was evident that Tywin Lannister beamed with pride hearing that and after accommodating the Silver Knights proved to be useful, as few of the more educated ones among them pointed out several weak points within the fortress.
He dismisses it at first, but soon enough, he was even presented with a potential hostile takeover of the Casterly Rock through the sewers of the Rock. Now that problem was addressed, and sewers were reconstructed and strengthened to be one of the strongest points of the Rock.
"You speak from experience from what I see..."
He met a few times with Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, and he noticed that while the man in question was a peerless warrior, he had a very noble demeanor and reminded him very much of Prince Rhaegar.
"Yes... Casterly Rock reminds me pretty much of Ironforge, the most majestic kingdom of Dwarves that I visited with my father when I was younger."
Saying that made Tywin raise his brow at him in curiosity.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself fully because we are forbidden to use our titles when part of the Order. But I am Heir of the Elector House of Atredies; my mother is Elector Countess and Grand Duchy of Caladan, and my father is currently serving as General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde."
Hearing that made Tywin stop for a moment because he didn't expect that somebody this important would be left here. He knew that Elector Counts were the pinnacle of Imperial Nobility, so hearing that he was hosting Heir to the Elector Count House was a pleasant and unnerving surprise.
Not to mention that his father was the leader of the Reiksgarde, which was a position even above that of Nobility. Tywin learned that there was one thing that the Empire valued above everything else and that was power.
Lineage, origin, or social status didn't matter as long as one was powerful; it was a very foreign concept to Westeros, where lineage was seen as everything.
"Now, to the more important matters, I want to ask you for a favor, if possible. Naturally, you would also be rewarded for it; Lannister always pays his debts."
Tywin said slowly as Agamemnon Atreides waited for the Lord of Lions to state his request.
"I want advice on the creation of a professional standing military."
Agamemnon Atreides wasn't very surprised by this, but he nodded nevertheless because he was already briefed about this by his Emperor, who already foresaw that the Lord of Lions would ask for this.
"That seems possible..."
The Chapter Master Atreides said slowly.
"The first thing we need to start is to create the core of the Army, for that your Red Guards could serve, and we need officers, and before you say you want to appoint some of your vassals for that, I would strictly advise against it."
Tywin was surprised hearing that, but he was intelligent enough because he suspected the answer as well, but he still proceeded to ask for clarification.
"The best course of action would be cultivating a new generation of officers from commoners, abandoned nobles, or trustworthy mercenaries that want a stable life. These men and women would solely depend on you for their existence and life, and contrary to members of other Houses, they won't have any side thoughts."
The Lord of Westerlands nodded at that because it was a logical explanation, and while all Westerlands Lords were loyal to him, either through fear or loyalty, they would always have the benefits of their House as a priority.
He wanted people who would complete his orders to the dot without any complaints and without any other interests.
"And where to find them? While we could cultivate some, it won't be enough for a full army."
This was a problem that he was currently facing because education in Westeros was a thing of privilege for those of Noble birth.
"Recruit them from the Empire."
Agamemnon Atreides answered frankly.
"???"
He looked at the Chapter Master.
"Every year, there are dozens of commoners of the Empire who graduate from Imperial Gunnery School, Schola Progenium, Aquila Academy, or Diesdorf Military College, so you have two options. One would be sponsoring some of the commoners from Westerlands who show promise to go to schools or participate in the final recruitment."
Chapter Master patiently explained the options.
"Final recruitment?"
He already decided on sponsoring some commoners if it was possible, but it would be as his daughter was the fianceé of the Emperor, so technically speaking, Westerlands were close allies and family of the Imperial Throne.
"Yes, at the end of each year, most nobles of the Empire would try to recruit talents to their service, and while, unfortunately, Westeros won't be appealing to many, you have two big advantages over others."
Tywin knew what it was...
"Gold and Glory..."
Tywin knew that if he went all out, then he could spend even more than some of the Elector Count Houses, and for the second, it was glory in the unknown lands to make a name for themselves as pioneers.
"Yes... most of the Elector Count Houses are directly sponsoring people or sending their descendants to study, and only a few of the most brilliant ones that are not affiliated with anyone are then recruited through Final Recruitment. Aside from that, Elector Counts won't be spending much money on this endeavor, and the second is glory..."
Certainly, many would be tempted to go to Westeros and search for glory for themselves.
"Then it seems that I would need to go to the Empire sooner or later."
***
Sunset Sea, around the same time...
The first golden sun rays rose from the west and fell onto the ships sailing back home as the familiar visage of land appeared before them. Everyone on the deck gathered on the majestic shores of their homeland.
Karl Franz stood on the deck, observing the sun rising as he felt the golden rays of the sun fall on his face. He felt a woman's hand interviewing with his own as he looked at the familiar visage of fortress port-city.
"Welcome, welcome and welcome thrice! To the Land of Ancient Lords!"
They were finally at home.
"Come, we need to hurry back to the Faust before the corpse of the Daemon Lord starts attracting problems."
Karl Franz said with nostalgia as they were slowly heading to the port of Marienburg, which was the biggest fortress port-city in the Empire, under the rule of Elector Count Gausser.
Marienburg was considered to be the largest trading hub in the Lordran and was the greatest of its ports. It was a place of great wealth and great opportunity and also served as home to one of the Imperial Fleets.
"It looks majestic."
He heard Cersei mutter, seeing the majestic walls of the fortress port city of Marienburg; it was a majestic place, with very tall walls, sharp architecture and features, and high white towers everywhere around it.
"It is..., but it is nothing compared to the Anor Londo or the other three Holy Cities... they are far more breathtaking than you can ever think."
Karl Franz stated while Smeidnir was heading to the docks. In front of the docks several ships were acting as escorts in front of the docks, and at the docks themselves, a small procession was prepared.
Though not mostly for him, but it was rather filled with Wizards and Sorcerers from the Byrgenwerth who were here to check up on the corpse of the Daemon Lord because it was their precious merchandise.
Smeidnir was slowly heading towards the deck, where it slowly docked, and they started disembarking with Cersei closely following after her financeé as she saw several tens of Sorcerers and Wizards similar to High Scholar Jinfarah, whom she met.
Though they didn't pay them much attention, though, because after greeting the Emperor and asking where the corpse of Daemon Lord was, they ignored them and went to the corpse.
She learned during their journey that scholars of Byrgenwerth didn't care much about almost anything aside from their magic research and uncovering the secrets of the Arcane. While it was certainly rude, it seemed that everyone had already gotten used to it.
"What a wondrous specimen, Your Majesty..."
Remarked one of the scholars who was examining the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon.
"Indeed, Daemon Lord Demogorgon is one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Abyss and he was slain in the material place in rather a pathetic way."
Said another one, who stroked his beard while casting some spells.
"This one would serve a greater purpose to our research and all the materials..."
Soon enough, the Scholars, Sorcerers, and Wizards started bickering with each other about what to do with the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon and how to use the corpse in the most efficient way.
Naturally, each one of them had their own agenda and wanted to use it for their own research...
"You see why? They only care about their research; I think it would be best to stop them now, or they would start fighting among themselves."
Karl Franz said to his fianceé, observing the group of old men arguing with each other, which was undoubtedly amusing. They were like a bunch of bickering children and would have turned on their favorite toy.
Just these ones had Magic and didn't fear to shoot spells at each other when someone insulted them or if they wanted to advance their research. When things started getting hotter, Karl Franz raised his hand, and invisible power burst out of him and dispersed all of the spells that they attempted to cast.
"Please, gentlemen... remain civil."
He said with tired sight because attempting to rule them in was problematic.
The corpse of something as powerful as Demogorgon was something that was driving them crazy, and he would need to have a talk about this Supreme Patriarch Balthazar Gelt, or else they would fight among each other for it.
"Praise the Old Blood and Bless the Empire, Your Majesty."
Suddenly, a man stepped forward, wearing a luxurious-looking outfit adorned with gems and laminated with gold.
"His Lordship, Elector Count Gausser, was unable to attend as he is preparing his personal army to squash a new threat of Ork Waaagh led by Ork Boss."
It was castellan of the Marienburg as Karl Franz nodded; not like he planned to remain at the Marienburg any longer because they were planning to head to the Faust as soon as possible.
Cersei meanwhile looked surprised mainly about the difference in social protocol between the Imperium and Westeros, seeing that the Imperium wasn't very keen on formalities when they were not required and also she was surprised about the Orks being close to the Marienburg.
She learned that the Lordran was much more dangerous than Westeros and Essos combined several times over. They were facing hordes of Daemon, nightmare horrors, Greenskins, Beasts, and god knows what.
Yet they were standing powerful, expanding their reach and only a few places in the Lordran were not officially under the control of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but they would soon be.
These findings fascinated her because they told the power of the Imperium. While she wanted to see more of the City, they were going to the Marienburg and Karl Franz didn't wish to leave her alone for the time being as he was the only person she knew here.
And in his mind, Faust as one of the Holy Cities of the Holy Arcadia Empire, was far more majestic and would be much nicer to tour. Marienburg was filled with hundreds of thousands of people; it was a crowded city and not suitable as the first introduction to the Empire.
Their procession then loaded the corpse of Daemon Lord Demogorgon onto the huge carriage, and they went towards Faust, the City of Miracles, and one of the Holy Cities, and fortunately for them, the journey was much faster than anticipated.
Because all carriages were enhanced by Magic and the animals that were pulling them were also of Magic heritage, their traveling speed was very fast. Aside from that, Faust actually wasn't right now far from the Marienburg.
***
MC POV
For the past two days, we were spending time in the Imperial War Wagon, which was something akin to a siege engine or warmachine. It was an extremely heavy version of a chariot, essentially a mobile, armored battle tower that was typically armed with a crew and pulled by warhorses.
The high walls of the tower protect its crew from arrows and attacks from the ground as they unload their own ranged firepower upon the foe.
This one was repurposed to serve as a method of transportation for the Nobility and because of its huge size, it was pretty much comfortable, as I could lay on the couch and read books.
"Are we there yet?"
During the two days, Cersei kept pestering me about various things, so we either talked or she was furthering her education. Her prideful nature wouldn't allow her to be seen as inferior or a country bumpkin, so she was constantly doing something.
"Yes, Faust is heading towards our way as we speak; we should be there in a few hours..."
She looked at me bewildered, probably questioning inside if I didn't go mad, but it seemed that I forgot to tell her the most crucial thing about Faust.
"My mistake... you see... Faust is an ancient Floating City that is floating high in the skies; some call it a city in the skies."
And just as I said that, suddenly, the wagon stopped because we were already under the Fuast.
I motioned for my fianceé to follow me as she looked through the window and saw an enormous complex of floating islands above our head.
"Faust, the City of Miracles... one of the wonders of the Lordran. According to the legends, this City existed even before races came to the Lordran and was sealed in the Eternal Plains."
I explained the origins of Faust as we were observing Faust in wonder.
"Sometime during the Age of Ancients, it was found by Lord Gwyn and was used as headquarters for various Orders of Magic and Silver Knights until the collapse of the Age of Ancients and the beginning of the Age of Fire, when Faust was almost entirely destroyed and for millennia it became ruins until I conquered it from the Beasts and reconstructed it..."
Now the Faust was the true City of Magic and the center of all Magical Research and study into the depths of the Arcane of the Holy Arcadia Empire; just like the Cainhurst the City of Silver was known for producing the finest knights of the Imperium.
Still.. no matter how many times I saw that, I was still astonished by the sheer majesty of the Faust because it was truly a wonderous place and one of the wonders of the ancient Lordran...
Even Cersei was observing various floating islands that were interconnected with each other as soon as the small enchanted ship started descending down, as it was one of the primary means of transportation to Faust.
Either that or Teleportation or opening a Portal. Unfortunately, transporting the corpse of the Demon Lord, which had already started leaving its aura to the outside world, would be very hazardous to transport through a portal.
On top of that, they needed to go through the old method, as the floating ship landed down and a whole bunch of Wizards and Scholars exited the floating ship. Based on the insignias and robes they were wearing, they should be from the Grey Order and Amethyst Order.
Byrgenwerth was the most prestigious magic organization that was studying the Magic and Arcane and under it were Eight Magic Orders that studied respective aspects of Magic and Lore.
And then there were Eight Magic Colleges; each College was maintained by one of the Orders as they taught their branch of Magic and Lore at it. Right now, the Headmaster of Byrgenwerth and Supreme Patriarch of Eight Magic Orders was Balthasar Gelt.
***
3rd POV
"Cersei, we are now going to the Faust, so while we are at it, we will also check out your possible affinity for Magic; there is a high possibility that you have one."
As both betrothed observed how the Wizards loaded the corpse of Demon Lord Demogorgon into the floating ship, Karl Franz then remarked to his fianceé. He himself was a rather accomplished Magic user in a special branch of Magic, Arcane Magic.
The purest and most profound form of Magic that was available to only a very few Scholars in the Byrgenwerth or Hunters of the Workshop.
Hearing that made her loot at him with wonder and little sparkles in her eyes.
"Really?"
Magic was always a thing of myth in the Westeros, but in the Essos, it was very much alive, as there were many Sorcerers and other types of Magic Users though most of them were using pretty unsavory means to obtain Magic.
Meanwhile, in Westeros, the Faith of Seven saw Magic as an abomination that should be exterminated, but she saw in Magic power. Her fainceé showed her that with a wave of his hand, he was able to cast spells that could annihilate thousands of men.
Such was the power of Magic.
"Your blood should be Magical enough from what I know... for example, Starks has a very high affinity for Ice Magic and Druidism, so I don't see a reason why your bloodline shouldn't be too Magical, as it is almost equally old."
This made her raise her brow because he told her during their travel that one of their Elector Counts was closely related to the House Stark to the North of Westeros. This was a shocking discovery.
'Brandon Stark the Shipwright, sailed across the Sunset Sea, where he landed on the shores of Lordran; from the initial fleet of twenty ships, only seven arrived at the shores of northern Lordran at today's Duchy of Fenris. There, the King of Winter formed a pact with local warrior tribes called Vikings and married the daughter of the Viking Warrior King Leman Russ, Astrid Russ and by merging, they established the Stark an Russ Lineage.'
Even in Westeros, knowing the history of the various noble houses was important and in the Empire, even more. So, together with Karl Franz, as part of the bonding time, he was teaching her about various Houses, Lineages, and important figures of the Empire.
Starting with the Elector Counts and Lords High Magistrates.
"Who would have thought that the barren North would actually have this connection... aren't they interested in meeting their distant family?"
She asked as Karl Franz shook his head in mild denial.
"Not really... right now, Duchy of Fenris is dealing with enough problems because a few years ago, there was an overpopulation of Frost Trolls and Frost Giants in the Fenris, so they are quelling down their number. Due to that, nobody is interested in voyaging for several weeks to who knows where."
Lordran was a land of dangers as well, but there was a certain reason why they let the monsters roam the lands and didn't root them out. This was it would put people constantly on edge and in danger.
Yes... many would die.
But overall, the population would get only stronger because they would need to constantly strife for the better tomorrows.
******
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Chapter 6 - Faith Of The Great Ones
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"Let the hammer fall!"
Elector Count of Khaz-Modan, Magni Bronzebeard, facing the hordes of greenskins at the gates.
***
Codex: Landsraad
The Landsraad is the body that represents all Noble Houses of the Holy Arcadia Empire and rose to prominence shortly after the establishment of the Empire and the unification of the Lordran.
The Landsraad meets regularly and provides a forum within which the Noble Houses could relate with one another, to either negotiate trade agreements, create alliances, or conduct kanly, the formalized processes of vendetta or feud.
The Landsraad was governed by the High Council, which was led by the High Chancellor of the Empire. It presided over issues such as the forms of Kanly and whether certain Houses should be banished for breach of the Great Convention or for not upholding the standards of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Motions within the Landraad were passed by votes. The Imperial House had 150 Votes, the Greater Houses of the Empire had 400 Votes, the Lesser Houses had 400 Votes, and The Healing Church had 150 Votes.
Each Elector Count House had 20 Votes, and each Lord High Magistrate Hosue had 60 Votes. Among the Lesser Houses, they usually had a much smaller number of Votes compared to the Greater Houses, so they typically grouped together to be represented.
That was the case mainly with some of the weakest Baron Houses and many of the Grand Paladin Houses because the number of Votes one possessed in the Landsraad depended on the personal power of the said House.
***
MC POV
Faust was one of the places that I genuinely loved to be in... the City of Miracles was one of the most beautiful wonders that were ever built, and due the fact that it was scarcely populated allowed us to enjoy its wonder.
"It is almost empty... when you told me it was one of the most important places of the Empire, I thought it would be different..."
I heard Cersei tell me this, and I was forced to agree. Compared to the rest of the Cities, Faust had the smallest population, of only a few tens of thousands, not more than forty thousand if I was correct.
She looked around the city, observing the wondrous buildings and seeing Wizards, Scholars, and people walking here and there. She tried not to be surprised when she saw Gnomes and Dwarves for the first time.
Her imp of a brother was often ridiculed as a "dwarf", but the real dwarves were bulky, with broad shoulders, short build, muscular arms and long beards. They were master craftsmen, able to shape stone and metals like none other, masterful engineers and warriors.
Not to mention, they were brave, loyal and honorable folk who controlled the entire Grand Province of Khaz-Modan and one of the greatest cities ever built in the Lordran, the Ironforge.
"Yes... in Faust, most commonly, only magicians live together with their families and students at the Eight Imperial Colleges of Magic, so the population isn't very big."
I said as we strode through the streets with people occasionally bowing to us if they recognized me or they were minding their own things. Wizards and Scholars of Faust didn't really care about politics and were often minding their own business.
Some didn't even know how their Emperor looked, which was a bit ridiculous, but whatever, as long as they contributed to the Empire, protected the nation and brought the inventions, I didn't care about a bunch of eccentrics.
"Faust has altogether 14 Floating Islands that are interconnected with each other, centering around the Main island which serves as the headquarters of the Byrgenwerth."
The main Island was the biggest one and on the main Island, the headquarters of the Byrgenwerth was situated.
"Eight of the Floating Islands are occupied by the Eight Imperial Colleges of Magic and their Eight Magic Orders. One Island belongs to the Healing Church, one to the Vilebloods of Cainhurst, one to the Imperial House, one to the Workshop and the last two are constantly changing its owners."
I explained about the fourteen floating islands that were circling around the Main Island, together creating the humongous floating city known as Faust, the City of Miracles.
"Changes its owner?"
We were right now heading towards the main headquarters of the Byrgenwerth on the Main Island as Cersei caught on to my last words.
"Yes, it doesn't belong to anyone in particular... basically, it belongs to anyone who conquers it; it is a form of competition between the Elector Counts of the Empire. You need to know that owning one Floating Island brings tremendous benefits because one has a constant foothold in the Faust."
This system was implemented not only to strengthen the Empire as a whole, but it also had many other thoughts behind it. On the other hand, it would keep the most powerful noble Houses in a state of constant evolution and advancement.
"And they are constantly forced to become better to be not left behind by their competitors..."
I nodded at her words with a smile.
"To whom they currently belong?"
She asked while looking at the two remaining floating islands.
"Izalith and Ironforge... House Izalith is known for their deep research into the Lore of Fire and they also founded the Pyromancy Magic and even produced two people who would later become Supreme Patriarchs of Byrgenwerth. And Ironforge are here mainly due to their Runecrafting and Runic Magic..."
Pyromancy was found by the Witch of Izalith Quelaag several thousands of years ago during the Age of Fire, shortly after Lord Gwyn sacrificed himself to lit up the first flame and started the Age of Fire.
She was a very mighty Sorceress and created a peculiar branch of the Lore of Fire, called Pyromancy, that allowed Mage to utilize his Soul Flame as his weapon. Pyromancy was far more destructive than average Fire Attributed Spells.
During the centuries, Izalith declined and rose either way, sometimes, they were on the verge of destruction and sometimes they were thriving, but they survived the passage of time for several thousand years.
When the unification wars began, Izalith and their Pyromancer organization, Chaos Flame Covenant, joined among the first ones because they saw there hope to regain their foothold in the changing world.
***
3rd POV
The main building where the Byrgenwerth resisted was overlooking a lake and the building stood serenely as if gazing at the reflection of the moon. It was an enormous mansion that one could easily mistake for a palace, consisting of several floors and an enormous dome resting on the top of it.
It was built with a typical mixture of ancient Lordranese architecture and the gothic feel of Yharnam that was right now prevalent across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Your Majesty, greetings..."
Karl Franz and his betrothed Cersei Lannister arrived in front of the humongous manse as they were welcomed by several tens of scholars under the leadership of the current Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth, Balthasar Gelt, who bowed at their sight.
The man in question wore the traditional clothing of the Gold Order and also the golden mask that reminded the sun.
Every hundred years, the Eight Orders of Magic of Byrgenwerth would elect one of their numbers to duel with equal counterparts. Each Order will put its own representative for the position of Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth.
One needed to have tremendous merit in research of Magic and be a mighty Wizard to be even considered for the position. When the duel was won, the winner received the office of the Supreme Patriarch and the right to wield the ancient Staff of Volans.
Balthasar Gelt is the most recent winner of this exalted position. Such is his skill in the art of Magic that he managed to defeat the former Supreme Patriarch, Thyrus Gormann of the Bright Order, in the ritual duel at the Obsidian Hall.
Thus, he took over as Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges and replaced the long-standing prominence of Bright Order and Chaos Flame Covenant with that of Gold Order.
"Greetings to you, Headmaster."
Karl Franz nodded his head at the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth with his fianceé mimicking what he did. She knew that Balthasar Gelt was politically and militarily one of the strongest people of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and that was not even telling about his personal power as Wizard.
"So, what is the reason for His Imperial Majesty to visit our School?"
Balthasar Gelt asked after they had exchanged pleasantries.
"To have my fianceé tested for Magic Aptitude."
Karl-Franz said that as the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth stepped forward and scanned her from tips to toes before he nodded his head and motioned for them to follow.
"That will take a short time; we will see what Lore suits you, My Lady."
The interior of the Byrgenwerth was breathtaking with its beautiful smooth architecture, but yet it pertained to some of the more creepy aspects. Everywhere where the eye could see, one could observe Scholars, Wizards, Students practicing digilently Spells and dedicating themselves to the study of the Ancient Lore.
After passing several corridors filled with books, they entered a simple, empty room with only one crystal ball inside.
"Put your hands on the crystal ball and do nothing else... I can sense that you have Magic inside your body, but you cannot control it at all; this would be a bit problematic, but nothing unsolvable."
This was the so-called testing room for the Magic Aptitude and Elements, determining if someone had a high enough aptitude to study Magic and which Lore was one attributed to.
Under the watchful eyes of Karl Franz and Baltasar Gelt, Cersei nervously stepped forward and did precisely what the Supreme Patriarch said and put her right hand on the crystal ball...
Several seconds later, the crystal ball started shining with bright golden light before it began to contain a bit of red light.
"Splendid, another practitioner of the Lore of Metal, though you also have a good affinity for the Lore of Fire."
Karl Franz was surprised to hear that as he chuckled to himself because the Lore of Fire certainly answered for her fiery temper. Lore of Metal was Lore of the Gold Order to which Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt belonged.
They consisted mainly of Alchemists and Battle Wizards that were proficient in combat, while the Lore of Fire was of the Bright Order, which cultivated one of the strongest types of Battle Wizards.
"Then I ask the Supreme Patriarch to find an appropriate teacher for my fainceé... we would be departing the Anor Londo after a few days and afterward, she would attend Schola Progenium."
Karl Franz wanted only the best of the best for his fincaeé, so he hoped that the Supreme Patriarch of Faust would arrange some form from the Izalith to teach Cersei about the Lore of Fire and perhaps even the arts of Pyromancy of Chaos Flames of the Chaos Flame Covenant.
And when it came to the Lore of Metal, he knew that he himself as the most prominent practitioner of the Lore of Metal, would take it upon himself to teach her.
This would be an unprecedented opportunity to get closer to the future Empress of the Holy Arcadia Empire and elevate Faust and Byrgenwerth to another Level. Right now, they were a bit at a disadvantage against the Healing Church and Workshop due to Lady Maria.
She was the most dazzling student of the Gehrman the First Hunter after His Imperial Majesty Karl Franz. That put the Workshop in prominence, secondly only to the Healing Church among the factions within the Empire.
So, Faust needed to take the opportunity when it presented itself and teaching the future Empress the secrets of the Arcane and Magic would certainly help them elevate their standing by a great degree.
"It would be my utmost pleasure to teach Lady Cersei personally."
Karl Franz nodded as Cersei looked surprised that such a lofty figure would be teaching her personally and she sensed that he for sure had some ulterior motive in this.
"Then we shall excuse to our Floating Island, Supreme Patriarch Gelt."
Karl Franz stated as he, together with his fianceé, went to their Floatzing Island. They would remain for some time at the Faust, tour the city, and have some time together before they would depart for the Anor Londo.
***
"So this is your Floating Island."
The golden-haired Light of the West looked around the Floating Island that belonged to the Imperial House with a certain degree of wonder. It wasn't very big, but also it wasn't small either.
If used to a maximum, it could house at least a few thousand people with ease. The entire Floating Island was protected by high walls and guarded by Silver Knights, who were permanently stationed here, together with a few retired members of the Reiksgarde.
Guarding the Floating Island was a much more leisurely job, so many of the Knights that wished to retire were offered jobs as Guards for the Floating Island in the Faust, where they could rest and also continue working for the Empire.
"Yes, there is only the castle in the Floating Island, together with a few mansions for most loyal direct vassals of the Imperial House who are staying here all the time. Still, it is a rather big structure to the fortresses of the Westeros; it was built by one of our Chief Architects and its name is Blackrose Castle."
Karl Franz explained as they looked around the relatively humble castle that was built on the Floating Island.
Blackrose Castle was as magnificent as the first time he saw it, a majestic crown on Faust. The fortress stood tall and proud, each corner filled with trebuchet towers that had stood the test of time.
This castle was designed to act as an unreachable fortress in case Faust was attacked by hostile force and due to its enormous size, it could easily house the majority of the city. Its defenses were being constantly strengthened by the best engineers and strategists of the Empire for entire generations.
The clever design of the battlements, the deeply buried gates with five portcullises, the tunnel-like construction of the castle itself… The place had been designed to be a headache to anyone planning to invade.
"Your Majesty."
They were then welcomed by the Castellan of the Blackrose Castle, an elderly-looking man who wore the black clothes of a butler.
"The chambers for Your, Lady and Reiksgarde are already prepared. The dinner would be served at 19:00 exactly."
The old butler said as we entered the castle for a small tour. Karl Frazn dismissed the Reiksgarde Knights and ordered them to rest because they were not necessary to follow them everywhere at the Blackrose Castle.
"Why did the Supreme Patriarch want to teach me personally? What is his motive?"
As they were walking through the majestic empty halls of the Backrose Castle, he heard Cersei ask, as she was truly the daughter of her father. She knew that something was behind it.
"Yes, he did have a motive. Right now, among the various factions within the Holy Arcadia Empire, Workshop has the edge over the others because Maria and I are students of the Gehrman the First Hunter, so Byrgenwerth wants to equal the odds basically."
Again, politics and politics... everywhere one looked, she realized that it was no different from Westeros, just different methods, but purposes and goals remained the same.
"Still, this would be an excellent opportunity for you because Balthasar Gelt has been one of the strongest Battle Wizards in the entire Holy Arcadia Empire for the past centuries and some even say he would rival The Big Hat Logan himself, the father of Sorcery."
Karl Franz explained as he led Cersei to her chambers, which were close to his, on the same floor at the highest tower of the Backrose Castle. It had a splendid view of the entirety of the Faust.
"So, how are you feeling from being in the skies?"
When they entered the room, they went to the balcony as Karl Franz showed her the view of the city... and it was breathtaking. Right now, they were several kilometers high in the skies and standing at one of the tallest points of the Faust.
"It is beautiful... truly..."
She muttered as they sat down on the pair of chairs.
***
MC POV
I didn't find many opportunities to relax because, as I was the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, I needed to be an example for others to follow. I worked harder than any other, fought more ferociously than anyone else, and was the prime of the Empire.
Moments like these were rare; only with Maria did I have some when we were spending time together or went Hunting some Beasts, and during the Hunt, we had some more intimate moments.
"I don't have many opportunities to rest like this."
I said while looking at the periphery of the city.
"You know, the Nobles of the Empire need to be the example for others, and I, as the Emperor, need to be the example for the Nobles and Common people."
I muttered, and suddenly I felt that she came to me and sat on my lap. Cersei was growing bolder and bolder with the more time we spent together. I must admit that she knew what she wanted, and if she wanted something, she would take it.
I liked that kind of confidence and personality.
"You should rather focus more on my, Your Majesty."
She huskily whispered in my ears as I felt her soft, young body pressed against mine; even though she was fifteen years old, she was very well-developed for her age...
"I think I should... somebody has been naughty."
I then grabbed her perfectly shaped butt and kissed her passionately, as our tongues fought for dominance until I heard a soft moan escaping her mouth when we separated...
"While I would like to continue further... I believe that it would be best to stop right now..."
I said, much to her displeasure, because we were both horny... One thing that I noticed about my fianceé, she was giving me the same look as Maria when we started our relationship.
And while I was tempted to have sex with her right here and now, in the end, I decided against it because her body wouldn't be able to withstand it... I am one of the strongest people in the Empire.
The Old Blood flowed through my veins...
And she was right now still only an average mortal, and sex between someone like Maria and me was... very intense, long, passionate and even destructive. Not to mention I had tremendous stamina, allowing me to go for literal hours upon hours.
"Not that I don't desire you... but you are not of Old Blood and I don't want to hurt you as I fuck your brains out."
I whispered to her ear as she arched her back while my hand went down to her tights and started rubbing her there.
"But that doesn't mean that we can't pleasure each other in a different way..."
I nibbled on her ear as she moaned while gripping my clothes. She was really cute and beautiful at the same time, and I wanted to take her so much...
***
3rd POV
Several hours later, Faust, Blackrose Castle.
The next day, both Karl Franz and his fianceé Cersei Lannister went on the tour of Faust, the City of Miracles for the time. Aside from that, they would also visit the local Church for the conversion and Blood Ministration Ceremony.
Karl Franz, as the Chosen of the Great Ones, knew when some began to believe in the might of the Old Ones, and it seemed that she had found Faith in the Great Ones. Though after everything she had saw, it was easily accomplished.
People like Cersei Lannister were dangerous when they fell into the Faith because, for their whole life, they didn't believe in Gods, but when they fell to the Faith, they would become the most zealous fanatics that would burn the world for their Gods.
Exactly like him.
He knew that soon enough, The Healing Church would have a stable foothold in the Westerlands. With what had happened in the Lannisport, the fight against that Demon and the usage of the power of the Great Ones would convert the people from the false Faith to the true one.
And he also knew that sooner or later, they would face attacks by the Faith of Seven, but that wasn't his concern. When the Westerlands were converted, it would become a bastion of the Healing Church in the Westeros, and they would crush whatever the Faith of Seven sent at them.
Karl Franz led Cersei to the local Cathedral of the Healing Church, which was located on the Floating Island; they went silently further through the long hall. Like the other Cathedrals of the Healing Church, it was divided into three parts: the nave, the transept, and the choir.
The nave is the central aisle of the Cathedral, and it runs from the main entrance to the Altar at the front of the building. The walls of the nave were lined with rows of columns that supported the towering arches and vaults overhead.
The windows along the sides of the nave were tall and narrow, allowing in a diffuse, colorful light that filled the space with a soft, ethereal glow.
The transept is the cross-shaped section of the Cathedral that intersects with the nave. This area typically houses the choir stalls and the pulpit, and it may also include a small chapel or shrine.
The transept is often one of the most ornately decorated areas of the Cathedral, with intricate carvings, statues, and stained-glass windows that depict scenes from the teaching of the Healing Church about the Great Ones.
The choir is the section of the Cathedral that surrounds the Altar, and it was reserved for use by the clergy and the choir. The choir stalls are often intricately carved and decorated with images of saints, angels, and other religious figures.
The high Altar was typically located at the center of the choir, and it may be adorned with elaborate decorations such as void crystals, statues of the Great Ones and other things deciphered in the Gospel of the Great Ones.
"Welcome to my Church, children of the Great Ones."
They were welcomed by a woman's voice, belonging to the dark-haired woman wearing pure white outside, consisting of white garb, gloves and trousers and white boots. Every Catherdral was led by a Vicar, who were a higher-up of the Healing Church.
"And welcome to my humble Church, Holy Chosen of the Great Ones."
She looked at Karl Franz and bowed deeply.
"And we humbly thank you for the welcome, Vicar Amelia."
Karl Franz gave her a small bow as Cersei gracefully bowed, wearing a crimson-red dress laminated with golden patterns.
"What can I do for the Holy Imperator today?"
Vicar Amelia asked; it was rare for such a person to come to visit her Cathedral. Karl Franz, as Chosen of the Great Ones, had unnatural prestige among the believers of the Healing Church, as they would do his every command.
In the end, he was the incarnation of the Great Ones in the mortal plane.
Their living instrument and the only person who could communicate with the Great Ones living in the Higher Dimensions.
"Blood Ministration."
Karl Franz answered as Vicar Amelia showed a gentle smile as she looked at the golden-haired woman beside the Holy Imperator. This was indeed a joyous occasion for every Priest of the Healing Church when they brought new believers to the only true Faith.
Vicar Amelia was one of the Vicars of the Healing Church, who were the highest ranking members of the Church and second only to the Grand Theogenist, who was chosen collectively by the Council of Vicars.
"It shall be done, Your Holy Majesty."
She bowed to Karl Franz before she went to prepare for the entire ceremony. Karl Franz wanted only a small procession and nothing big because of the time and truth to be told; he wanted to have this thing done as fast as possible.
"The Blood Ministration is not a painful process for those who believe... Vicar Amelia will host the ceremony and you will say exactly what we have trained and drink the Old Blood... when you wake up once again, it will be as a new person..."
Cersei nodded her head, hearing that he already prepared her for the ceremony, and even she was already impatient about that because the Old Blood would signify that she was truly a member of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
In one swoop, she would obtain power that was far above any mortal man and that was exactly what she wanted. Not to mention, she would be able to live for centuries to come, maintaining her beauty that would never fade.
She heard that those of Noble Old Blood were ageless; Gehrman the First Hunter was here since the beginning of the Age of Strife when the Old Blood was found under the Yharnam, which was already over five thousand years.
Something hardly believable, but the man was still walking among them, breathing and living.
Still, Karl Franz told her that many died before they could reach the end of their natural lifespan, though it was confirmed that those of Noble Blood didn't have one, starting from Level 5 and higher.
Nobody has yet died on the bed, and all of them died on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Karl Franz and Cersei were talking about some minor things; the Priests in the Cathedral were preparing everything for the Blood Ministration, as this was a rare occasion.
In the Lordran, everyone was a believer in the Healing Church. Aside from the hostile species like Orks or the Barbarians in the west, those who would sooner or later be exterminated by a Crusade.
And this occasion was only more important by the sole fact that the person undergoing the Blood Ministration was the finaceé of the Holy Imperator.
This would certainly elevate Vicar Amelia among the other Vicars because it was a matter of prestige. Not long after that, everything was prepared for the ceremony of the Blood Ministration and Vicar Amelia stood in front of the golden Altar of the Great Ones.
"Come my child, lost in the past, certain of the future. The Holy Medium is waiting."
Vicar Amelia started the ceremony of the Blood Ministration as several people gathered around the Altar, kneeling and chanting the prayers, while Cersei walked confidently to the Altar with Karl Franz behind her.
"For we are born of blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood."
Golden lioness knelt before the Vicar Amelia, who grabbed a silver chalice as she continued chanting the prayer.
"And through blood we are reborn, through blood we are forges and through blood we live."
Her powerful voice echoed through the Cathedral as everyone prayed.
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
Cersei Lannister took the silver chalice from Vicar's hands, who passed it to her as she finished the chant and drank the Old Blood.
"The Old Blood guides us; the Old Blood protects us; the Old Blood lives through us, for we are of the children of Great Ones."
"For we are of the children of Great Ones."
Everyone prayed together as they watched the golden-haired woman drinking down the silver chalice full of Old Blood in reverence and anticipation.
"Let us be reborn by the Old Blood and wake up in the Waking World as the true children of the Great Ones. Aware to the truths of the Cosmos, of the Insight to the depths of Arcane and truth of all existence."
Vicar Amelia finished the prayer as Cersei drank all of the Old Blood and Karl Franz caught her before she could fall on the ground unconscious.
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".
With that being sounded through the Cathedral, the process of the Blood Ministration was successfully finished.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty... the leap of Faith was successful; it seems that Your Lady was lucky to jump so much... her Bloodline must be very, very old..."
Vicar Amelia stated with a smile as Karl Franz took Cersei, who was unconscious in a princess carry and departed from the Cathedral of the Healing Church. Surprisingly to everyone present, her Old Blood Level was of Level 3 strength from the start...
But it wasn't that shocking because he knew that the Noble Bloodlines of Westerosi were old, very old and contained dormant powerful Magic. That has been proved with the House Stark an Russ, who, after drinking the Old Blood, become instantly Level 4 in one go.
***
"Great Resurgence was an event that began in Year 10,280 of the Imperial Callendar, Year 280 of the Westerosi Calendar and was the start of what is known as the Return of Magic.
Nobody truly knows how it exactly started; some attributed it to visitors from beyond the Sunset Seas, some attributed it to the Red Comet descending from the skies and some said it was a gift from the Great Ones to humanity to fight the horrors and nightmares of Old Night.
But one thing was certain, the Magic has, from there, started slowly returning back to Westeros and Essos.
As a young Maester, I have spent a long time, like many others before me, searching for the mystic arts and devoted all my time to its study. To the point where my fellow Maesters called me 'Marwyn the Mage', but despite the name, I couldn't cast a single spell.
And suddenly, one day, Magic returned. Without any foretelling, all across Westeros and Essos, Magic had at once been restored. Even the Priests of the Faith of Seven could cast spells like those of the Healing Church, albeit not that powerful. Red Priests of R'hollor the Red God felt their power being strengthened by several times and the most powerful of them could turn to ash entire villages.
In Westeros, everyone began to scheme against each other to access the secrets of the Magic and how to obtain even greater power. In this, the oldest bloodlines that could trace their roots to Magical origin had a significant advantage over the others.
Starks, Lannisters, Nymeros Martell, Baratheon and Targaryen...
And yet not even dragons saved Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen from Robert Baratheon, who personally slayed his wyvern Balerion together with him at the Battle of Trident."
From the book series Great Resurgence written by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel, Year unknown
***
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Elector Count of Khaz-Modan, Magni Bronzebeard, facing the hordes of greenskins at the gates.
***
Codex: Landsraad
The Landsraad is the body that represents all Noble Houses of the Holy Arcadia Empire and rose to prominence shortly after the establishment of the Empire and the unification of the Lordran.
The Landsraad meets regularly and provides a forum within which the Noble Houses could relate with one another, to either negotiate trade agreements, create alliances, or conduct kanly, the formalized processes of vendetta or feud.
The Landsraad was governed by the High Council, which was led by the High Chancellor of the Empire. It presided over issues such as the forms of Kanly and whether certain Houses should be banished for breach of the Great Convention or for not upholding the standards of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Motions within the Landraad were passed by votes. The Imperial House had 150 Votes, the Greater Houses of the Empire had 400 Votes, the Lesser Houses had 400 Votes, and The Healing Church had 150 Votes.
Each Elector Count House had 20 Votes, and each Lord High Magistrate Hosue had 60 Votes. Among the Lesser Houses, they usually had a much smaller number of Votes compared to the Greater Houses, so they typically grouped together to be represented.
That was the case mainly with some of the weakest Baron Houses and many of the Grand Paladin Houses because the number of Votes one possessed in the Landsraad depended on the personal power of the said House.
***
MC POV
Faust was one of the places that I genuinely loved to be in... the City of Miracles was one of the most beautiful wonders that were ever built, and due the fact that it was scarcely populated allowed us to enjoy its wonder.
"It is almost empty... when you told me it was one of the most important places of the Empire, I thought it would be different..."
I heard Cersei tell me this, and I was forced to agree. Compared to the rest of the Cities, Faust had the smallest population, of only a few tens of thousands, not more than forty thousand if I was correct.
She looked around the city, observing the wondrous buildings and seeing Wizards, Scholars, and people walking here and there. She tried not to be surprised when she saw Gnomes and Dwarves for the first time.
Her imp of a brother was often ridiculed as a "dwarf", but the real dwarves were bulky, with broad shoulders, short build, muscular arms and long beards. They were master craftsmen, able to shape stone and metals like none other, masterful engineers and warriors.
Not to mention, they were brave, loyal and honorable folk who controlled the entire Grand Province of Khaz-Modan and one of the greatest cities ever built in the Lordran, the Ironforge.
"Yes... in Faust, most commonly, only magicians live together with their families and students at the Eight Imperial Colleges of Magic, so the population isn't very big."
I said as we strode through the streets with people occasionally bowing to us if they recognized me or they were minding their own things. Wizards and Scholars of Faust didn't really care about politics and were often minding their own business.
Some didn't even know how their Emperor looked, which was a bit ridiculous, but whatever, as long as they contributed to the Empire, protected the nation and brought the inventions, I didn't care about a bunch of eccentrics.
"Faust has altogether 14 Floating Islands that are interconnected with each other, centering around the Main island which serves as the headquarters of the Byrgenwerth."
The main Island was the biggest one and on the main Island, the headquarters of the Byrgenwerth was situated.
"Eight of the Floating Islands are occupied by the Eight Imperial Colleges of Magic and their Eight Magic Orders. One Island belongs to the Healing Church, one to the Vilebloods of Cainhurst, one to the Imperial House, one to the Workshop and the last two are constantly changing its owners."
I explained about the fourteen floating islands that were circling around the Main Island, together creating the humongous floating city known as Faust, the City of Miracles.
"Changes its owner?"
We were right now heading towards the main headquarters of the Byrgenwerth on the Main Island as Cersei caught on to my last words.
"Yes, it doesn't belong to anyone in particular... basically, it belongs to anyone who conquers it; it is a form of competition between the Elector Counts of the Empire. You need to know that owning one Floating Island brings tremendous benefits because one has a constant foothold in the Faust."
This system was implemented not only to strengthen the Empire as a whole, but it also had many other thoughts behind it. On the other hand, it would keep the most powerful noble Houses in a state of constant evolution and advancement.
"And they are constantly forced to become better to be not left behind by their competitors..."
I nodded at her words with a smile.
"To whom they currently belong?"
She asked while looking at the two remaining floating islands.
"Izalith and Ironforge... House Izalith is known for their deep research into the Lore of Fire and they also founded the Pyromancy Magic and even produced two people who would later become Supreme Patriarchs of Byrgenwerth. And Ironforge are here mainly due to their Runecrafting and Runic Magic..."
Pyromancy was found by the Witch of Izalith Quelaag several thousands of years ago during the Age of Fire, shortly after Lord Gwyn sacrificed himself to lit up the first flame and started the Age of Fire.
She was a very mighty Sorceress and created a peculiar branch of the Lore of Fire, called Pyromancy, that allowed Mage to utilize his Soul Flame as his weapon. Pyromancy was far more destructive than average Fire Attributed Spells.
During the centuries, Izalith declined and rose either way, sometimes, they were on the verge of destruction and sometimes they were thriving, but they survived the passage of time for several thousand years.
When the unification wars began, Izalith and their Pyromancer organization, Chaos Flame Covenant, joined among the first ones because they saw there hope to regain their foothold in the changing world.
***
3rd POV
The main building where the Byrgenwerth resisted was overlooking a lake and the building stood serenely as if gazing at the reflection of the moon. It was an enormous mansion that one could easily mistake for a palace, consisting of several floors and an enormous dome resting on the top of it.
It was built with a typical mixture of ancient Lordranese architecture and the gothic feel of Yharnam that was right now prevalent across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Your Majesty, greetings..."
Karl Franz and his betrothed Cersei Lannister arrived in front of the humongous manse as they were welcomed by several tens of scholars under the leadership of the current Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth, Balthasar Gelt, who bowed at their sight.
The man in question wore the traditional clothing of the Gold Order and also the golden mask that reminded the sun.
Every hundred years, the Eight Orders of Magic of Byrgenwerth would elect one of their numbers to duel with equal counterparts. Each Order will put its own representative for the position of Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth.
One needed to have tremendous merit in research of Magic and be a mighty Wizard to be even considered for the position. When the duel was won, the winner received the office of the Supreme Patriarch and the right to wield the ancient Staff of Volans.
Balthasar Gelt is the most recent winner of this exalted position. Such is his skill in the art of Magic that he managed to defeat the former Supreme Patriarch, Thyrus Gormann of the Bright Order, in the ritual duel at the Obsidian Hall.
Thus, he took over as Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges and replaced the long-standing prominence of Bright Order and Chaos Flame Covenant with that of Gold Order.
"Greetings to you, Headmaster."
Karl Franz nodded his head at the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth with his fianceé mimicking what he did. She knew that Balthasar Gelt was politically and militarily one of the strongest people of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and that was not even telling about his personal power as Wizard.
"So, what is the reason for His Imperial Majesty to visit our School?"
Balthasar Gelt asked after they had exchanged pleasantries.
"To have my fianceé tested for Magic Aptitude."
Karl-Franz said that as the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth stepped forward and scanned her from tips to toes before he nodded his head and motioned for them to follow.
"That will take a short time; we will see what Lore suits you, My Lady."
The interior of the Byrgenwerth was breathtaking with its beautiful smooth architecture, but yet it pertained to some of the more creepy aspects. Everywhere where the eye could see, one could observe Scholars, Wizards, Students practicing digilently Spells and dedicating themselves to the study of the Ancient Lore.
After passing several corridors filled with books, they entered a simple, empty room with only one crystal ball inside.
"Put your hands on the crystal ball and do nothing else... I can sense that you have Magic inside your body, but you cannot control it at all; this would be a bit problematic, but nothing unsolvable."
This was the so-called testing room for the Magic Aptitude and Elements, determining if someone had a high enough aptitude to study Magic and which Lore was one attributed to.
Under the watchful eyes of Karl Franz and Baltasar Gelt, Cersei nervously stepped forward and did precisely what the Supreme Patriarch said and put her right hand on the crystal ball...
Several seconds later, the crystal ball started shining with bright golden light before it began to contain a bit of red light.
"Splendid, another practitioner of the Lore of Metal, though you also have a good affinity for the Lore of Fire."
Karl Franz was surprised to hear that as he chuckled to himself because the Lore of Fire certainly answered for her fiery temper. Lore of Metal was Lore of the Gold Order to which Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt belonged.
They consisted mainly of Alchemists and Battle Wizards that were proficient in combat, while the Lore of Fire was of the Bright Order, which cultivated one of the strongest types of Battle Wizards.
"Then I ask the Supreme Patriarch to find an appropriate teacher for my fainceé... we would be departing the Anor Londo after a few days and afterward, she would attend Schola Progenium."
Karl Franz wanted only the best of the best for his fincaeé, so he hoped that the Supreme Patriarch of Faust would arrange some form from the Izalith to teach Cersei about the Lore of Fire and perhaps even the arts of Pyromancy of Chaos Flames of the Chaos Flame Covenant.
And when it came to the Lore of Metal, he knew that he himself as the most prominent practitioner of the Lore of Metal, would take it upon himself to teach her.
This would be an unprecedented opportunity to get closer to the future Empress of the Holy Arcadia Empire and elevate Faust and Byrgenwerth to another Level. Right now, they were a bit at a disadvantage against the Healing Church and Workshop due to Lady Maria.
She was the most dazzling student of the Gehrman the First Hunter after His Imperial Majesty Karl Franz. That put the Workshop in prominence, secondly only to the Healing Church among the factions within the Empire.
So, Faust needed to take the opportunity when it presented itself and teaching the future Empress the secrets of the Arcane and Magic would certainly help them elevate their standing by a great degree.
"It would be my utmost pleasure to teach Lady Cersei personally."
Karl Franz nodded as Cersei looked surprised that such a lofty figure would be teaching her personally and she sensed that he for sure had some ulterior motive in this.
"Then we shall excuse to our Floating Island, Supreme Patriarch Gelt."
Karl Franz stated as he, together with his fianceé, went to their Floatzing Island. They would remain for some time at the Faust, tour the city, and have some time together before they would depart for the Anor Londo.
***
"So this is your Floating Island."
The golden-haired Light of the West looked around the Floating Island that belonged to the Imperial House with a certain degree of wonder. It wasn't very big, but also it wasn't small either.
If used to a maximum, it could house at least a few thousand people with ease. The entire Floating Island was protected by high walls and guarded by Silver Knights, who were permanently stationed here, together with a few retired members of the Reiksgarde.
Guarding the Floating Island was a much more leisurely job, so many of the Knights that wished to retire were offered jobs as Guards for the Floating Island in the Faust, where they could rest and also continue working for the Empire.
"Yes, there is only the castle in the Floating Island, together with a few mansions for most loyal direct vassals of the Imperial House who are staying here all the time. Still, it is a rather big structure to the fortresses of the Westeros; it was built by one of our Chief Architects and its name is Blackrose Castle."
Karl Franz explained as they looked around the relatively humble castle that was built on the Floating Island.
Blackrose Castle was as magnificent as the first time he saw it, a majestic crown on Faust. The fortress stood tall and proud, each corner filled with trebuchet towers that had stood the test of time.
This castle was designed to act as an unreachable fortress in case Faust was attacked by hostile force and due to its enormous size, it could easily house the majority of the city. Its defenses were being constantly strengthened by the best engineers and strategists of the Empire for entire generations.
The clever design of the battlements, the deeply buried gates with five portcullises, the tunnel-like construction of the castle itself… The place had been designed to be a headache to anyone planning to invade.
"Your Majesty."
They were then welcomed by the Castellan of the Blackrose Castle, an elderly-looking man who wore the black clothes of a butler.
"The chambers for Your, Lady and Reiksgarde are already prepared. The dinner would be served at 19:00 exactly."
The old butler said as we entered the castle for a small tour. Karl Frazn dismissed the Reiksgarde Knights and ordered them to rest because they were not necessary to follow them everywhere at the Blackrose Castle.
"Why did the Supreme Patriarch want to teach me personally? What is his motive?"
As they were walking through the majestic empty halls of the Backrose Castle, he heard Cersei ask, as she was truly the daughter of her father. She knew that something was behind it.
"Yes, he did have a motive. Right now, among the various factions within the Holy Arcadia Empire, Workshop has the edge over the others because Maria and I are students of the Gehrman the First Hunter, so Byrgenwerth wants to equal the odds basically."
Again, politics and politics... everywhere one looked, she realized that it was no different from Westeros, just different methods, but purposes and goals remained the same.
"Still, this would be an excellent opportunity for you because Balthasar Gelt has been one of the strongest Battle Wizards in the entire Holy Arcadia Empire for the past centuries and some even say he would rival The Big Hat Logan himself, the father of Sorcery."
Karl Franz explained as he led Cersei to her chambers, which were close to his, on the same floor at the highest tower of the Backrose Castle. It had a splendid view of the entirety of the Faust.
"So, how are you feeling from being in the skies?"
When they entered the room, they went to the balcony as Karl Franz showed her the view of the city... and it was breathtaking. Right now, they were several kilometers high in the skies and standing at one of the tallest points of the Faust.
"It is beautiful... truly..."
She muttered as they sat down on the pair of chairs.
***
MC POV
I didn't find many opportunities to relax because, as I was the Emperor of the Holy Arcadia Empire, I needed to be an example for others to follow. I worked harder than any other, fought more ferociously than anyone else, and was the prime of the Empire.
Moments like these were rare; only with Maria did I have some when we were spending time together or went Hunting some Beasts, and during the Hunt, we had some more intimate moments.
"I don't have many opportunities to rest like this."
I said while looking at the periphery of the city.
"You know, the Nobles of the Empire need to be the example for others, and I, as the Emperor, need to be the example for the Nobles and Common people."
I muttered, and suddenly I felt that she came to me and sat on my lap. Cersei was growing bolder and bolder with the more time we spent together. I must admit that she knew what she wanted, and if she wanted something, she would take it.
I liked that kind of confidence and personality.
"You should rather focus more on my, Your Majesty."
She huskily whispered in my ears as I felt her soft, young body pressed against mine; even though she was fifteen years old, she was very well-developed for her age...
"I think I should... somebody has been naughty."
I then grabbed her perfectly shaped butt and kissed her passionately, as our tongues fought for dominance until I heard a soft moan escaping her mouth when we separated...
"While I would like to continue further... I believe that it would be best to stop right now..."
I said, much to her displeasure, because we were both horny... One thing that I noticed about my fianceé, she was giving me the same look as Maria when we started our relationship.
And while I was tempted to have sex with her right here and now, in the end, I decided against it because her body wouldn't be able to withstand it... I am one of the strongest people in the Empire.
The Old Blood flowed through my veins...
And she was right now still only an average mortal, and sex between someone like Maria and me was... very intense, long, passionate and even destructive. Not to mention I had tremendous stamina, allowing me to go for literal hours upon hours.
"Not that I don't desire you... but you are not of Old Blood and I don't want to hurt you as I fuck your brains out."
I whispered to her ear as she arched her back while my hand went down to her tights and started rubbing her there.
"But that doesn't mean that we can't pleasure each other in a different way..."
I nibbled on her ear as she moaned while gripping my clothes. She was really cute and beautiful at the same time, and I wanted to take her so much...
***
3rd POV
Several hours later, Faust, Blackrose Castle.
The next day, both Karl Franz and his fianceé Cersei Lannister went on the tour of Faust, the City of Miracles for the time. Aside from that, they would also visit the local Church for the conversion and Blood Ministration Ceremony.
Karl Franz, as the Chosen of the Great Ones, knew when some began to believe in the might of the Old Ones, and it seemed that she had found Faith in the Great Ones. Though after everything she had saw, it was easily accomplished.
People like Cersei Lannister were dangerous when they fell into the Faith because, for their whole life, they didn't believe in Gods, but when they fell to the Faith, they would become the most zealous fanatics that would burn the world for their Gods.
Exactly like him.
He knew that soon enough, The Healing Church would have a stable foothold in the Westerlands. With what had happened in the Lannisport, the fight against that Demon and the usage of the power of the Great Ones would convert the people from the false Faith to the true one.
And he also knew that sooner or later, they would face attacks by the Faith of Seven, but that wasn't his concern. When the Westerlands were converted, it would become a bastion of the Healing Church in the Westeros, and they would crush whatever the Faith of Seven sent at them.
Karl Franz led Cersei to the local Cathedral of the Healing Church, which was located on the Floating Island; they went silently further through the long hall. Like the other Cathedrals of the Healing Church, it was divided into three parts: the nave, the transept, and the choir.
The nave is the central aisle of the Cathedral, and it runs from the main entrance to the Altar at the front of the building. The walls of the nave were lined with rows of columns that supported the towering arches and vaults overhead.
The windows along the sides of the nave were tall and narrow, allowing in a diffuse, colorful light that filled the space with a soft, ethereal glow.
The transept is the cross-shaped section of the Cathedral that intersects with the nave. This area typically houses the choir stalls and the pulpit, and it may also include a small chapel or shrine.
The transept is often one of the most ornately decorated areas of the Cathedral, with intricate carvings, statues, and stained-glass windows that depict scenes from the teaching of the Healing Church about the Great Ones.
The choir is the section of the Cathedral that surrounds the Altar, and it was reserved for use by the clergy and the choir. The choir stalls are often intricately carved and decorated with images of saints, angels, and other religious figures.
The high Altar was typically located at the center of the choir, and it may be adorned with elaborate decorations such as void crystals, statues of the Great Ones and other things deciphered in the Gospel of the Great Ones.
"Welcome to my Church, children of the Great Ones."
They were welcomed by a woman's voice, belonging to the dark-haired woman wearing pure white outside, consisting of white garb, gloves and trousers and white boots. Every Catherdral was led by a Vicar, who were a higher-up of the Healing Church.
"And welcome to my humble Church, Holy Chosen of the Great Ones."
She looked at Karl Franz and bowed deeply.
"And we humbly thank you for the welcome, Vicar Amelia."
Karl Franz gave her a small bow as Cersei gracefully bowed, wearing a crimson-red dress laminated with golden patterns.
"What can I do for the Holy Imperator today?"
Vicar Amelia asked; it was rare for such a person to come to visit her Cathedral. Karl Franz, as Chosen of the Great Ones, had unnatural prestige among the believers of the Healing Church, as they would do his every command.
In the end, he was the incarnation of the Great Ones in the mortal plane.
Their living instrument and the only person who could communicate with the Great Ones living in the Higher Dimensions.
"Blood Ministration."
Karl Franz answered as Vicar Amelia showed a gentle smile as she looked at the golden-haired woman beside the Holy Imperator. This was indeed a joyous occasion for every Priest of the Healing Church when they brought new believers to the only true Faith.
Vicar Amelia was one of the Vicars of the Healing Church, who were the highest ranking members of the Church and second only to the Grand Theogenist, who was chosen collectively by the Council of Vicars.
"It shall be done, Your Holy Majesty."
She bowed to Karl Franz before she went to prepare for the entire ceremony. Karl Franz wanted only a small procession and nothing big because of the time and truth to be told; he wanted to have this thing done as fast as possible.
"The Blood Ministration is not a painful process for those who believe... Vicar Amelia will host the ceremony and you will say exactly what we have trained and drink the Old Blood... when you wake up once again, it will be as a new person..."
Cersei nodded her head, hearing that he already prepared her for the ceremony, and even she was already impatient about that because the Old Blood would signify that she was truly a member of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
In one swoop, she would obtain power that was far above any mortal man and that was exactly what she wanted. Not to mention, she would be able to live for centuries to come, maintaining her beauty that would never fade.
She heard that those of Noble Old Blood were ageless; Gehrman the First Hunter was here since the beginning of the Age of Strife when the Old Blood was found under the Yharnam, which was already over five thousand years.
Something hardly believable, but the man was still walking among them, breathing and living.
Still, Karl Franz told her that many died before they could reach the end of their natural lifespan, though it was confirmed that those of Noble Blood didn't have one, starting from Level 5 and higher.
Nobody has yet died on the bed, and all of them died on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Karl Franz and Cersei were talking about some minor things; the Priests in the Cathedral were preparing everything for the Blood Ministration, as this was a rare occasion.
In the Lordran, everyone was a believer in the Healing Church. Aside from the hostile species like Orks or the Barbarians in the west, those who would sooner or later be exterminated by a Crusade.
And this occasion was only more important by the sole fact that the person undergoing the Blood Ministration was the finaceé of the Holy Imperator.
This would certainly elevate Vicar Amelia among the other Vicars because it was a matter of prestige. Not long after that, everything was prepared for the ceremony of the Blood Ministration and Vicar Amelia stood in front of the golden Altar of the Great Ones.
"Come my child, lost in the past, certain of the future. The Holy Medium is waiting."
Vicar Amelia started the ceremony of the Blood Ministration as several people gathered around the Altar, kneeling and chanting the prayers, while Cersei walked confidently to the Altar with Karl Franz behind her.
"For we are born of blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood."
Golden lioness knelt before the Vicar Amelia, who grabbed a silver chalice as she continued chanting the prayer.
"And through blood we are reborn, through blood we are forges and through blood we live."
Her powerful voice echoed through the Cathedral as everyone prayed.
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
Cersei Lannister took the silver chalice from Vicar's hands, who passed it to her as she finished the chant and drank the Old Blood.
"The Old Blood guides us; the Old Blood protects us; the Old Blood lives through us, for we are of the children of Great Ones."
"For we are of the children of Great Ones."
Everyone prayed together as they watched the golden-haired woman drinking down the silver chalice full of Old Blood in reverence and anticipation.
"Let us be reborn by the Old Blood and wake up in the Waking World as the true children of the Great Ones. Aware to the truths of the Cosmos, of the Insight to the depths of Arcane and truth of all existence."
Vicar Amelia finished the prayer as Cersei drank all of the Old Blood and Karl Franz caught her before she could fall on the ground unconscious.
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. Fear the Old Blood".
With that being sounded through the Cathedral, the process of the Blood Ministration was successfully finished.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty... the leap of Faith was successful; it seems that Your Lady was lucky to jump so much... her Bloodline must be very, very old..."
Vicar Amelia stated with a smile as Karl Franz took Cersei, who was unconscious in a princess carry and departed from the Cathedral of the Healing Church. Surprisingly to everyone present, her Old Blood Level was of Level 3 strength from the start...
But it wasn't that shocking because he knew that the Noble Bloodlines of Westerosi were old, very old and contained dormant powerful Magic. That has been proved with the House Stark an Russ, who, after drinking the Old Blood, become instantly Level 4 in one go.
***
"Great Resurgence was an event that began in Year 10,280 of the Imperial Callendar, Year 280 of the Westerosi Calendar and was the start of what is known as the Return of Magic.
Nobody truly knows how it exactly started; some attributed it to visitors from beyond the Sunset Seas, some attributed it to the Red Comet descending from the skies and some said it was a gift from the Great Ones to humanity to fight the horrors and nightmares of Old Night.
But one thing was certain, the Magic has, from there, started slowly returning back to Westeros and Essos.
As a young Maester, I have spent a long time, like many others before me, searching for the mystic arts and devoted all my time to its study. To the point where my fellow Maesters called me 'Marwyn the Mage', but despite the name, I couldn't cast a single spell.
And suddenly, one day, Magic returned. Without any foretelling, all across Westeros and Essos, Magic had at once been restored. Even the Priests of the Faith of Seven could cast spells like those of the Healing Church, albeit not that powerful. Red Priests of R'hollor the Red God felt their power being strengthened by several times and the most powerful of them could turn to ash entire villages.
In Westeros, everyone began to scheme against each other to access the secrets of the Magic and how to obtain even greater power. In this, the oldest bloodlines that could trace their roots to Magical origin had a significant advantage over the others.
Starks, Lannisters, Nymeros Martell, Baratheon and Targaryen...
And yet not even dragons saved Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen from Robert Baratheon, who personally slayed his wyvern Balerion together with him at the Battle of Trident."
From the book series Great Resurgence written by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel, Year unknown
***
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Chapter 7 – Imperial Council and Shopping
Trafford
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"We are the guardians of the Tartarus Pass, the Skycrown Gate and Skycrown Citadel! No matter how many foul daemons would come, we stand strong! No matter how strong they are, we kill them all! We are children of the Blood and Night; we guard the path to the Empire for centuries and will guard it till the End Times! So, ready your blades, proud sons and daughters of Skycrown and leave them no mercy! For the Imperator!"
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes speaking to the defenders of Skycrown Gate at Year 10,280 at the invasion of Daemon horde.
***
Codex: Imperial Government
Contrary to popular belief and misconceptions about the Empire in the Westeros and Essos, it is not a confederation of independent states and provinces whose inhabitants are tied together only by a common language, a shared faith in Great Ones and a mutual Imperial culture.
While it was true that the various Grand Provinces enjoyed large autonomy within the Empire, and the Elector Counts of Grand Provinces and High Lord Magistrates of Three Holy Cities had large sway in the Empire, everyone bowed before the might of the supreme Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
The Holy Arcadia Empire is a centrally unified nation ruled by The Holy Imperator, who also holds the title of Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and Elector Count of Grand Principality of Reikland.
Only those who are approved by the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder have the right to crown themselves as Emperors.
Upon the founding, The Emperor, in his endless wisdom, created a government based on centralized decentralization. While the central government had supreme power above everything and everyone, Grand Provinces and Cities enjoyed a relatively high degree of autonomy and ruled themselves as long as they upheld Imperial standards.
That was done because the Empire was too large for one central government to rule as a whole with efficiency and good results.
***
Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Faust the City of Miracles, Blackrose Castle
MC POV
The Blood Ministration Ceremony went without a problem, which was a good thing because when someone underwent it, there were also risks. But it was a matter of faith, something that I couldn't really influence.
After the Blood Ministration was complete, I took Cersei back to the Blackrose Castle and put her to sleep because she was too tired. People often tended to lose their consciousness when undergoing Blood Ministration.
Though at the same time, I couldn't hide my surprise because she underwent Blood Ministration and her Old Blood was already on Level 3, which was very unprecedented; such things rarely happened.
Usually, a person steadily claimed through the Levels of the Old Blood through various degrees of Blood Ministration and faith in the Great Ones. Nevertheless, naturally, there were also exemptions to the rule.
And those exemptions were people who had magic bloodlines, like Starks or, in the Empire, Sark an Russ from the Kaer Trolde. The first their ancestors drank the Old Blood, he directly became Level 4 and awakened various very potent Ice Manipulation abilities.
But that was to be expected because Westerosi Bloodlines were old, powerful, and magical.
Not all of them, but some of them were, Lannisters, Starks, Nymeros Martell, Baratheons and Targaryens.
Lannisters also had their roots in the first men and had powerful dormant magic in their blood, albeit it was more diluted compared to the rest of the most magical houses in Westeros.
Starks had probably the purest magical blood flowing through their veins together with Targaryens and Baratheons. The last one was something I was inquisitive about because Baratheon Bloodline was the combination of the Valyrian Blood and Blood of Ancient Stormkings...
And as the last ones, there was House Nymeros Martell, descended from the Water Mages of Rhoynar and Earth Mages of Dorn; their Bloodline was also particularly unique to me. But that was a topic for the future as I had other things to do right now.
Now that the corpse of the Daemon Lord was safely in the hands of Byrgenwerth, Cersei successfully converted to the Faith of the Great Ones in the Cathedral of the Healing Church; I could once again resume my training.
From my previous experiences with the Blood Ministration, I knew that she would be sleeping for a few days as I left her in the care of the household servants and Castle Priest, who would be taking care of her.
Meanwhile, I went back to my training... I needed to maintain my body in top condition, and also, there was the matter of captured Euron Greyjoy, who should be en route to the Anor Londo right now.
Straight to the prison, I would need to deal with him at a later date, but from a small talk I had with him during his detainment at the Smeidnir, I have confirmed all of my suspicions.
He was a man who wanted power and who wanted to write his name into the annals of history, to become part of it, aside from being utterly insane and mad, thought that was a bit underestimation of his mental state.
Still, it was shocking to see someone that insane, and it wasn't a Hunter of the Workshop because only they tended to go insane to such a degree from Hunting the Beasts.
Not to mention there were many plans that I would need to implement with the Westeros and Essos present, one of the most notable was to get hands on the things that were in the Valyria at any cost.
The power to control Wywerns, their secret to the Valyrian Steel or the Blackstone Walls, their construction methods, and overall, the entire legacy of their civilization could propel the Holy Arcadia Empire to a new level of prosperity.
From what I saw about the Valyrian Steel, it was superior to most of the metals in the Empire, aside from things like Adamantium or Mithril. Once in the past, Valyrian Steel was common as a cabbage because it wasn't anything precious for the Valyrians, as they were able to mass produce Valyrian Steel weapons and armor to equip their armies with it.
Unfortunately, it was all lost with the Fall of Valyria and nothing only a few swords and weapons remained in the Westeros. Essos was another thing because nobody knew how much of Valyrian Steel remained in the hands of former Valyrian colonies.
Still, if my plan came to fruition, we would be able to replace the standard equipment of our Soldiers with that of the Valyrian Steel, greatly enhancing their combat capabilities which would give even ordinary soldiers a good chance against stronger Orks and Daemons.
"I should probably make a call to High Chancellor; it is time for the weekly report."
Every week, there was a meeting of the Imperial Council, which was the highest Executive Branch of the government of the Holy Arcadia Empire. There were only a few seats in the Imperial Council and each belonged to the highest-ranked people within the Empire.
Naturally, there was a High Chancellor of the Lansdraad who also served as a prime minister of the nation. There was also the seat for the Imperial Bashar, who was essentially a Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military and Head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency Marian Cross.
There was a seat for Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides as leader of the Imperial Guard, Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt.
From the other factions of the Empire, there was also the Grandmaster of the Workshop, Gehrman the First Hunter, and seat for the Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church, Volkmar the Grim.
The other seats were for the members of the Imperial Administration, Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management, High Tribunal of the Holy Empire, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Finance.
Activating the Lacrima Crystal, soon enough familiar visage of the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire appeared before me. Lucca Brewster originated from the Marienburg with roots in the Duchy of Munn...
He was an elder in a white robe with inlaid brass lines. His hair was completely white and neatly combed. His pair of gray-green eyes were so deep that they appeared bottomless.
"I greet His Majesty, the Holy Imperator."
I was right now meeting only with the High Chancellor because meeting with the entire Imperial Council wasn't necessary as I wasn't in Anor Londo, and it was also a bit of my laziness, truthfully.
"So, anything important to report, High Chancellor?"
I was away from Imperial Politics for a few weeks, and most of the meetings I had were only with the High Chancellor. Luca Brewster has already served in the term for more than three hundred years and told me that he wished to retire and spend his time with his grandchildren as his son has recently been married.
"The Duchy of Orleáns is finishing the Wall around the Orklands finally; soon, we would be able to stop the main entrance of the Orks into the territory of the Empire. Aside from that, Eelctor Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes has sent a notice about another wave of Daemon horde attacking Skycrown Gate."
I frowned deeply at that... Daemon horde was approaching the Skycrown Gate, which was not a good sight, depending on the size of the Daemon horde.
House Draculya were vampires, the bloodsuckers that assimilated into the society of the Holy Arcadia Empire and after drinking the Old Blood, they could perfectly control their thirst.
Nowadays, Vampires are feeling the blood of Daemons, Monsters, Danger Beasts, and other powerful creatures, and naturally criminals.
"Send one Legion of Silver Knight, One Sadality of Reiksgarde, and Church Executioners and order the General of the closest army to support the Skycrown Citadel. Also, send a request to Master Gehrman to send two or three Hunters in case some powerful Greater Daemons appear within the horde..."
Skycrown Citadel and Skycrown Gate were one of the most essential fortifications within the Holy Arcadia Empire because they guarded the World Edge Mountain pass. The only thing that separated the Daemon Lannds from the rest of the Lordran were the World Edge Mountains.
The Skycrown Gate was a protected entrance to the Lordran for countless centuries, and House Draculya were gatekeepers of the place for many generations, according to the ancient pact concluded between them and Lord Gwyn.
"It shall be done; Elector Count Draculya already mobilized his personal army numbering fifty thousand and stationed them at the Skycrown Gate for defense."
Daemon hordes marching at the territory of the Empire were always a problem, but not a problem that couldn't be defeated.
"On the other hand, in the Duchy of Stormwind, the barbarians of badlands are once again attacking villages and cities. Elector Countess Klauda Cross already petitioned Landsraad for approval of Crusade to the Barbarian Badlands for the final war."
Another crusade...
All crusades needed to be approved by Landsraad and personally declared by the Holy Imperator and naturally, the barbarians of the Badlands were thorn in our eye for a long time already.
Due to the fact that we needed manpower in different parts of the country and that they had kept quiet for some time already, we didn't really feel the need to deal with them en masse.
"Then it shall be it... anything else?"
If everything went smoothly, then we could declare the Crusade in a year or two; it would take another half a month to prepare the Crusading Armies, which would consist of the Imperial Army and personal armies of the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates.
"Nothing much... only Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns fought with Ragnar Stark an Russ directly in the Landsraad; in the end, they were pulled apart by the intervention of General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides."
This was most unusual... it was a good few decades since the last time nobles had physically fought on the premises of the Landsraad.
"What was the reason for their fight?"
Even was curious about this one.
"It seems that Ragnar Stark an Russ has slept with the daughter of Imperial Bashar and got her pregnant... and when he asked for her hand, the old Iron-Blood Count couldn't hold it and took out his sword and they went to solve it physically."
Idiots... utter idiots, though from Star an Russ, it wasn't surprising, they were a bunch of madmen, but it seems that Iron-Blood Count lost his nerves. His daughter Beye d'Orleáns was his treasure.
And now it was taken by wolf-blood of the north. Naturally, he wasn't very pleased by that fact, but there was nothing he could do. His daughter was even pregnant, which was probably something that delighted and enraged him at the same time.
Pregnancies among the nobles were rare and happy occasions because the stronger one was, it was becoming harder and harder to conceive a progeny. Especially for those who reached a very high level of the Old Blood like me.
"If there is nothing you have to report, High Chancellor, I will be returning to my training."
I said because today I was planning to train with the Warhammer, a weapon that I took a liking in the past decades after the Dwarves of the Ironforge gave me an artifact warhammer as a gift.
"Nothing else, Your Majesty. Just there is a question when you will be returning to the Anor Londo from Faust; there are certain matters that are directly in need of your immediate attention."
Again, work and work and work...
"Soon, we will remain at Faust for a few days; notify Lady Annalise that I plan to send my fianceé for her so she can learn from her about the ruling and also did you contact the Headmaster of Schola Progenium about enrollment?"
Seeing the High Chancellor nod his head, I then ended the call and went to resume my training.
***
3rd POV
Two days later, Faust, Blackrose Castle, training yard.
The Blackrose Castle on the floating island that belonged to the Imperial House naturally had a training yard for the guards of the Castle to train and keep themselves in top condition.
The training yard of the Blackrose Castle was huge, bigger than most castles had because it was not only for the use of Imperial House but also for many guards that were stationed there; aside from that, there were a few neat gadgets.
Many powerful wards and runes were inscribed all around the edges of the training yard and the entirety of it to prevent extensive destruction and this also allowed people to fight with more of their power unleashed.
Because there were a few retired members of the Reiksgarde stationed there, it was indeed necessary to have them.
For the past two days, Karl Franz was either training with his warhammer Ghal Maraz, while the weapon wasn't on the level of Longinuslanze Testament, but it also wasn't that far from it actually.
Ghal Maraz was a mighty magical hammer that was created by the ancient dwarves of the Ironforge and by their Dwarf High King Kurgan Ironbeard and was gifted to the young Warrior Prince Sigmar Heldenhammer.
This happened during the Age of Fire, shortly after the Age itself began. The name of the hammer was Ghal Maraz, which means "Skull-Splitter" in the Khazalid, which was a secretive high language among the dwarves.
They seldom speak this ancient tongue before other peoples, deeming outsiders unworthy to hear it. Dwarfs naturally have loud, rumbling voices, and when they speak Khazalid, their speech is like thunder rolling amidst the mountains or the scraping of rock against rock.
Karl Franz wasn't very fond of the Warhammer in his early years when he learned how to fight, and when he fought the unification wars, he used the Longinuslanze Testament, which acted as a symbol of his divine right to rule the Lands of Ancients.
He was also a Hunter of the Workshop and had the fabled skill of all Hunter, the Eternal Arms Mastership; he was a master in every kind of weapon; if not, he would be just an embarrassment to his teacher.
But after fighting against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, he realized that he needed a weapon that would deliver heavy hits, and for that reason, he decided to pick up the ancestral weapon of his ancestors.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire stopped swinging his Warhammer as he looked at the maid who arrived at the training yard.
"The Lady has awoken."
Cersei had been sleeping for the past two days sleeping unconscious from the Blood Ministration, which was understandable, considering how much she had changed after one single Blood Ministration.
During the past two days she was slumbering, Karl Franz occasionally checked on her how she was doing, but otherwise, he left her in the care of the experienced clergy of the Healing Church and maids of the Blackrose Castle.
"I will be right there in a moment."
Before he went to check on her, he decided to change his clothes and take a bath quickly because he was already training for several hours straight. Like the other Hunters, his training regime was extremely hard, challenging, and brutal.
As the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was of the utmost importance, so he kept himself in a top-notch combat-ready state. Naturally, during wars or other large-scale conflicts, he was often the one who led the charge against the foul forces of destruction.
***
Cersei POV
'I feel powerful... and tired as well...'
The maids in the Castle told me that I slept for two days straight, but it seemed that the Blood Ministration was successful, which was a very good thing. With this, I can conclude that Karl didn't lie to me...
'And now with this powerful form... he could finally take me, oh my gods above... just imagining how his powerful body will bend me over and ruthlessly pound me, I am getting wet just by thinking about it.'
I couldn't stop thinking about him taking me from all angels, despite my protests... that would be sole delighting...
"My Lady, we have prepared clothes for you."
I frowned when I was woken up from my imagination by one of the maids, dammed servants destroying my beautiful dreams for the future. But what is done is done, and Karl would be angry if I went bitching around to bully servants...
He was right... that was no power...
"Is it the latest fashion set?"
I asked and to my delight it was. Fashion and clothes were another way to show power, though this was especially more important for noble ladies than men... and as expected, Karl was not that helpful in this area.
Clothes in the Empire were vastly different from the long dresses of the Westerosi, but they aimed more at practicality, they were more humble in appearance, but they compensated for their appearance with the materials they were made of.
"This is the latest set from the Master Steamor. A jacket with a vest, complemented with pair of leather boots and a pure white shirt. We have chosen the color red for you, My Lady, with golden trimmings made from the wool of Four-Horned Battle Rams, and the boots are made from the skin of a powerful magical snake."
It looked beautiful, and for sure, it would be expensive because the materials were from magical beasts and rare animals.
"Just for interest... how expensive such a thing would be?"
She only heard Karl tell her that the coins of the Empire were purer in gold compared to the Golden Dragons used in the Westeros, and their exchange rate would be somewhere around 1 Gold Crown to 3 Golden Dragons.
The Reichsmarks were generally purer.
"Right now, as it was just released, it would be around 500 Golden Marks."
The maid said unsurely, but the price... almost shocked me; while I wasn't very knowledgeable about the prices, but I still knew that 1,500 of Westerosi Golden Dragon for a dress was an extravagance that would probably bankrupt some small noble houses.
***
3rd POV
Karl Franz, after taking a bath, visited Cersei in her chambers, who finished changing into the outfit from the brand of Master Steamor, and he had to admit that she looked beautiful wearing it.
The color combination was splendid for her; the red and gold represented the colors of their own house, the House Lannister, and the red color as the main one for the outfit highlighted her lustrious golden hair and emerald green eyes.
"You look beautiful, I would say, but you naturally know this already."
The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire complimented his fianceé as she giggled lightly to herself. Cersei knew that she was beautiful, but hearing it from Karl Franz was different; it filled her with satisfaction, delight, and happiness.
"What you planned for today?"
She asked in a melodious voice, awaiting some kind of program for him because before they went for the Blood Ministration, Karl Franz promised to take her to sightsee the City and to some good restaurant for dinner.
There was no concept of restaurants in Westeros, but they were known apparently in the Essos, or more like in scarce numbers in more powerful Free Cities. They were essentially something like Inns, where only food was served; there was no lodging or sleeping there.
They focused only on the best culinary experience.
"Yes, naturally... as promised today, we will go sightseeing the Faust and then have dinner at the best restaurant in the entire City. I booked the entire restaurant for only two of us."
Karl Franz said as he outstretched his hand for her, as they interlocked their arms and went to tour the Faust. Under the watch of several members of the Reiksgarde that were following after their every step.
They descended from the Imperial House-controlled Floating Island to the main Floating Island and went to the Merchant district.
"The entire Main Island has several districts, and now, we are in the Trading District of the City. Here, you will find everything from Magic Items, Potions, Books, Tomes, Weapon, Jewelry, Clothes and partially everything you can even think of."
Karl Franz said as they arrived at the bustling streets of the Trading Discrtict of the Faust, which was far more lively than the other parts of the City he showed here when they arrived at the Faust.
Cobbled streets wind their way through the district, lined with a charming mishmash of timber-framed buildings adorned with ornate carvings, colorful banners, and hanging lanterns that cast a warm, inviting glow as dusk settles over the City.
The architecture is a fusion of medieval craftsmanship and fantastical elements, with turrets, spires, and intricate stone bridges connecting buildings at various levels.
The air is alive with the melodies of minstrels, the chattering of merchants, and the occasional roar of a landwyrm-drawn carriage as it glides effortlessly through the narrow streets.
Market stalls overflow with exotic goods and magical wares from across the realms: spellbinding textiles that change color with the wearer's mood, intricate glass globes containing miniature floating gardens, and enchanted trinkets that emit soft, soothing melodies.
Cersei could see many humans, dwarves and gnomes going from one shop to another, but when she saw the enormous landwyrm, she looked a bit scared as she gripped his hand tighter.
"What is that? It looked like a dragon..."
She muttered when she watched the enormous draconic creature pulling an enormous wagon, even bigger than the ones they used when they arrived at the Fuast. But the thing which she recognized was a symbol of the League of the Khaz-Modan and the emblem of the Ironforge on the wagon.
"Landwyrm, they are a type of Lesser Dragon like Wyverns which Valyrians tamed... They are strong creatures and rarely tamed because we lack the suitable method of taming and breeding them; they are very rare to be seen in this kind of state."
Karl Franz said that seeing this was one more reason why he wanted to explore the lands of ancient Valyria even more. While in the lands of Lordran, there were Landwyrms and other draconic creatures; they were almost impossible to tame.
So he knew that Valyrian must have some very special method that allowed them to mass-tame and mass-breed the Wyverns; it should be extremely efficient, considering the sheer number of Wyverns they had at their peak.
"Where do you want to go first?"
He asked her as she looked at the wagon from the Ironforge.
"I want to check out of dwarves."
She said after some time, because she was genuinely curious about the dwarven species, as they were one of the major races in the Lordran, together with Gnomes. Dwarves lived in the Grand Province known as League of Khaz-Modan and with their capital being the underground fortress metropolis, Ironforge.
"Okey, but remember, don't be insulted by their behavior, don't insult their craft and most importantly, be straightforward with them. They are hard folk, they are easy to anger, and they certainly remember grudges well, but they also value friendship and loyalty."
Karl Franz said because he didn't wish for his finaceé to offend the dwarves; while it may seem unimportant, but Ironforge and the entirety of the Khaz-Modan were essential for the Holy Arcadia Empire more than any other province truth to be told.
He knew that Cersei was a proud and even arrogant person, though he was already working hard on erasing that part of their personality of hers, not entirely, but more like he was teaching her to control herself.
Certainly, her fascination with his person helped with that aspect greatly because he was slowly manipulating her based on that thing and molding her a bit into a different, better version of herself.
"I know; you don't need to remind me every time; I am not that stupid."
She scoffed at him as they went together to take a lot at the dwarven shops. They were heading to the biggest one of them was the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory or shortly GMA.
It is important to note that Goldstone Manufacturing Armory (GMA), a dwarven company that specializes in mass-producing weapons, armors, and other types of equipment, was among the most reliable companies available on the market today.
In terms of design, the Branch building of the GMA was of typical Dwarven design. Like the bulk of the buildings the Dwarves built, it had the simplicity of ordinary stone but with some golden linings to indicate the status of the owners of the building.
Basically, they were subtly letting everyone know that they were better than any of their competitors. Of course, their results also spoke for themselves because, among similar companies, the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory had one of the biggest revenues.
Several heavy-armored Dwarves guarded the entrance to the GMA at the time of Samiel's observation. They were keeping watch over the entrance to the Branch of the GMA, and there were even some rare Runic Weapons and Armor.
"Greetings, Master Dwarf."
Karl Franz greeted the Manager of the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory Branch, Arden Longbeard.
The Branch Manager, Arden Longbeard, was a powerful Dwarven warrior and also a master blacksmith and also a member of the Longbeard Clan, one of the more prominent Dwarven Clans.
So his standing in the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory was very high, whether through his position or his origin.
"Greeting ta ya Imperator."
Greeted him back dwarf with a long ginger beard and hair, wearing fur clothing from some kind of magical beast who was doing some paperwork behind the counter. Cersei, who followed behind Karl Franz first hand experienced the bluntness of the dwarf folk and it was like her fianceé told her.
"Greetings, Master Dwarf."
Nevertheless, she greeted the unkept dwarf as well because someone who had responsibility as a Branch Manager in the Faust should be a high-ranking member of some prominent Dwarven Clan.
"So, what ya brought his Majesty Imperator to my shop."
The dwarf asked curiously because it was a rare visit, a visit he hoped to use to strengthen his standing within the Clan and the Conclave of the Forge. The entire League of Khaz-Modan and the entirety of Dwarves gathered in their own ruling body known as the Conclave of the Forge.
Like the conclave of Magisters in Essoss, the Conclave of the Forges was of all dwarven Clans, from which they elected the three strongest and most prestigious Clan to lead the dwarven folk as Council of Three Hammers, among which one of the councilors, the one acting as their leader has the title of Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan.
The elections occured every century, and right now, the Council of Three Hammers consists of the Bronzebeard Clan of Ironforge, the Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak and the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge.
But lately, the Clan Longbeard of Erebor has been rising to prominence after showcasing their mastery over stone by carving the Lonely Mountain into one of the most beautiful and formidable fortresses in the entire Lordran.
And the Longbeard wanted to replace one of the Dark Iron Clan in the next elections and even compete for the title of the Elector Count from the Bronzebeard Clan. Naturally, for that, they needed to have the best craftsmanship, engineering, blacksmithing and strongest warriors.
"A set of armor for my fainceé, also some pieces of jewelry and personalized weapon if you will... Did I forget anything?"
Karl Franz asked Cersei who nodded and put forward several other things that she wanted to have made. The dwarven-made things were rare, especially if they were personally made by Forgemaster, which was an esteemed title within their society.
"Yes, I also want a set of daggers, normal and throwing ones, also three combat dresses, and I saw that somebody talked about retractable shield I want that one too... and I want to see your collection of rings, necklaces and ceremonial jewelry."
She fired one order after another, but she was only making use of Karl Franz taking her shopping as he was getting a heart attack already. In contrast to Maria, Cersei liked to shop for clothes, jewelry and other things, something that Maria didn't really do.
"Poor my wallet."
He muttered as she looked at him sharply.
"Hush, if I am right, he will give us a huge discount."
The dwarves were crafty from what she read about them, and Cersei knew that they would receive a huge discount because this was a good opportunity to obtain some favor of the Imperial House.
"This is our premium collection of necklaces..."
Soon enough, several dwarves came out carrying out thick catalogs as she was listing through them, searching for something that she liked. After ten or more minutes, she picked up so many things that she liked that she couldn't even choose properly, so Karl Franz was forced to choose for her instead.
"This one, this one, this one, and also this one and these two..."
He swiftly scanned her list with descriptions and images of the products next to them and then chose for her. Most of them were with certain motives, like some were based on Magical Beasts or mythical beasts of Lordran, while two were of the motive of a lion.
"Yes, these are the best."
As a reward, he got a kiss on his cheeks before they then went to take measurements for one set of armor, three sets of combat dresses and some weapons. He knew that this would be a good few thousand Golden Mark without a discount, probably something over ten thousand if he was not wrong.
But whatever, he had enough money from all sources that were coming to him in tons; even the Goldstone Manufacturing Armor, where they were right now shopping, was something that was partially owned by him.
***
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Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes speaking to the defenders of Skycrown Gate at Year 10,280 at the invasion of Daemon horde.
***
Codex: Imperial Government
Contrary to popular belief and misconceptions about the Empire in the Westeros and Essos, it is not a confederation of independent states and provinces whose inhabitants are tied together only by a common language, a shared faith in Great Ones and a mutual Imperial culture.
While it was true that the various Grand Provinces enjoyed large autonomy within the Empire, and the Elector Counts of Grand Provinces and High Lord Magistrates of Three Holy Cities had large sway in the Empire, everyone bowed before the might of the supreme Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
The Holy Arcadia Empire is a centrally unified nation ruled by The Holy Imperator, who also holds the title of Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and Elector Count of Grand Principality of Reikland.
Only those who are approved by the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder have the right to crown themselves as Emperors.
Upon the founding, The Emperor, in his endless wisdom, created a government based on centralized decentralization. While the central government had supreme power above everything and everyone, Grand Provinces and Cities enjoyed a relatively high degree of autonomy and ruled themselves as long as they upheld Imperial standards.
That was done because the Empire was too large for one central government to rule as a whole with efficiency and good results.
***
Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Faust the City of Miracles, Blackrose Castle
MC POV
The Blood Ministration Ceremony went without a problem, which was a good thing because when someone underwent it, there were also risks. But it was a matter of faith, something that I couldn't really influence.
After the Blood Ministration was complete, I took Cersei back to the Blackrose Castle and put her to sleep because she was too tired. People often tended to lose their consciousness when undergoing Blood Ministration.
Though at the same time, I couldn't hide my surprise because she underwent Blood Ministration and her Old Blood was already on Level 3, which was very unprecedented; such things rarely happened.
Usually, a person steadily claimed through the Levels of the Old Blood through various degrees of Blood Ministration and faith in the Great Ones. Nevertheless, naturally, there were also exemptions to the rule.
And those exemptions were people who had magic bloodlines, like Starks or, in the Empire, Sark an Russ from the Kaer Trolde. The first their ancestors drank the Old Blood, he directly became Level 4 and awakened various very potent Ice Manipulation abilities.
But that was to be expected because Westerosi Bloodlines were old, powerful, and magical.
Not all of them, but some of them were, Lannisters, Starks, Nymeros Martell, Baratheons and Targaryens.
Lannisters also had their roots in the first men and had powerful dormant magic in their blood, albeit it was more diluted compared to the rest of the most magical houses in Westeros.
Starks had probably the purest magical blood flowing through their veins together with Targaryens and Baratheons. The last one was something I was inquisitive about because Baratheon Bloodline was the combination of the Valyrian Blood and Blood of Ancient Stormkings...
And as the last ones, there was House Nymeros Martell, descended from the Water Mages of Rhoynar and Earth Mages of Dorn; their Bloodline was also particularly unique to me. But that was a topic for the future as I had other things to do right now.
Now that the corpse of the Daemon Lord was safely in the hands of Byrgenwerth, Cersei successfully converted to the Faith of the Great Ones in the Cathedral of the Healing Church; I could once again resume my training.
From my previous experiences with the Blood Ministration, I knew that she would be sleeping for a few days as I left her in the care of the household servants and Castle Priest, who would be taking care of her.
Meanwhile, I went back to my training... I needed to maintain my body in top condition, and also, there was the matter of captured Euron Greyjoy, who should be en route to the Anor Londo right now.
Straight to the prison, I would need to deal with him at a later date, but from a small talk I had with him during his detainment at the Smeidnir, I have confirmed all of my suspicions.
He was a man who wanted power and who wanted to write his name into the annals of history, to become part of it, aside from being utterly insane and mad, thought that was a bit underestimation of his mental state.
Still, it was shocking to see someone that insane, and it wasn't a Hunter of the Workshop because only they tended to go insane to such a degree from Hunting the Beasts.
Not to mention there were many plans that I would need to implement with the Westeros and Essos present, one of the most notable was to get hands on the things that were in the Valyria at any cost.
The power to control Wywerns, their secret to the Valyrian Steel or the Blackstone Walls, their construction methods, and overall, the entire legacy of their civilization could propel the Holy Arcadia Empire to a new level of prosperity.
From what I saw about the Valyrian Steel, it was superior to most of the metals in the Empire, aside from things like Adamantium or Mithril. Once in the past, Valyrian Steel was common as a cabbage because it wasn't anything precious for the Valyrians, as they were able to mass produce Valyrian Steel weapons and armor to equip their armies with it.
Unfortunately, it was all lost with the Fall of Valyria and nothing only a few swords and weapons remained in the Westeros. Essos was another thing because nobody knew how much of Valyrian Steel remained in the hands of former Valyrian colonies.
Still, if my plan came to fruition, we would be able to replace the standard equipment of our Soldiers with that of the Valyrian Steel, greatly enhancing their combat capabilities which would give even ordinary soldiers a good chance against stronger Orks and Daemons.
"I should probably make a call to High Chancellor; it is time for the weekly report."
Every week, there was a meeting of the Imperial Council, which was the highest Executive Branch of the government of the Holy Arcadia Empire. There were only a few seats in the Imperial Council and each belonged to the highest-ranked people within the Empire.
Naturally, there was a High Chancellor of the Lansdraad who also served as a prime minister of the nation. There was also the seat for the Imperial Bashar, who was essentially a Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military and Head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency Marian Cross.
There was a seat for Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides as leader of the Imperial Guard, Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt.
From the other factions of the Empire, there was also the Grandmaster of the Workshop, Gehrman the First Hunter, and seat for the Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church, Volkmar the Grim.
The other seats were for the members of the Imperial Administration, Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management, High Tribunal of the Holy Empire, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Finance.
Activating the Lacrima Crystal, soon enough familiar visage of the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire appeared before me. Lucca Brewster originated from the Marienburg with roots in the Duchy of Munn...
He was an elder in a white robe with inlaid brass lines. His hair was completely white and neatly combed. His pair of gray-green eyes were so deep that they appeared bottomless.
"I greet His Majesty, the Holy Imperator."
I was right now meeting only with the High Chancellor because meeting with the entire Imperial Council wasn't necessary as I wasn't in Anor Londo, and it was also a bit of my laziness, truthfully.
"So, anything important to report, High Chancellor?"
I was away from Imperial Politics for a few weeks, and most of the meetings I had were only with the High Chancellor. Luca Brewster has already served in the term for more than three hundred years and told me that he wished to retire and spend his time with his grandchildren as his son has recently been married.
"The Duchy of Orleáns is finishing the Wall around the Orklands finally; soon, we would be able to stop the main entrance of the Orks into the territory of the Empire. Aside from that, Eelctor Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes has sent a notice about another wave of Daemon horde attacking Skycrown Gate."
I frowned deeply at that... Daemon horde was approaching the Skycrown Gate, which was not a good sight, depending on the size of the Daemon horde.
House Draculya were vampires, the bloodsuckers that assimilated into the society of the Holy Arcadia Empire and after drinking the Old Blood, they could perfectly control their thirst.
Nowadays, Vampires are feeling the blood of Daemons, Monsters, Danger Beasts, and other powerful creatures, and naturally criminals.
"Send one Legion of Silver Knight, One Sadality of Reiksgarde, and Church Executioners and order the General of the closest army to support the Skycrown Citadel. Also, send a request to Master Gehrman to send two or three Hunters in case some powerful Greater Daemons appear within the horde..."
Skycrown Citadel and Skycrown Gate were one of the most essential fortifications within the Holy Arcadia Empire because they guarded the World Edge Mountain pass. The only thing that separated the Daemon Lannds from the rest of the Lordran were the World Edge Mountains.
The Skycrown Gate was a protected entrance to the Lordran for countless centuries, and House Draculya were gatekeepers of the place for many generations, according to the ancient pact concluded between them and Lord Gwyn.
"It shall be done; Elector Count Draculya already mobilized his personal army numbering fifty thousand and stationed them at the Skycrown Gate for defense."
Daemon hordes marching at the territory of the Empire were always a problem, but not a problem that couldn't be defeated.
"On the other hand, in the Duchy of Stormwind, the barbarians of badlands are once again attacking villages and cities. Elector Countess Klauda Cross already petitioned Landsraad for approval of Crusade to the Barbarian Badlands for the final war."
Another crusade...
All crusades needed to be approved by Landsraad and personally declared by the Holy Imperator and naturally, the barbarians of the Badlands were thorn in our eye for a long time already.
Due to the fact that we needed manpower in different parts of the country and that they had kept quiet for some time already, we didn't really feel the need to deal with them en masse.
"Then it shall be it... anything else?"
If everything went smoothly, then we could declare the Crusade in a year or two; it would take another half a month to prepare the Crusading Armies, which would consist of the Imperial Army and personal armies of the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates.
"Nothing much... only Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns fought with Ragnar Stark an Russ directly in the Landsraad; in the end, they were pulled apart by the intervention of General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides."
This was most unusual... it was a good few decades since the last time nobles had physically fought on the premises of the Landsraad.
"What was the reason for their fight?"
Even was curious about this one.
"It seems that Ragnar Stark an Russ has slept with the daughter of Imperial Bashar and got her pregnant... and when he asked for her hand, the old Iron-Blood Count couldn't hold it and took out his sword and they went to solve it physically."
Idiots... utter idiots, though from Star an Russ, it wasn't surprising, they were a bunch of madmen, but it seems that Iron-Blood Count lost his nerves. His daughter Beye d'Orleáns was his treasure.
And now it was taken by wolf-blood of the north. Naturally, he wasn't very pleased by that fact, but there was nothing he could do. His daughter was even pregnant, which was probably something that delighted and enraged him at the same time.
Pregnancies among the nobles were rare and happy occasions because the stronger one was, it was becoming harder and harder to conceive a progeny. Especially for those who reached a very high level of the Old Blood like me.
"If there is nothing you have to report, High Chancellor, I will be returning to my training."
I said because today I was planning to train with the Warhammer, a weapon that I took a liking in the past decades after the Dwarves of the Ironforge gave me an artifact warhammer as a gift.
"Nothing else, Your Majesty. Just there is a question when you will be returning to the Anor Londo from Faust; there are certain matters that are directly in need of your immediate attention."
Again, work and work and work...
"Soon, we will remain at Faust for a few days; notify Lady Annalise that I plan to send my fianceé for her so she can learn from her about the ruling and also did you contact the Headmaster of Schola Progenium about enrollment?"
Seeing the High Chancellor nod his head, I then ended the call and went to resume my training.
***
3rd POV
Two days later, Faust, Blackrose Castle, training yard.
The Blackrose Castle on the floating island that belonged to the Imperial House naturally had a training yard for the guards of the Castle to train and keep themselves in top condition.
The training yard of the Blackrose Castle was huge, bigger than most castles had because it was not only for the use of Imperial House but also for many guards that were stationed there; aside from that, there were a few neat gadgets.
Many powerful wards and runes were inscribed all around the edges of the training yard and the entirety of it to prevent extensive destruction and this also allowed people to fight with more of their power unleashed.
Because there were a few retired members of the Reiksgarde stationed there, it was indeed necessary to have them.
For the past two days, Karl Franz was either training with his warhammer Ghal Maraz, while the weapon wasn't on the level of Longinuslanze Testament, but it also wasn't that far from it actually.
Ghal Maraz was a mighty magical hammer that was created by the ancient dwarves of the Ironforge and by their Dwarf High King Kurgan Ironbeard and was gifted to the young Warrior Prince Sigmar Heldenhammer.
This happened during the Age of Fire, shortly after the Age itself began. The name of the hammer was Ghal Maraz, which means "Skull-Splitter" in the Khazalid, which was a secretive high language among the dwarves.
They seldom speak this ancient tongue before other peoples, deeming outsiders unworthy to hear it. Dwarfs naturally have loud, rumbling voices, and when they speak Khazalid, their speech is like thunder rolling amidst the mountains or the scraping of rock against rock.
Karl Franz wasn't very fond of the Warhammer in his early years when he learned how to fight, and when he fought the unification wars, he used the Longinuslanze Testament, which acted as a symbol of his divine right to rule the Lands of Ancients.
He was also a Hunter of the Workshop and had the fabled skill of all Hunter, the Eternal Arms Mastership; he was a master in every kind of weapon; if not, he would be just an embarrassment to his teacher.
But after fighting against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, he realized that he needed a weapon that would deliver heavy hits, and for that reason, he decided to pick up the ancestral weapon of his ancestors.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire stopped swinging his Warhammer as he looked at the maid who arrived at the training yard.
"The Lady has awoken."
Cersei had been sleeping for the past two days sleeping unconscious from the Blood Ministration, which was understandable, considering how much she had changed after one single Blood Ministration.
During the past two days she was slumbering, Karl Franz occasionally checked on her how she was doing, but otherwise, he left her in the care of the experienced clergy of the Healing Church and maids of the Blackrose Castle.
"I will be right there in a moment."
Before he went to check on her, he decided to change his clothes and take a bath quickly because he was already training for several hours straight. Like the other Hunters, his training regime was extremely hard, challenging, and brutal.
As the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was of the utmost importance, so he kept himself in a top-notch combat-ready state. Naturally, during wars or other large-scale conflicts, he was often the one who led the charge against the foul forces of destruction.
***
Cersei POV
'I feel powerful... and tired as well...'
The maids in the Castle told me that I slept for two days straight, but it seemed that the Blood Ministration was successful, which was a very good thing. With this, I can conclude that Karl didn't lie to me...
'And now with this powerful form... he could finally take me, oh my gods above... just imagining how his powerful body will bend me over and ruthlessly pound me, I am getting wet just by thinking about it.'
I couldn't stop thinking about him taking me from all angels, despite my protests... that would be sole delighting...
"My Lady, we have prepared clothes for you."
I frowned when I was woken up from my imagination by one of the maids, dammed servants destroying my beautiful dreams for the future. But what is done is done, and Karl would be angry if I went bitching around to bully servants...
He was right... that was no power...
"Is it the latest fashion set?"
I asked and to my delight it was. Fashion and clothes were another way to show power, though this was especially more important for noble ladies than men... and as expected, Karl was not that helpful in this area.
Clothes in the Empire were vastly different from the long dresses of the Westerosi, but they aimed more at practicality, they were more humble in appearance, but they compensated for their appearance with the materials they were made of.
"This is the latest set from the Master Steamor. A jacket with a vest, complemented with pair of leather boots and a pure white shirt. We have chosen the color red for you, My Lady, with golden trimmings made from the wool of Four-Horned Battle Rams, and the boots are made from the skin of a powerful magical snake."
It looked beautiful, and for sure, it would be expensive because the materials were from magical beasts and rare animals.
"Just for interest... how expensive such a thing would be?"
She only heard Karl tell her that the coins of the Empire were purer in gold compared to the Golden Dragons used in the Westeros, and their exchange rate would be somewhere around 1 Gold Crown to 3 Golden Dragons.
The Reichsmarks were generally purer.
"Right now, as it was just released, it would be around 500 Golden Marks."
The maid said unsurely, but the price... almost shocked me; while I wasn't very knowledgeable about the prices, but I still knew that 1,500 of Westerosi Golden Dragon for a dress was an extravagance that would probably bankrupt some small noble houses.
***
3rd POV
Karl Franz, after taking a bath, visited Cersei in her chambers, who finished changing into the outfit from the brand of Master Steamor, and he had to admit that she looked beautiful wearing it.
The color combination was splendid for her; the red and gold represented the colors of their own house, the House Lannister, and the red color as the main one for the outfit highlighted her lustrious golden hair and emerald green eyes.
"You look beautiful, I would say, but you naturally know this already."
The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire complimented his fianceé as she giggled lightly to herself. Cersei knew that she was beautiful, but hearing it from Karl Franz was different; it filled her with satisfaction, delight, and happiness.
"What you planned for today?"
She asked in a melodious voice, awaiting some kind of program for him because before they went for the Blood Ministration, Karl Franz promised to take her to sightsee the City and to some good restaurant for dinner.
There was no concept of restaurants in Westeros, but they were known apparently in the Essos, or more like in scarce numbers in more powerful Free Cities. They were essentially something like Inns, where only food was served; there was no lodging or sleeping there.
They focused only on the best culinary experience.
"Yes, naturally... as promised today, we will go sightseeing the Faust and then have dinner at the best restaurant in the entire City. I booked the entire restaurant for only two of us."
Karl Franz said as he outstretched his hand for her, as they interlocked their arms and went to tour the Faust. Under the watch of several members of the Reiksgarde that were following after their every step.
They descended from the Imperial House-controlled Floating Island to the main Floating Island and went to the Merchant district.
"The entire Main Island has several districts, and now, we are in the Trading District of the City. Here, you will find everything from Magic Items, Potions, Books, Tomes, Weapon, Jewelry, Clothes and partially everything you can even think of."
Karl Franz said as they arrived at the bustling streets of the Trading Discrtict of the Faust, which was far more lively than the other parts of the City he showed here when they arrived at the Faust.
Cobbled streets wind their way through the district, lined with a charming mishmash of timber-framed buildings adorned with ornate carvings, colorful banners, and hanging lanterns that cast a warm, inviting glow as dusk settles over the City.
The architecture is a fusion of medieval craftsmanship and fantastical elements, with turrets, spires, and intricate stone bridges connecting buildings at various levels.
The air is alive with the melodies of minstrels, the chattering of merchants, and the occasional roar of a landwyrm-drawn carriage as it glides effortlessly through the narrow streets.
Market stalls overflow with exotic goods and magical wares from across the realms: spellbinding textiles that change color with the wearer's mood, intricate glass globes containing miniature floating gardens, and enchanted trinkets that emit soft, soothing melodies.
Cersei could see many humans, dwarves and gnomes going from one shop to another, but when she saw the enormous landwyrm, she looked a bit scared as she gripped his hand tighter.
"What is that? It looked like a dragon..."
She muttered when she watched the enormous draconic creature pulling an enormous wagon, even bigger than the ones they used when they arrived at the Fuast. But the thing which she recognized was a symbol of the League of the Khaz-Modan and the emblem of the Ironforge on the wagon.
"Landwyrm, they are a type of Lesser Dragon like Wyverns which Valyrians tamed... They are strong creatures and rarely tamed because we lack the suitable method of taming and breeding them; they are very rare to be seen in this kind of state."
Karl Franz said that seeing this was one more reason why he wanted to explore the lands of ancient Valyria even more. While in the lands of Lordran, there were Landwyrms and other draconic creatures; they were almost impossible to tame.
So he knew that Valyrian must have some very special method that allowed them to mass-tame and mass-breed the Wyverns; it should be extremely efficient, considering the sheer number of Wyverns they had at their peak.
"Where do you want to go first?"
He asked her as she looked at the wagon from the Ironforge.
"I want to check out of dwarves."
She said after some time, because she was genuinely curious about the dwarven species, as they were one of the major races in the Lordran, together with Gnomes. Dwarves lived in the Grand Province known as League of Khaz-Modan and with their capital being the underground fortress metropolis, Ironforge.
"Okey, but remember, don't be insulted by their behavior, don't insult their craft and most importantly, be straightforward with them. They are hard folk, they are easy to anger, and they certainly remember grudges well, but they also value friendship and loyalty."
Karl Franz said because he didn't wish for his finaceé to offend the dwarves; while it may seem unimportant, but Ironforge and the entirety of the Khaz-Modan were essential for the Holy Arcadia Empire more than any other province truth to be told.
He knew that Cersei was a proud and even arrogant person, though he was already working hard on erasing that part of their personality of hers, not entirely, but more like he was teaching her to control herself.
Certainly, her fascination with his person helped with that aspect greatly because he was slowly manipulating her based on that thing and molding her a bit into a different, better version of herself.
"I know; you don't need to remind me every time; I am not that stupid."
She scoffed at him as they went together to take a lot at the dwarven shops. They were heading to the biggest one of them was the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory or shortly GMA.
It is important to note that Goldstone Manufacturing Armory (GMA), a dwarven company that specializes in mass-producing weapons, armors, and other types of equipment, was among the most reliable companies available on the market today.
In terms of design, the Branch building of the GMA was of typical Dwarven design. Like the bulk of the buildings the Dwarves built, it had the simplicity of ordinary stone but with some golden linings to indicate the status of the owners of the building.
Basically, they were subtly letting everyone know that they were better than any of their competitors. Of course, their results also spoke for themselves because, among similar companies, the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory had one of the biggest revenues.
Several heavy-armored Dwarves guarded the entrance to the GMA at the time of Samiel's observation. They were keeping watch over the entrance to the Branch of the GMA, and there were even some rare Runic Weapons and Armor.
"Greetings, Master Dwarf."
Karl Franz greeted the Manager of the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory Branch, Arden Longbeard.
The Branch Manager, Arden Longbeard, was a powerful Dwarven warrior and also a master blacksmith and also a member of the Longbeard Clan, one of the more prominent Dwarven Clans.
So his standing in the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory was very high, whether through his position or his origin.
"Greeting ta ya Imperator."
Greeted him back dwarf with a long ginger beard and hair, wearing fur clothing from some kind of magical beast who was doing some paperwork behind the counter. Cersei, who followed behind Karl Franz first hand experienced the bluntness of the dwarf folk and it was like her fianceé told her.
"Greetings, Master Dwarf."
Nevertheless, she greeted the unkept dwarf as well because someone who had responsibility as a Branch Manager in the Faust should be a high-ranking member of some prominent Dwarven Clan.
"So, what ya brought his Majesty Imperator to my shop."
The dwarf asked curiously because it was a rare visit, a visit he hoped to use to strengthen his standing within the Clan and the Conclave of the Forge. The entire League of Khaz-Modan and the entirety of Dwarves gathered in their own ruling body known as the Conclave of the Forge.
Like the conclave of Magisters in Essoss, the Conclave of the Forges was of all dwarven Clans, from which they elected the three strongest and most prestigious Clan to lead the dwarven folk as Council of Three Hammers, among which one of the councilors, the one acting as their leader has the title of Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan.
The elections occured every century, and right now, the Council of Three Hammers consists of the Bronzebeard Clan of Ironforge, the Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak and the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge.
But lately, the Clan Longbeard of Erebor has been rising to prominence after showcasing their mastery over stone by carving the Lonely Mountain into one of the most beautiful and formidable fortresses in the entire Lordran.
And the Longbeard wanted to replace one of the Dark Iron Clan in the next elections and even compete for the title of the Elector Count from the Bronzebeard Clan. Naturally, for that, they needed to have the best craftsmanship, engineering, blacksmithing and strongest warriors.
"A set of armor for my fainceé, also some pieces of jewelry and personalized weapon if you will... Did I forget anything?"
Karl Franz asked Cersei who nodded and put forward several other things that she wanted to have made. The dwarven-made things were rare, especially if they were personally made by Forgemaster, which was an esteemed title within their society.
"Yes, I also want a set of daggers, normal and throwing ones, also three combat dresses, and I saw that somebody talked about retractable shield I want that one too... and I want to see your collection of rings, necklaces and ceremonial jewelry."
She fired one order after another, but she was only making use of Karl Franz taking her shopping as he was getting a heart attack already. In contrast to Maria, Cersei liked to shop for clothes, jewelry and other things, something that Maria didn't really do.
"Poor my wallet."
He muttered as she looked at him sharply.
"Hush, if I am right, he will give us a huge discount."
The dwarves were crafty from what she read about them, and Cersei knew that they would receive a huge discount because this was a good opportunity to obtain some favor of the Imperial House.
"This is our premium collection of necklaces..."
Soon enough, several dwarves came out carrying out thick catalogs as she was listing through them, searching for something that she liked. After ten or more minutes, she picked up so many things that she liked that she couldn't even choose properly, so Karl Franz was forced to choose for her instead.
"This one, this one, this one, and also this one and these two..."
He swiftly scanned her list with descriptions and images of the products next to them and then chose for her. Most of them were with certain motives, like some were based on Magical Beasts or mythical beasts of Lordran, while two were of the motive of a lion.
"Yes, these are the best."
As a reward, he got a kiss on his cheeks before they then went to take measurements for one set of armor, three sets of combat dresses and some weapons. He knew that this would be a good few thousand Golden Mark without a discount, probably something over ten thousand if he was not wrong.
But whatever, he had enough money from all sources that were coming to him in tons; even the Goldstone Manufacturing Armor, where they were right now shopping, was something that was partially owned by him.
***
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Chapter 8 - Battle of the Skycrown Gate (1)
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"The hatred of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its citizens for Valyrians and everyone connected to them is very well known across the known world. Many people speculate where that hatred and disgust came from.
Still, from my studies in the Imperial Archives of the Anor Londo, I concluded that it is mainly from Valyrian unbridled perversion of Blood Magic, which is considered the vilest Heresy in the Lands of Ancients.
That was also one of the main reasons why the Imperials were keen on helping Robert Baratheon during the Rebellion in annihilating the Targaryens and destroying their legacy.
Aside from that, part of their disgust towards Valyrians was also due to the proliferating use of the word 'Dragon' for the Wyverns they tamed.
In the Holy Arcadia Empire, the Greater Wyrms or True Dragons have a unique position, as they are seen as symbols of power and the most powerful beings. Till this day, only a few people contracted Greater Wyrm as their familiar, though usage of Wyvern in the Holy Arcadia Empire became common after the Valyrian Expedition."
Comparison of Nations of the Known World, by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel and Remembrancer Joachim of Schola Progenium
***
Codex: Byrgenwerth
Byrgenwerth is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions within The Holy Arcadia Empire that has a history of over 5,000 years. The exact date of the founding of the Byrgenweth remains unknown or probably known only to the higher-ups of this fine institution.
The institution itself was founded by two legendary figures and heroes of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Master Willem and Big Hat Logan. One was a scholar who studied ancient ruins from the Age of Ancient, even from the time before Lord Gwyn Sacrificed himself and another one was from the Age of Ancient itself.
Byrgenwerth itself is divided into several divisions. On the top of the pyramid are the Scholars of Byrgenwerth who are the most accomplished Wizards, Mages, Sorcerers and Scholars from the entire faction. Below them are the Eight Orders of Magic, which are the foundation of the Byrgenwerth itself.
On the bottom of the hierarchy are the Eight Magic Colleges, corresponding to the Eight Orders of Magic, whose sole purpose is the education of new generations of pursuers of the Truth.
The leader of Byrgenwerth has always had two titles: Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Orders of Magic and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth. He is the supreme authority in the entire School and also has the noble title of Lord High Magistrate as Byrgenwerth rules the City State of Faust, the City of Miracles.
***
The Skycrown Gate was an enormous monstrosity of the gate that was the only passage between the Lands of Ancients and the Daemon Lands, connected through Tartarus Pass.
Tartarus Pass was a vast valley that connected the two places together through the World Edge Mountains, which were separating the people of the Lordran from the horrors of Daemon Lands and holding them at bay.
The Skycrown Gate was made by a collaboration of the Dwarves and Mages of the Faust, together with the Priests of the Healing Church, creating a sole miracle that stood strong for centuries.
And for centuries, it protected the Lordran from the incursion of Daemon, as no matter how powerful the Daemon Hordes were, they were all broken by the might of the Skycrown Gate.
The might of the wall that blocked the entire valley was another wonder because it stood tall around the whole valley, severing the two points of land. Right now, though, everyone was rushing to the Skycrown Gate because the scouts saw another Daemon horde heading towards the Tartarus Pass, and a big one at that...
Right now, the Provincial Army and the Imperial Legion that was permanently stationed in the Skycrown Gate were already on full alert. But that was not enough because the number of Daemons was too huge.
Fortunately, the Empire already ordered the move of another Imperial Legion, the one from the Grand Province of Klandor as that one was closest; aside from that, they were sending an entire Legion of Silver Knights, Sadality of Reiksgarde and Church Executioners, and even Hunters.
Unfortunately, the reinforcements would arrive only in a few days due to the vast distance they needed to cross, and for now, they needed to hold the Skycrown Gate with the 50,000 Soldiers of the Provincial Army and one Imperial Legion numbering 75,000 soldiers.
The Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes of the Blood Dragons was the Elector Count for Sylvania since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
However, their Clan guarded the Tartarus Pass for a much longer time than that.
"Have all arrived already?"
Each Grand Province had its own standing military known as the Provincial Army, which was under the direct control of the Elector Count of the Grand Province. Aside from that, in each province, one Imperial Legion was permanently stationed.
Aside from that, each Noble House had the right to have its personal Household Guards, but their number was restricted, as was the size of the Provincial Army.
"Yes, all Viceroy Houses have arrived aside from the Harkons, who will arrive in a few hours with their retinue. Altogether, we have right now 140,000 men on the Skycrown Gate."
His adjutant answered the question, but the Elector Count only frowned because the number wasn't that high, actually, considering the size of the Daemon horde that was advancing on the Tartarus Pass today.
Their scouts saw an enormous horde numbering at least two and a half million Daemons, ranging from the Daemon Beasts for most of the part, but there was also a good number of Lesser Daemons among them, and it was led by three Greater Daemons.
So, the situation was grave, and without reinforcements, they would suffer massive casualties.
"Order Engineers to prepare the cannons and artillery and same for the Battle Wizards... such large horde of Daemons last attacked the Skycrown Gate approximately two hundred years ago; this would be one of the hardest fights for past centuries."
Usually, the Daemons that attacked Skycrown Gate numbered in hundreds of thousands, typically no more than half a million, which was pretty easy for the garrison of the Imperial Legion that was stationed there to defend against.
"I already have; the dwarven engineers are right now checking on the weapons, and Battle Wizards are activating the barrier and magical defenses of the Skycrown Gate."
Fortunately, as it seemed, they would be fighting in the deep night, which was good as every single Vampire was much stronger during the night than they were during the day.
With the Old Blood flowing through their veins, the Sunlight wasn't deadly to them, but they were still weakened considerably during the daylight.
***
Grand Province of Klandor
In the huge military complex of Fortress of the Unsetting Sun, thousands upon thousands of soldiers were running across the entire complex and getting ready for the march.
Fortress of the Unsetting Sun was one of the major strongholds of the Holy Arcadia Empire and the place where the 6th Imperial Legion was stationed.
The architecture was vast, majestic, and sharp. The rocks used in the construction were solid and compact, and the occasional statues looked like they had survived millennia of erosion from wind and rain.
Every story of the buildings here was over six meters high, meaning the original inhabitants were at least three meters tall.
The valley was so deep that one couldn't even see the ground below, only crimson flames billowing out from within. This wound of the plane served as a natural barrier, demarcating the territory of the Unsetting Sun from what was known as the dark wilderness.
"When will we be ready to march?"
The General of the 6th Imperial Legion was General Rundstedt, a former Head of the Viceroy House of Rundstedt. He was an elderly-looking man with a grey beard and short grey hair, clad in the runic armor of the dwarven craft.
"Within three hours, approximate arrival at the Skycrown Gate without top speed should be 1 day."
One of the Legates who commanded the First Division of the 6th Legion stated. Fortunately, due to various Warmachine and inventions, they could transport large numbers of soldiers fast, even across their vast lands.
"Make it faster, Legate Tullius; also, notify the Head Wizard that they need to pack up their things faster. I want to arrive at the Skycrown Gate as fast as possible; the orders from the City of Gods are clear, the situation is grave."
General Rundstedt ordered in a cold voice because now the Skycrown Gate would be attacked by the largest and strongest Daemon Horde for the past two centuries.
If not, then the Empire wouldn't dispatch the entire Legion of Silver Knights and one Sadality of Reiksgarde and Church Executioners.
There were even Hunters being dispatched, and Gryphon Knights, Questing Knights, and other special units of the Empire were dispatched to handle the possible Daemon incursion.
Meanwhile, he also got the notification that the 5th Legion was also put on standby to support the Skycrown Gate or Grand Province of Orleáns if Orks decided to make a mess.
And even the House Izalith had already sent some of their elite Pyromancers to the Skycrown Gate, together with the Grand Principality of Reikland putting their forces on standby in case of need.
The mighty military machine of the Empire started moving.
***
Somewhere in the Dark Lands, also known as Daemon Lands, around the same time, the invasion news reached the Skycrown Gate.
The Dark Lands were a stark and cheerless place in the Far East of the Lands of Ancients beyond the boundaries of the "Old World", where nature has rented the ground and burst the mountains apart.
Amongst the peaks, volcanoes spew black smoke into the filthy sky. In the plains, the stench of tar pits and oil pools hangs heavily in the air. Steaming lava from beneath the earth's crust covers the ash wastes with a blanket of bubbling magma.
The Dark Lands were bordered on both sides by the Worlds Edge Mountains and the Mountains of Mourn, which bordered the Sunset Seas. Almost nothing can grow in the Dark Lands, and almost nothing can live there, aside from Daemons and other foul creatures.
The dim light and choking air combine to ensure that the land remains devoid of vegetation, except for a few straggly black thorns.
The volcanoes and gaping pits bring up all kinds of minerals and gems from beneath the earth: gold and silver, iron and copper, diamonds and sapphires, as well as sulfur, oil and tar.
It was a land rich in the materials that Dwarfs especially covet, and due to its riches, even despite the Danger, the Holy Arcadia Empire often sanctioned expeditions into the Dark Laldns for its resources.
Be it the natural riches or the corpses of various Magical Beasts or Daemons.
The most notable species within the Dark Lands were naturally the Daemons, but there were a good number of Greenskins, Skaven and other foul creatures that were the embodiment of the darkness and dread.
High above the skies of the Dark Lands, a sole griffon knight was flying on the majestic mount as his silver hair fluttered in the air.
"Almost two and half a million and all coming from the Black Fortress... dammit... that is the territory of Daemon Lord... I need to warn father."
The young man riding the griffon was the son of the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes and Lisa Draculya-Tepes, Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes.
"Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand..."
Daemon Lord was personally moving his forces at the Skycrown Gate; this was terrible news for the defenders of the Skycrown Gate because Daemon Lord was a Level 6 entity and even his Lord Father was only a very powerful Level 5...
This would require a mighty Master Hunter, or Tribune of Reksgarde, or Holy Paladin of the Church Executioners to deal with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was one of the more powerful Daemon Lords in the Dark Lands.
"I should leave before the Daemon Lord notices my presence."
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes then controlled his griffon, who was also clad in the same kind of heavy armor made from Mithril, and flew towards the Skycrown Gate at his top speed.
***
Skycrown Gate, several hours later
"My Lord, the Daemons would arrive within two hours."
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes stood on the top of the walls and overlooked the Tartarus Pass with keen interest. The great battle was ahead of them, and it would be a hard one, but he was confident that everything would be alright.
"I know... is everything prepared?"
As the Elector Count of Grand Province of Sylvania asked, the adjutant nodded, as everything was in place.
The Provincial Army was in their position, together with the Imperial Legion and personal guards of Viceroys, Barons and Grand Paladins.
Everyone was on standby in the highest state of alert and ready for combat. Just as he was about to issue more orders, he suddenly saw a griffon in the distance, coming from the Dark Lands.
He knew that his son had departed on the reconnaissance mission of the incoming Daemon horde that was coming to attack the Skycrown Gate. Within several minutes, the griffon landed down on the walls next to him, and Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes hopped down from the majestic creature.
"Father, the horde is led by Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand..."
The moment he said that the mood on the walls plummeted fast, and everyone looked pale, but the shock didn't last long. His father recovered very fast from the initial shock that Daemon Lord was leading the attack.
"Immediately contact the High Command of the Imperial Army, send the message to the Anor Londo for reinforcements. And also to Faust, we need more Wizards."
Everyone started running here and there because the situation became even graver than before.
But they would win.
Because the Empire never lost.
***
Around the same time, in the Faust, the City of Miracles.
After Karl Franz exited the Goldstone Manufactory Armory where his fianceé ordered literarily shitton of things which cost an outrageous amount of Crowns, but fortunately, they got a nice discount.
It was clear that the Longbeard Clan of Erebor wished to obtain the favor of the Imperial House and especially that of the new Empress in the upcoming Conclave of Forge so that they could rise to the position of one of the Three Hammers of the Council of Three Hammers.
Just as they were about to head for dinner in the restaurant, he got an urgent summon through a particular spell that was used only for emergencies. They stopped in their steps before Karl Franz took out a small Lacrima crystal, and the familiar face of High Chancellor Luca Brewster appeared there.
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent situation. During the reconnaissance mission, they found out that the Daemon horde is led by the Daemon Lord... because the Faust is right now closest to the Skycrown Gate, Your Majesty is the nearest Level 6 individual."
He frowned deeply because not only did the situation on the front get worse, but at the same time, he was having a good time with his fianceé showing her the city, but now, it seemed that he would need to depart for the battlefield.
"I understand, High Chancellor. I will depart right away..."
There was one good thing about all of this, Faust, as one of the Holy Cities was interconnected with the other three Holy Cities and Skycrown Gate with an experimental teleportation network.
They planned to implement it throughout the entire territory of the Empire. Daemon Lords existed even in the Material Plane; there were not many of them, truth to be told, but there were some.
Most of them were actually ones who were banished from the Abyss or lost their holdings in the Abyss and escaped into one of the worlds across the Prime Material Plane.
He wasn't really thrilled at the idea of fighting against another Daemon Lord, and this one, contrary to the Deamon Lord Demogorgon, who was native to the Abyss, wouldn't be weakened and would be in his full power.
Fortunately, he also wasn't tasked with killing the Daemon Lord... he knew that it would be enough as long as he pushed the Daemon Lord back into the Dark Lands.
He would be just buying time for the rest of the army to push the Daemon horde back, forcing them to retreat.
Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Dark Lands, he would be a very tough opponent even for Karl Franz, but he would need to hold the Daemon Lord for as long as possible.
They had already notified Worshop, and a Master Hunter would arrive at the Skycrown Gate within three hours, so he needed to hold the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand on the bay for one hour exactly.
'Something is indeed happening in the Abyss, and no matter what it is, it's nothing good... First, Demorgogon risked his life by descending into the Prima Material Plane, and now another Daemon Lord from the Dark Lands is making a move...'
Karl Franz thought as he canceled the call with the High Chancellor Luca Brewster and went to inform his finaceé that he wouldn't be available for the foreseeable future, though if everything went according to the plan, he would be back within 24 hours.
"Something has happened?"
And speaking of the wolf, or rather lion, in this case, she noticed that he looked more serious compared to before, so something must have indeed happened.
"Yes, the latest news from the High Chancellor requires me to personally go to the battlefield to face a Daemon Lord until Master Hunter from the Worskshop arrives, so I am afraid we would need to postpone our dinner for tomorrow if."
***
Cersei POV
I don't like it...
While at the same time, that power was attractive; in Westeros, almost no King would head to the battle in the vanguard, and many Nobles would undoubtedly abstain from such actions, too...
Going to the frontlines to face the enemy wasn't really a thing that a ruler should do; at least, that was how it was in Westeros. And while the old me would want to say something about it, seeing him like this was making me all hot...
Dammit...
"Return with Guards to the Blackrose Castle for the time being... I need to go."
Karl wasn't afraid of going to battle, and if someone angered him, they would solve it with their fists. He was my future husband... I was afraid that something would happen to him, but I couldn't show it openly.
I went up to him and gave him a kiss on his lips, which he happily returned... he was always so passionate with me, patient, calm, understanding, and yet deep inside my mind, it created only another question: why me?
Why did he even agree to the proposal of my father when he didn't need to?
Indeed, the Westerlands were rich, even having things that the Holy Arcadia Empire would consider as strategic resources, but the marriage between the ruling monarch and me wasn't really necessary.
As much as I hate to admit it, even the status of Lannisters wasn't much in front of him, so that stemmed the question... why?
When I asked him, he simply told me it was the will of the Great Ones that brought us together...
'It was the will of the Great Ones that we found about the Westeros, and it was also the will of the Great Ones that we met, and when I first saw you, I felt something that I cannot describe to this day, but it was the same feeling I had when I first met with Maria. So that is why...'
I sometimes wonder what would happen to me; what fate did the Great Ones see for me if not for the arrival of the Holy Arcadia Empire?
Would I end in some loveless marriage with some fool Lord who would see me just as a broodmare for his house and nothing more?
When I asked this question, I dreaded the truth that it would probably be the case because such was the fate of most noble ladies in Westeros. Rarely were the marriages out of love, and rarely were they marriages of love, as mostly they were out of convenience.
I knew that our standings were different, but I was Cersei Lannister, daughter of Tywin Lannister, and I would be the best for him, just as he was for me.
My other half... every time he hugged me, I felt indescribable warmth filling me, not to mention, the idea of sharing a bed with another woman wasn't unwelcome...
Yes, I needed to protect my family at any cost and there were many threats in the Empire, ranging from the Orks, Beasts, Daemons to the Heretics and Rogues that sold their souls to the ruinous powers.
All of them would die.
Nobody will threaten my newly found happiness...
Nobody will threaten my family...
Lannister always pay his debts and the debt of the Holy Arcadia Empire to its enemies was to be paid.
***
MC POV
I wasn't really thrilled about leaving once again for the battlefield; right now, I would even appreciate some paperwork instead of fighting.
But we can't always get what we want, right?
Still, I felt a bit bad for leaving Cersei behind and even disturbing our date, but there was nothing I could do about it. She was especially cuddly right now; after our talk some time ago, she was getting more open.
Yeah... the question is why did I even agree to Tywin's proposal when I didn't even need to at all because, in fact, there was no need for it. It was no doubt that she had insecurities because, inside her head, she was constantly asking the reason?
The reason? Why?
I would be silly to admit that the reason was only my own feelings?
The reason was that I remembered her from my first life and she was exactly my type of woman... someone I desired, not to mention her beauty...
It was the same feeling I had when I first saw Maria at the reception of the House Vileblood several centuries ago, that indescribable burning feeling in my heart when I saw her, that I knew that she was the right one.
And now I experienced it once again, so I talked about it... Even with Maria, we didn't share a secret; aside from that, I am technically speaking a reincarnated person, but that one was forbidden to say by the will of the Great Ones.
Only Maria knew about it, and when the time came, I would tell Cersei, too; I don't like to have secrets in relationships; it would always bite you in the ass.
Maria didn't react too much because she didn't really care, not to mention even in the Empire, there were theories that there existed infinite parallel timelines.
Mainly thanks due to the study of Time Magic.
After separating with my finaceé, I went directly to the Headquarters of the Byrgenwerth, where the experimental teleportation array was placed. In the future, there was a plan for every city to have a teleportation array like this, as there were countless uses for it.
Right now, only four places across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire had it, though soon, one was planned to be constructed in the Grand Province of Orleáns, on the wall that they were building to separate the Orklands from the Empire.
That would be five, then.
When I arrived there, I wasn't the sole person going to the battlefield at the Tartarus Pass because the Byrgenwerth was sending reinforcements of several hundred people.
Aside from me, there were several Scholars and even High Scholars, Battle Wizards, members of the Chaos Flame Covenant and Magic Knights, and a lot of Magic Knights who were sworn guardians of the Wizards.
The role of the Magic Knight was to protect the Wizard when the Wizard was casting spells because sometimes assassins could sneak or a large number of enemies could attack the spell caster.
Usually, the Wizards would strengthen their Magic Knights with a lot of rituals, greatly elevating their strength and power, in exchange for the Magic Knights protecting them with all their might.
Soon enough, the portal gate activated and connected a portal that was connecting two points in space and people started flooding into the Skycrown Gate.
***
3rd POV
Skycrown Gate
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes watched as tens if not hundreds of Wizards, Scholars, and Magic Knights were flooding from the portal as the Byrgenwerth was sending their reinforcements.
The ones from the Anor Londo and Yharnamn arrived only a few minutes earlier, and now the Skycrown Gate was host to the 250 members of the Reiksgarde and 250 Church's Executioner Holy Knights.
The only thing they were now waiting for was the 6th Imperial Legion, which was taking some time from the Grand Province of Klandor.
Now that the reinforcements from Faust had arrived, the Elector Count was more confident and thought the only thing they were lacking was someone who would deal with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
And just as he was contemplating about this, he was shocked to the core by the sight before him.... because he saw the Holy Imperator walking through the portal, holding his Holy Weapon, Longinuslanzse Testament.
When other soldiers saw the Holy Imperator, they wanted to kneel, but one gesture told them to stop.
"I am not here as monarch but as another soldier today, Elector Count Draculya-Tepes... I got the latest news about the Skycrown Gate during the time I was in Faust and the High Chancellor asked me to stall the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand for long enough until another Master Hunter from the Workshop arrives."
Karl Franz stated he wasn't here to take command of the battle, but he would be here only to fight against the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, as the Skycrown Gate was not his to command personnel.
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was far more than competent to command against the incursion of the Daemon horde, as he had done for the past many decades, and always defended the Skycrown Gate.
"I understand, Your Majesty; please follow me to the command center. Only several minutes earlier, one Sadality of Church's Executioner Holy Knights and Sadality of Reiksgarde arrived together with their Prefects."
Standart members of the Holy Knights or Reiksgarde were of Level 3 and could effortlessly deal with even the strongest Lesser Daemons, and with their superior equipment, they had a solid chance against even Level 4 Greater Daemons.
"When is the approximate arrival of the Daemon horde?"
Karl Franz asked, noticing dark clouds gathering in the distance of the Dark Lands, and the daemonic miasma was getting thicker...
A sign that they were close. Karl Franz also ordered the Reiksgarde Knigths and Church's Executioner Holy Knights to follow the arrangements and orders of Elector Count Draculya-Tepes.
"Approximate time is fifty-four minutes."
While they were talking, suddenly, another huge portal appeared in the Skycrown Gate, only for a huge shadow to fly through the portal with a screeching sound.
"Deathclaw."
It was a personal mount and familiar of Karl Franz, his Imperial Griffon Deathclaw.
Elector Counts, Imperial Nobles and Knights of the Empire prize Imperial Griffons above all other mounts, and years of selective breeding have produced noble beasts that are notably stronger and larger than their wild counterparts.
Brave Empire adventurers seek out Griffon nests and steal their chicks to raise in captivity, singling out the strongest, cleverest, and most ferocious for their lords.
Once trained to carry a man in battle, Imperial Griffons are incredibly dedicated to their riders, and many of the most powerful people within the Holy Arcadia Empire prize these ferocious beasts as loyal mounts.
Griffon was a powerful Magical Creature with a body that of a lion, a head and wings that of an eagle. Griffons were very intelligent, cunning, and powerful creatures; some older ones could even cast some spells.
They were top-notch predators, and because the Holy Arcadia Empire lacked the means to tame Dragons or Wyverns, as that would require a method of binding their bloodline from one source to another, Griffons were the main Air Forces of the Empire.
Naturally, in the future, Griffons would become one of many flying creatures in the Holy Arcadia Empire that were part of its forces. But there was an important thing today: the Griffon wasn't a pet; it was a companion, friend, and ally.
They were incredibly proud and intelligent creatures, and they needed to be treated as such. Karl Franz went to the Deatclaw, and the huge griffon clad in Mithril runic armor snuggled his huge head to him as he was patting his head.
Karl Franz loved animals of all kinds; even right now, there were about a dozen Magical Creatures wandering through the Imperial Palace, from cats to griffon chicks and there was even an egg of Greater Wyrm that Karl Franz was taking care of for more than thirty years and feeding it his energy hoping to create a familiar bond with Great Wyrm.
"So they sent you here to help?"
Karl Franz asked as Deathclaw huffed in agreement and nodded his huge head as he continued petting the majestic Magical Creature.
***
On the eve of the battle
"Load the Mortars! Bloodletters incoming!"
Shouted one of the artillery masters from the walls.
Bloodletters generally stand taller than a man, though they are so stooped and hunched that their faces often lie at a similar height.
Their bodies are slim with a muscled, wiry strength. Their horns and claws are blackened and flecked with crimson, and their feet are turned and cloven like those of a goat.
A Bloodletter's skin beneath their armor runs from the deepest red to near-orange in color and is as hard as brass forged upon the anvil of ceaseless war. It also drips constantly with blood, for Bloodletters frequently paint their bodies with gore taken from the enemies they have slain.
A Bloodletter's head is stretched tall with two ridged horns the color of bone sprouting from their temples. Their snarling, bestial faces, twisted by rage, are overlarge with the skin pulled taut so that their face appears as a skull.
Their visages are framed by horns sprouting from the sides of their skulls and shaggy manes that run down their backs, their hair like a black wire that was molded and spiked by gore.
There were hundreds of thousands of Bloodletters running at the Skycrown Gate, all of them ranging from mainly Level 1 to Level 2; some of the bigger and strongest Bloodletters were at Level 3, as they were the most basic Lesser Daemons.
Instantly, the mortars were loaded with ammunition, and soon enough, sounds of artillery firing were heard across the entire Tartarus Pass, and the sky was lit with countless projectiles that were falling on the incoming Daemon Horde.
The entire battlefield erupted into an enormous explosion as tens of thousands of Bloodletters were torn apart by the artillery firing from the Skycrown Gate. Just one salvo was enough to cause tremendous losses to the Daemons, but naturally, the Daemons didn't care about their losses, only about the results.
"Helstorm Rocket Batteries Fire!"
Several seconds later, after the mortars, hundreds of rockets shot into the air and fell into the incommiíng horde of Daemons.
Helstorm Rocket Batteries was a relatively new technology in the Imperial Arsenal developed by Master Engineer Herman Faulkstein only a few years ago, together with Dwarven Engineering Guild and Gnomeregan Alchemists.
"Reload on my command! Battle Wizards activate the barrier!"
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes shouted the orders as he personally commanded the defensive battle and the entire garrison worked like a well-working machine. Such a thing was natural because the 11th Imperial Legion and Provincial Army of Sylvania were experienced at this.
There was no soldier of the Holy Arcadia Empire who wasn't a master in combat, as all Legions and Provincial Armies fought non-stop to keep them in top condition.
Instantly, the mortars shot once again while the Helstorm Rocket Batteries were reloading, and immediately afterward, the Battle Wizards were finished with their spells, as a translucent shielding barrier started enveloping the Skycrown Gate entirely.
"On my command, fire at will!"
As the Elector Count of Sylvania commanded, the artillery pieces and siege engines were firing furiously, bombarding the incoming daemon horde to smitterness and cutting down their numbers as much as possible.
But everyone was aware that the most challenging part of the battle was just coming.
***
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Still, from my studies in the Imperial Archives of the Anor Londo, I concluded that it is mainly from Valyrian unbridled perversion of Blood Magic, which is considered the vilest Heresy in the Lands of Ancients.
That was also one of the main reasons why the Imperials were keen on helping Robert Baratheon during the Rebellion in annihilating the Targaryens and destroying their legacy.
Aside from that, part of their disgust towards Valyrians was also due to the proliferating use of the word 'Dragon' for the Wyverns they tamed.
In the Holy Arcadia Empire, the Greater Wyrms or True Dragons have a unique position, as they are seen as symbols of power and the most powerful beings. Till this day, only a few people contracted Greater Wyrm as their familiar, though usage of Wyvern in the Holy Arcadia Empire became common after the Valyrian Expedition."
Comparison of Nations of the Known World, by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel and Remembrancer Joachim of Schola Progenium
***
Codex: Byrgenwerth
Byrgenwerth is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions within The Holy Arcadia Empire that has a history of over 5,000 years. The exact date of the founding of the Byrgenweth remains unknown or probably known only to the higher-ups of this fine institution.
The institution itself was founded by two legendary figures and heroes of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Master Willem and Big Hat Logan. One was a scholar who studied ancient ruins from the Age of Ancient, even from the time before Lord Gwyn Sacrificed himself and another one was from the Age of Ancient itself.
Byrgenwerth itself is divided into several divisions. On the top of the pyramid are the Scholars of Byrgenwerth who are the most accomplished Wizards, Mages, Sorcerers and Scholars from the entire faction. Below them are the Eight Orders of Magic, which are the foundation of the Byrgenwerth itself.
On the bottom of the hierarchy are the Eight Magic Colleges, corresponding to the Eight Orders of Magic, whose sole purpose is the education of new generations of pursuers of the Truth.
The leader of Byrgenwerth has always had two titles: Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Orders of Magic and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth. He is the supreme authority in the entire School and also has the noble title of Lord High Magistrate as Byrgenwerth rules the City State of Faust, the City of Miracles.
***
The Skycrown Gate was an enormous monstrosity of the gate that was the only passage between the Lands of Ancients and the Daemon Lands, connected through Tartarus Pass.
Tartarus Pass was a vast valley that connected the two places together through the World Edge Mountains, which were separating the people of the Lordran from the horrors of Daemon Lands and holding them at bay.
The Skycrown Gate was made by a collaboration of the Dwarves and Mages of the Faust, together with the Priests of the Healing Church, creating a sole miracle that stood strong for centuries.
And for centuries, it protected the Lordran from the incursion of Daemon, as no matter how powerful the Daemon Hordes were, they were all broken by the might of the Skycrown Gate.
The might of the wall that blocked the entire valley was another wonder because it stood tall around the whole valley, severing the two points of land. Right now, though, everyone was rushing to the Skycrown Gate because the scouts saw another Daemon horde heading towards the Tartarus Pass, and a big one at that...
Right now, the Provincial Army and the Imperial Legion that was permanently stationed in the Skycrown Gate were already on full alert. But that was not enough because the number of Daemons was too huge.
Fortunately, the Empire already ordered the move of another Imperial Legion, the one from the Grand Province of Klandor as that one was closest; aside from that, they were sending an entire Legion of Silver Knights, Sadality of Reiksgarde and Church Executioners, and even Hunters.
Unfortunately, the reinforcements would arrive only in a few days due to the vast distance they needed to cross, and for now, they needed to hold the Skycrown Gate with the 50,000 Soldiers of the Provincial Army and one Imperial Legion numbering 75,000 soldiers.
The Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes of the Blood Dragons was the Elector Count for Sylvania since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
However, their Clan guarded the Tartarus Pass for a much longer time than that.
"Have all arrived already?"
Each Grand Province had its own standing military known as the Provincial Army, which was under the direct control of the Elector Count of the Grand Province. Aside from that, in each province, one Imperial Legion was permanently stationed.
Aside from that, each Noble House had the right to have its personal Household Guards, but their number was restricted, as was the size of the Provincial Army.
"Yes, all Viceroy Houses have arrived aside from the Harkons, who will arrive in a few hours with their retinue. Altogether, we have right now 140,000 men on the Skycrown Gate."
His adjutant answered the question, but the Elector Count only frowned because the number wasn't that high, actually, considering the size of the Daemon horde that was advancing on the Tartarus Pass today.
Their scouts saw an enormous horde numbering at least two and a half million Daemons, ranging from the Daemon Beasts for most of the part, but there was also a good number of Lesser Daemons among them, and it was led by three Greater Daemons.
So, the situation was grave, and without reinforcements, they would suffer massive casualties.
"Order Engineers to prepare the cannons and artillery and same for the Battle Wizards... such large horde of Daemons last attacked the Skycrown Gate approximately two hundred years ago; this would be one of the hardest fights for past centuries."
Usually, the Daemons that attacked Skycrown Gate numbered in hundreds of thousands, typically no more than half a million, which was pretty easy for the garrison of the Imperial Legion that was stationed there to defend against.
"I already have; the dwarven engineers are right now checking on the weapons, and Battle Wizards are activating the barrier and magical defenses of the Skycrown Gate."
Fortunately, as it seemed, they would be fighting in the deep night, which was good as every single Vampire was much stronger during the night than they were during the day.
With the Old Blood flowing through their veins, the Sunlight wasn't deadly to them, but they were still weakened considerably during the daylight.
***
Grand Province of Klandor
In the huge military complex of Fortress of the Unsetting Sun, thousands upon thousands of soldiers were running across the entire complex and getting ready for the march.
Fortress of the Unsetting Sun was one of the major strongholds of the Holy Arcadia Empire and the place where the 6th Imperial Legion was stationed.
The architecture was vast, majestic, and sharp. The rocks used in the construction were solid and compact, and the occasional statues looked like they had survived millennia of erosion from wind and rain.
Every story of the buildings here was over six meters high, meaning the original inhabitants were at least three meters tall.
The valley was so deep that one couldn't even see the ground below, only crimson flames billowing out from within. This wound of the plane served as a natural barrier, demarcating the territory of the Unsetting Sun from what was known as the dark wilderness.
"When will we be ready to march?"
The General of the 6th Imperial Legion was General Rundstedt, a former Head of the Viceroy House of Rundstedt. He was an elderly-looking man with a grey beard and short grey hair, clad in the runic armor of the dwarven craft.
"Within three hours, approximate arrival at the Skycrown Gate without top speed should be 1 day."
One of the Legates who commanded the First Division of the 6th Legion stated. Fortunately, due to various Warmachine and inventions, they could transport large numbers of soldiers fast, even across their vast lands.
"Make it faster, Legate Tullius; also, notify the Head Wizard that they need to pack up their things faster. I want to arrive at the Skycrown Gate as fast as possible; the orders from the City of Gods are clear, the situation is grave."
General Rundstedt ordered in a cold voice because now the Skycrown Gate would be attacked by the largest and strongest Daemon Horde for the past two centuries.
If not, then the Empire wouldn't dispatch the entire Legion of Silver Knights and one Sadality of Reiksgarde and Church Executioners.
There were even Hunters being dispatched, and Gryphon Knights, Questing Knights, and other special units of the Empire were dispatched to handle the possible Daemon incursion.
Meanwhile, he also got the notification that the 5th Legion was also put on standby to support the Skycrown Gate or Grand Province of Orleáns if Orks decided to make a mess.
And even the House Izalith had already sent some of their elite Pyromancers to the Skycrown Gate, together with the Grand Principality of Reikland putting their forces on standby in case of need.
The mighty military machine of the Empire started moving.
***
Somewhere in the Dark Lands, also known as Daemon Lands, around the same time, the invasion news reached the Skycrown Gate.
The Dark Lands were a stark and cheerless place in the Far East of the Lands of Ancients beyond the boundaries of the "Old World", where nature has rented the ground and burst the mountains apart.
Amongst the peaks, volcanoes spew black smoke into the filthy sky. In the plains, the stench of tar pits and oil pools hangs heavily in the air. Steaming lava from beneath the earth's crust covers the ash wastes with a blanket of bubbling magma.
The Dark Lands were bordered on both sides by the Worlds Edge Mountains and the Mountains of Mourn, which bordered the Sunset Seas. Almost nothing can grow in the Dark Lands, and almost nothing can live there, aside from Daemons and other foul creatures.
The dim light and choking air combine to ensure that the land remains devoid of vegetation, except for a few straggly black thorns.
The volcanoes and gaping pits bring up all kinds of minerals and gems from beneath the earth: gold and silver, iron and copper, diamonds and sapphires, as well as sulfur, oil and tar.
It was a land rich in the materials that Dwarfs especially covet, and due to its riches, even despite the Danger, the Holy Arcadia Empire often sanctioned expeditions into the Dark Laldns for its resources.
Be it the natural riches or the corpses of various Magical Beasts or Daemons.
The most notable species within the Dark Lands were naturally the Daemons, but there were a good number of Greenskins, Skaven and other foul creatures that were the embodiment of the darkness and dread.
High above the skies of the Dark Lands, a sole griffon knight was flying on the majestic mount as his silver hair fluttered in the air.
"Almost two and half a million and all coming from the Black Fortress... dammit... that is the territory of Daemon Lord... I need to warn father."
The young man riding the griffon was the son of the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes and Lisa Draculya-Tepes, Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes.
"Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand..."
Daemon Lord was personally moving his forces at the Skycrown Gate; this was terrible news for the defenders of the Skycrown Gate because Daemon Lord was a Level 6 entity and even his Lord Father was only a very powerful Level 5...
This would require a mighty Master Hunter, or Tribune of Reksgarde, or Holy Paladin of the Church Executioners to deal with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was one of the more powerful Daemon Lords in the Dark Lands.
"I should leave before the Daemon Lord notices my presence."
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes then controlled his griffon, who was also clad in the same kind of heavy armor made from Mithril, and flew towards the Skycrown Gate at his top speed.
***
Skycrown Gate, several hours later
"My Lord, the Daemons would arrive within two hours."
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes stood on the top of the walls and overlooked the Tartarus Pass with keen interest. The great battle was ahead of them, and it would be a hard one, but he was confident that everything would be alright.
"I know... is everything prepared?"
As the Elector Count of Grand Province of Sylvania asked, the adjutant nodded, as everything was in place.
The Provincial Army was in their position, together with the Imperial Legion and personal guards of Viceroys, Barons and Grand Paladins.
Everyone was on standby in the highest state of alert and ready for combat. Just as he was about to issue more orders, he suddenly saw a griffon in the distance, coming from the Dark Lands.
He knew that his son had departed on the reconnaissance mission of the incoming Daemon horde that was coming to attack the Skycrown Gate. Within several minutes, the griffon landed down on the walls next to him, and Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes hopped down from the majestic creature.
"Father, the horde is led by Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand..."
The moment he said that the mood on the walls plummeted fast, and everyone looked pale, but the shock didn't last long. His father recovered very fast from the initial shock that Daemon Lord was leading the attack.
"Immediately contact the High Command of the Imperial Army, send the message to the Anor Londo for reinforcements. And also to Faust, we need more Wizards."
Everyone started running here and there because the situation became even graver than before.
But they would win.
Because the Empire never lost.
***
Around the same time, in the Faust, the City of Miracles.
After Karl Franz exited the Goldstone Manufactory Armory where his fianceé ordered literarily shitton of things which cost an outrageous amount of Crowns, but fortunately, they got a nice discount.
It was clear that the Longbeard Clan of Erebor wished to obtain the favor of the Imperial House and especially that of the new Empress in the upcoming Conclave of Forge so that they could rise to the position of one of the Three Hammers of the Council of Three Hammers.
Just as they were about to head for dinner in the restaurant, he got an urgent summon through a particular spell that was used only for emergencies. They stopped in their steps before Karl Franz took out a small Lacrima crystal, and the familiar face of High Chancellor Luca Brewster appeared there.
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent situation. During the reconnaissance mission, they found out that the Daemon horde is led by the Daemon Lord... because the Faust is right now closest to the Skycrown Gate, Your Majesty is the nearest Level 6 individual."
He frowned deeply because not only did the situation on the front get worse, but at the same time, he was having a good time with his fianceé showing her the city, but now, it seemed that he would need to depart for the battlefield.
"I understand, High Chancellor. I will depart right away..."
There was one good thing about all of this, Faust, as one of the Holy Cities was interconnected with the other three Holy Cities and Skycrown Gate with an experimental teleportation network.
They planned to implement it throughout the entire territory of the Empire. Daemon Lords existed even in the Material Plane; there were not many of them, truth to be told, but there were some.
Most of them were actually ones who were banished from the Abyss or lost their holdings in the Abyss and escaped into one of the worlds across the Prime Material Plane.
He wasn't really thrilled at the idea of fighting against another Daemon Lord, and this one, contrary to the Deamon Lord Demogorgon, who was native to the Abyss, wouldn't be weakened and would be in his full power.
Fortunately, he also wasn't tasked with killing the Daemon Lord... he knew that it would be enough as long as he pushed the Daemon Lord back into the Dark Lands.
He would be just buying time for the rest of the army to push the Daemon horde back, forcing them to retreat.
Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was one of the strongest Daemon Lords in the Dark Lands, he would be a very tough opponent even for Karl Franz, but he would need to hold the Daemon Lord for as long as possible.
They had already notified Worshop, and a Master Hunter would arrive at the Skycrown Gate within three hours, so he needed to hold the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand on the bay for one hour exactly.
'Something is indeed happening in the Abyss, and no matter what it is, it's nothing good... First, Demorgogon risked his life by descending into the Prima Material Plane, and now another Daemon Lord from the Dark Lands is making a move...'
Karl Franz thought as he canceled the call with the High Chancellor Luca Brewster and went to inform his finaceé that he wouldn't be available for the foreseeable future, though if everything went according to the plan, he would be back within 24 hours.
"Something has happened?"
And speaking of the wolf, or rather lion, in this case, she noticed that he looked more serious compared to before, so something must have indeed happened.
"Yes, the latest news from the High Chancellor requires me to personally go to the battlefield to face a Daemon Lord until Master Hunter from the Worskshop arrives, so I am afraid we would need to postpone our dinner for tomorrow if."
***
Cersei POV
I don't like it...
While at the same time, that power was attractive; in Westeros, almost no King would head to the battle in the vanguard, and many Nobles would undoubtedly abstain from such actions, too...
Going to the frontlines to face the enemy wasn't really a thing that a ruler should do; at least, that was how it was in Westeros. And while the old me would want to say something about it, seeing him like this was making me all hot...
Dammit...
"Return with Guards to the Blackrose Castle for the time being... I need to go."
Karl wasn't afraid of going to battle, and if someone angered him, they would solve it with their fists. He was my future husband... I was afraid that something would happen to him, but I couldn't show it openly.
I went up to him and gave him a kiss on his lips, which he happily returned... he was always so passionate with me, patient, calm, understanding, and yet deep inside my mind, it created only another question: why me?
Why did he even agree to the proposal of my father when he didn't need to?
Indeed, the Westerlands were rich, even having things that the Holy Arcadia Empire would consider as strategic resources, but the marriage between the ruling monarch and me wasn't really necessary.
As much as I hate to admit it, even the status of Lannisters wasn't much in front of him, so that stemmed the question... why?
When I asked him, he simply told me it was the will of the Great Ones that brought us together...
'It was the will of the Great Ones that we found about the Westeros, and it was also the will of the Great Ones that we met, and when I first saw you, I felt something that I cannot describe to this day, but it was the same feeling I had when I first met with Maria. So that is why...'
I sometimes wonder what would happen to me; what fate did the Great Ones see for me if not for the arrival of the Holy Arcadia Empire?
Would I end in some loveless marriage with some fool Lord who would see me just as a broodmare for his house and nothing more?
When I asked this question, I dreaded the truth that it would probably be the case because such was the fate of most noble ladies in Westeros. Rarely were the marriages out of love, and rarely were they marriages of love, as mostly they were out of convenience.
I knew that our standings were different, but I was Cersei Lannister, daughter of Tywin Lannister, and I would be the best for him, just as he was for me.
My other half... every time he hugged me, I felt indescribable warmth filling me, not to mention, the idea of sharing a bed with another woman wasn't unwelcome...
Yes, I needed to protect my family at any cost and there were many threats in the Empire, ranging from the Orks, Beasts, Daemons to the Heretics and Rogues that sold their souls to the ruinous powers.
All of them would die.
Nobody will threaten my newly found happiness...
Nobody will threaten my family...
Lannister always pay his debts and the debt of the Holy Arcadia Empire to its enemies was to be paid.
***
MC POV
I wasn't really thrilled about leaving once again for the battlefield; right now, I would even appreciate some paperwork instead of fighting.
But we can't always get what we want, right?
Still, I felt a bit bad for leaving Cersei behind and even disturbing our date, but there was nothing I could do about it. She was especially cuddly right now; after our talk some time ago, she was getting more open.
Yeah... the question is why did I even agree to Tywin's proposal when I didn't even need to at all because, in fact, there was no need for it. It was no doubt that she had insecurities because, inside her head, she was constantly asking the reason?
The reason? Why?
I would be silly to admit that the reason was only my own feelings?
The reason was that I remembered her from my first life and she was exactly my type of woman... someone I desired, not to mention her beauty...
It was the same feeling I had when I first saw Maria at the reception of the House Vileblood several centuries ago, that indescribable burning feeling in my heart when I saw her, that I knew that she was the right one.
And now I experienced it once again, so I talked about it... Even with Maria, we didn't share a secret; aside from that, I am technically speaking a reincarnated person, but that one was forbidden to say by the will of the Great Ones.
Only Maria knew about it, and when the time came, I would tell Cersei, too; I don't like to have secrets in relationships; it would always bite you in the ass.
Maria didn't react too much because she didn't really care, not to mention even in the Empire, there were theories that there existed infinite parallel timelines.
Mainly thanks due to the study of Time Magic.
After separating with my finaceé, I went directly to the Headquarters of the Byrgenwerth, where the experimental teleportation array was placed. In the future, there was a plan for every city to have a teleportation array like this, as there were countless uses for it.
Right now, only four places across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire had it, though soon, one was planned to be constructed in the Grand Province of Orleáns, on the wall that they were building to separate the Orklands from the Empire.
That would be five, then.
When I arrived there, I wasn't the sole person going to the battlefield at the Tartarus Pass because the Byrgenwerth was sending reinforcements of several hundred people.
Aside from me, there were several Scholars and even High Scholars, Battle Wizards, members of the Chaos Flame Covenant and Magic Knights, and a lot of Magic Knights who were sworn guardians of the Wizards.
The role of the Magic Knight was to protect the Wizard when the Wizard was casting spells because sometimes assassins could sneak or a large number of enemies could attack the spell caster.
Usually, the Wizards would strengthen their Magic Knights with a lot of rituals, greatly elevating their strength and power, in exchange for the Magic Knights protecting them with all their might.
Soon enough, the portal gate activated and connected a portal that was connecting two points in space and people started flooding into the Skycrown Gate.
***
3rd POV
Skycrown Gate
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes watched as tens if not hundreds of Wizards, Scholars, and Magic Knights were flooding from the portal as the Byrgenwerth was sending their reinforcements.
The ones from the Anor Londo and Yharnamn arrived only a few minutes earlier, and now the Skycrown Gate was host to the 250 members of the Reiksgarde and 250 Church's Executioner Holy Knights.
The only thing they were now waiting for was the 6th Imperial Legion, which was taking some time from the Grand Province of Klandor.
Now that the reinforcements from Faust had arrived, the Elector Count was more confident and thought the only thing they were lacking was someone who would deal with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
And just as he was contemplating about this, he was shocked to the core by the sight before him.... because he saw the Holy Imperator walking through the portal, holding his Holy Weapon, Longinuslanzse Testament.
When other soldiers saw the Holy Imperator, they wanted to kneel, but one gesture told them to stop.
"I am not here as monarch but as another soldier today, Elector Count Draculya-Tepes... I got the latest news about the Skycrown Gate during the time I was in Faust and the High Chancellor asked me to stall the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand for long enough until another Master Hunter from the Workshop arrives."
Karl Franz stated he wasn't here to take command of the battle, but he would be here only to fight against the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, as the Skycrown Gate was not his to command personnel.
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was far more than competent to command against the incursion of the Daemon horde, as he had done for the past many decades, and always defended the Skycrown Gate.
"I understand, Your Majesty; please follow me to the command center. Only several minutes earlier, one Sadality of Church's Executioner Holy Knights and Sadality of Reiksgarde arrived together with their Prefects."
Standart members of the Holy Knights or Reiksgarde were of Level 3 and could effortlessly deal with even the strongest Lesser Daemons, and with their superior equipment, they had a solid chance against even Level 4 Greater Daemons.
"When is the approximate arrival of the Daemon horde?"
Karl Franz asked, noticing dark clouds gathering in the distance of the Dark Lands, and the daemonic miasma was getting thicker...
A sign that they were close. Karl Franz also ordered the Reiksgarde Knigths and Church's Executioner Holy Knights to follow the arrangements and orders of Elector Count Draculya-Tepes.
"Approximate time is fifty-four minutes."
While they were talking, suddenly, another huge portal appeared in the Skycrown Gate, only for a huge shadow to fly through the portal with a screeching sound.
"Deathclaw."
It was a personal mount and familiar of Karl Franz, his Imperial Griffon Deathclaw.
Elector Counts, Imperial Nobles and Knights of the Empire prize Imperial Griffons above all other mounts, and years of selective breeding have produced noble beasts that are notably stronger and larger than their wild counterparts.
Brave Empire adventurers seek out Griffon nests and steal their chicks to raise in captivity, singling out the strongest, cleverest, and most ferocious for their lords.
Once trained to carry a man in battle, Imperial Griffons are incredibly dedicated to their riders, and many of the most powerful people within the Holy Arcadia Empire prize these ferocious beasts as loyal mounts.
Griffon was a powerful Magical Creature with a body that of a lion, a head and wings that of an eagle. Griffons were very intelligent, cunning, and powerful creatures; some older ones could even cast some spells.
They were top-notch predators, and because the Holy Arcadia Empire lacked the means to tame Dragons or Wyverns, as that would require a method of binding their bloodline from one source to another, Griffons were the main Air Forces of the Empire.
Naturally, in the future, Griffons would become one of many flying creatures in the Holy Arcadia Empire that were part of its forces. But there was an important thing today: the Griffon wasn't a pet; it was a companion, friend, and ally.
They were incredibly proud and intelligent creatures, and they needed to be treated as such. Karl Franz went to the Deatclaw, and the huge griffon clad in Mithril runic armor snuggled his huge head to him as he was patting his head.
Karl Franz loved animals of all kinds; even right now, there were about a dozen Magical Creatures wandering through the Imperial Palace, from cats to griffon chicks and there was even an egg of Greater Wyrm that Karl Franz was taking care of for more than thirty years and feeding it his energy hoping to create a familiar bond with Great Wyrm.
"So they sent you here to help?"
Karl Franz asked as Deathclaw huffed in agreement and nodded his huge head as he continued petting the majestic Magical Creature.
***
On the eve of the battle
"Load the Mortars! Bloodletters incoming!"
Shouted one of the artillery masters from the walls.
Bloodletters generally stand taller than a man, though they are so stooped and hunched that their faces often lie at a similar height.
Their bodies are slim with a muscled, wiry strength. Their horns and claws are blackened and flecked with crimson, and their feet are turned and cloven like those of a goat.
A Bloodletter's skin beneath their armor runs from the deepest red to near-orange in color and is as hard as brass forged upon the anvil of ceaseless war. It also drips constantly with blood, for Bloodletters frequently paint their bodies with gore taken from the enemies they have slain.
A Bloodletter's head is stretched tall with two ridged horns the color of bone sprouting from their temples. Their snarling, bestial faces, twisted by rage, are overlarge with the skin pulled taut so that their face appears as a skull.
Their visages are framed by horns sprouting from the sides of their skulls and shaggy manes that run down their backs, their hair like a black wire that was molded and spiked by gore.
There were hundreds of thousands of Bloodletters running at the Skycrown Gate, all of them ranging from mainly Level 1 to Level 2; some of the bigger and strongest Bloodletters were at Level 3, as they were the most basic Lesser Daemons.
Instantly, the mortars were loaded with ammunition, and soon enough, sounds of artillery firing were heard across the entire Tartarus Pass, and the sky was lit with countless projectiles that were falling on the incoming Daemon Horde.
The entire battlefield erupted into an enormous explosion as tens of thousands of Bloodletters were torn apart by the artillery firing from the Skycrown Gate. Just one salvo was enough to cause tremendous losses to the Daemons, but naturally, the Daemons didn't care about their losses, only about the results.
"Helstorm Rocket Batteries Fire!"
Several seconds later, after the mortars, hundreds of rockets shot into the air and fell into the incommiíng horde of Daemons.
Helstorm Rocket Batteries was a relatively new technology in the Imperial Arsenal developed by Master Engineer Herman Faulkstein only a few years ago, together with Dwarven Engineering Guild and Gnomeregan Alchemists.
"Reload on my command! Battle Wizards activate the barrier!"
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes shouted the orders as he personally commanded the defensive battle and the entire garrison worked like a well-working machine. Such a thing was natural because the 11th Imperial Legion and Provincial Army of Sylvania were experienced at this.
There was no soldier of the Holy Arcadia Empire who wasn't a master in combat, as all Legions and Provincial Armies fought non-stop to keep them in top condition.
Instantly, the mortars shot once again while the Helstorm Rocket Batteries were reloading, and immediately afterward, the Battle Wizards were finished with their spells, as a translucent shielding barrier started enveloping the Skycrown Gate entirely.
"On my command, fire at will!"
As the Elector Count of Sylvania commanded, the artillery pieces and siege engines were firing furiously, bombarding the incoming daemon horde to smitterness and cutting down their numbers as much as possible.
But everyone was aware that the most challenging part of the battle was just coming.
***
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Chapter 9 – Battle of the Skycrown Gate (2)
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"How would I describe the Holy Arcadia Empire of the Lands of Ancients... Lordran. It is the Empire built on Blood, Steel, Faith, Magic and Gunpowder. The Imperials are rather reclusive people; they don't hold much interest in expanding their territory of Westeros and Essos, probably Volantis for their Heresy and Sothoryos were sole exemptions from this rule.
The Empire is a land of endless possibilities; it is a land where one could rise from peasant to status of highest nobility that would put all former Kings of the Seven Kingdoms to shame, but it was also a land where one mistake would see all those possibilities come to a sudden and often very painful end."
Quote by Tywin Lannister from the book "The First Landing".
***
Codex: Laws of Succession of Imperial Nobles
Contrary to the lands of Westeros and Essoss, the Laws of Imperial Sucesses are entirely different.
While the Noble Titles of Barons and Viceroys are passable to the eldest descendants, be they male or female, in the Main Line after passing Imperial Examinations, the Elector Counts are in entirely different situations.
Part of the reason why they are called Elector Counts is that they themselves are to be elected to their position by the House Council after passing the Imperial Examination firstly to ensure that only the best of the best would become the new Elector Counts.
After that, the Elector Count candidate is chosen by votes, where the Elders of the Elector Count House will vote for the new Elector Count. If the previous Elector Count is still alive, he doesn't get a vote unless the vote ends in a draw, then he gets the deciding vote.
This process also applies to the Lord High Magistrate House of Vileblood that controls the City-State of Cainhurst the City of Silver.
While the new Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church is chosen too by voting among Vicars and the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth is selected by voting and duel.
***
"Chaos Furies are incoming! Prepare the bolters! Wizards prepare the Spells!"
Karl Franz could hear the Elector Count of Sylvania, Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes, shout as thousands of creatures appeared from the sky and started descending on the Skycrown Gate in huge numbers.
The Chaos Furies were fierce creatures with great leathery wings. Their faces have more in common with Dragons or Wyvern than they do with Humans, as they are twisted into snarling visages full of sharp angles and wicked fangs set beneath searching, feral, red eyes.
Since Chaos Furies lack the power and malevolent purpose of serving a particular Ruinous Power, they are among the weakest of the Lesser Daemons, though more than a match for most mortals. They haunt forlorn places, always searching for lone or injured travelers.
Among the forces of the Daemons, they presented the basis of the Air Forces of the Daemons and foul powers.
Meanwhile, on the walls of the Skycrown Gates, the Dwarven Engineers were loading the machines of war called Dwarf Bolt Thrower, which was basically a large version of the crossbow or Scorpio, able to fire very heavy bolts over greater distances.
Dwarf Engineers still vie with each other to invent Bolt Throwers with greater range, loading speed, or accuracy. Practical to a fault, the Dwarfs place more trust in an old, proven Bolt Thrower that has fired reliably for generations.
The Bolt Thrower remains an integral part of the Dwarf arsenal because it can be built and maintained cheaply and is accurate enough to bring down monsters such as Wyverns or Trolls with a well-judged shot.
Across the entire walls of the Skycrown Gate, there were hundreds of the Bolt Throwers, and soon, all of them, in a beautiful symphony of coordinated attack, launched waves of heavy bolts that skewered through the clouds of the Chaos Furies.
The foul Lesser Daemons were torn to shreds by the swarms of the bots, while some of the bolts that didn't hit the Chaos Furies still fell onto the Daemons on the ground, killing some Bloodletters and other kinds of Lesser Daemons instead.
"Battle Wizards attack!"
During the time the Bolt Throwers were being reloaded, the Battle Wizards unleashed their carnage of spells as the entire Tartarus Pass lit in a spectacular performance of various Lores of Magic.
Elemental Spells like those of Lighting or Fire were doing the most significant damage; the Pyromancers of the Chaos Flame Covenant and House Izalith were burning the Daemons to the crips.
And the moment Spells quieted down, the Bolt Throwers fired once again, leaving there no blank time when the Skycrown Gate wasn't shooting something at the enemy. From a distance, though, Karl Franz could see some of the Greater Daemons appearing among the horde.
"Bloodthirsters spotted!"
Soon enough, the enormous Greater Daemons of Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, one of the rulers of the Abyss, appeared in the distance.
"Elector Count Vladislaus, I will take care of them."
Karl Franz stated, receiving a nod from the Elector Count, who could now focus more on the defense of the Skycrown Gate.
"1st Shield Company of Reiksgarde with me!"
The Holy Imperator shouted as he mounted his Griffon Deathclaw and rose high in the air; together with him, 125 members of the Reiksgarde repeated the same action as more than a hundred Griffon Knights rose into the air and flew directly at the several tens of Bloodthirsters.
The Bloodthirster is a massive Daemon with crimson skin that perspires blood. It has the lower legs of a beast, blending the traits of a goat and bull, with the upper body of a man, though covered in thick, curly black hair sodden with gore.
From its back spread two massive leathery wings, not unlike those of a Dragon. Atop its neck is a bestial, tusked, dog-faced head fitted with two bull horns that spread to either side.
The horns and head of this Greater Daemon are decorated with profane symbols of the Blood God, including the Mark of Khorne. Covering its body are plates of brass Chaos Armour bolted directly to its bone and fused to its flesh.
Many Drinkers of Blood also tear the faces of their victims from their skulls to add them to their armor like some perverse purity scroll.
This armor is forged upon the Daemon's flesh by Khorne himself and thereafter becomes a living part of the Daemon's physical form, even while maintaining a brutal intelligence of its own. As such, even the Bloodthirster's armor is wrathful and longs for slaughter.
Most Bloodthirsters wield Daemonic battleaxes known simply as the Axes of Khorne. Said to contain the essence of failed Daemons, these weapons are noted for cutting through flesh and armor with ease.
There were around thirty Bloodthirsters that were at the Greater Daemon Level, and there were even several Daemon Nobles that were comparable to Level 5, which would be left to the Holy Imperator to handle.
Several members of the Reiksgarde, when grouped together, could take down a Bloodthirster with some effort, especially if they were boosted by the Priests of the Healing Church and their weapons contained the Holy Power of the Great Ones that were deathly to the Daemons of Abyss.
Riding on the top of his Griffon Deathclaw, Karl Franz held strong on his weapon, the Holy Artifact of the Great Ones, Longinuslanze Testament, as he aimed directly at the biggest of the Bloodthirsters.
Among the Bloodthirsters, the Chieftains were Daemon Nobles and were Level 5 beings more powerful than ordinary Bloodthirsters. Before the collision happened, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction burst out of the Longinuslanze Testament, blinding all those around him.
Instantly the Golden Light burned down any Daemons in the vicinity; even several unfortunate Greater Daemons were burned to crips as they could even withstand the presence of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
"Let you be judged by the will of the Great Ones! For the Lord Gwyn!"
Karl Franz shouted as the Longinuslanze Testament pierced through the skull of one of the Daemon Nobles in a mere moment, killing one of the most powerful Daemons on the battlefield within a matter of moments.
The Reiksgarde Knights followed tightly after the Holy Imperator and started attacking the Greater Daemons Bloodthirsters from their Griffons, flying around the huge Greater Daemons and striking them with their weapons or spells.
One thing that was disadvantageous about them was that they were relatively huge and agility wasn't their strongest side, which was naturally then exploited by the Reiksgarde Knights, which were flying around the huge Bloodthirsters.
They were harassing them, slashing at them with their lances and swords, often casting some sort of Magic Spells at them. Each Knigth of the Reiksgarde was proficient in Magic on the level of an average Battle Wizard who mastered specific lore.
The Reiksgarde were the best of the best; they were truly prime examples of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Just after five minutes, several of the Bloodthirsters were already on the verge of death because they were previously injured by the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
***
On the Walls
Everything that was happening on the battlefield was observed by the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes, who was commander of the Skycrown Gate.
Now that the Greater Daemons Bloodthristers were taken care of, he could focus on the Lesser Daemons, who had already arrived and were attacking the gate itself.
"Skull Cannons... Reinforce the barrier!"
He shouted at the Wizards and Magicians who were stationed on the Skycrown Gate, who immediately went to work and started reinforcing the barrier surrounding the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
The Skull Cannons of Khorne, also known as Hellforged Bellowers, the Bonegrinders, or the Clinkerfiends, are massive Daemon Engines of Khorne. Legend tells that the Skull Cannons of Khorne were forged in the furnaces at the foot of the Blood God's throne and beaten into shape upon his mighty anvil.
Hundreds of them appeared in the distance among the endless Daemon Horde and started firing flaming projectiles at the walls of the Skycrown Gate. Fortunately, the Skycrown Gate had several layers of defense, including physical ones and magical ones.
"Dammit... there are too many of them... return it to them, aim at the Skull Cannons! Acht, take Division of Silver Knight and reinforce the weak point number Alpha; the Daemons would land there in five minutes."
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes, who was standing together with his father on the walls, nodded his head and immediately hopped on his Griffon and flew to another part of the Skycrown Gate.
Delivered a command from his father as the Silver Knights were heading towards the cornermost part of the Skycrown Gate, which was under the heaviest assault of Chaos Furies and other types of flying Daemons.
Soon enough, the Chaos Furies would be picking up other Daemons and dropping them directly at the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
In the same place where Jubstacheit was leading 2,500 Silver Knights, Commander of the 15th Regiment of 11th Legion, numbering 5,000 Soldiers of the Imperial Army.
"Commander Helmut, we got the news that Elector Count has sent reinforcements numbering the entire Division of Silver Knight led by the young lord."
Commander Helmut was clad in his military uniform, as he was personally commanding the Artillery that was targeting the flying Daemons.
The standard armor of the Imperial Soldiers varied; the ordinary soldiers wore a mixture of chainmail, heavy leather made from powerful Magical Creatures and heavy plates; they also wore a face mask attached to their helmets.
Meanwhile, the officers and stronger members of the Imperial Army were wearing heavy planted armor reminiscent of knights, with face facemasks.
Having their entire Division of Silver Knights would be certainly helpful, as their position was most vulnerable against the attack of Daemons right now. Across the Holy Arcadia Empire, there were only two places where Legions of Silver Knights were permanently stationed.
One of them was Skycrown Gate and another was Grand Province of Orleáns, which was defending against the Orks. Naturally, these Legions were constantly rotating, so every Legion got enough combat experience.
"Send them directly to Squad Master of Holy Knights..."
Four minutes later, one minute before the approximate arrival of the Division of the Silver Knights, the Chaos Furies had already started dropping Daemon on the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
Seeing this, Commander Helmut grits his teeth because the Daemons were faster than their reinforcements by one minute, so this would be pretty hard... every single second was crucial in situations like this.
The Daemons that they were dropping here were stronger Bloodletters, and there were more and more of them, and the ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Army were not able to resist against the stronger Bloodletters that were around Level 2 or higher.
But like it was heaven sent from Lady Luck, several tens of Griffons descended from the skies and started tearing apart the Chaos Furies.
Among the Silver Knights, only the Grand Knights could have a Griffon as a mount and among the entire Division of 2,500 Silver Knights, there were around 200 Grand Knights.
"We were lucky this time..."
Commander Helmut sighed in relief because while the soldiers of the Imperial Army were of the peak human condition, but it was not enough in front of Bloodletters, that had greater physical strength.
Fortunately, what the Soldiers of the Imperial Army lacked in strength, speed and physique, they made up for with their skills and abilities, as the Bloodletters were relatively simple when it came to fighting and combat.
Several minutes after the arrival of the Division of Silver Knights, they started pushing back the Chaos Furies entirely. However, the fighting on the walls was still going on, but soon the soldiers of the Imperial Army were reinforced by the Silver Knights.
With the Silver Knights entering the battle, the number of casualties of the Imperial Soldiers started decreasing at a steady rate, as the Silver Knights took the role of combating the Daemons, while the Imperial Army only had a supplementary role.
The Silver Knights, in their heavy armor and weapons, all made by Dwarven hands and inscribed with runes, were like War Gods incarnate as they were cutting through the hordes of Daemon with thunderous speed.
Soon enough, they contained the Daemons on the Skycrown Gate and were steadily pushing them out. Naturally, this didn't come without the losses from the side of the Silver Knights, but they were minuscule compared to the losses that the Daemons were suffering.
Another thing that helped was that, across the entirety of the Skycrown Gate, there were several Priests of the Healing Church who were responsible for healing the injured. Hence, the casualties were much lesser than they would normally be in a fight of these proportions.
***
On the Battlefield
Deeper on the battlefield, the forces of the Reiksgarde, under the leadership of the Holy Imperator, were fighting against the Greater Daemons of Khorne, the Bloodthirsters and also some of the Daemon Nobles that were engaged against the Holy Imperator himself.
Several members of the Reiksgarde have already fallen to the brutal onslaught of the Bloodthirsters, but not without taking with them as many enemies as possible. From the initial 125 Reiksgarde, now something around 80 remained.
Rest were killed in combat, dying valorously for the glory and holiness of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its people. Some of them even took down Greater Daemons themselves on their dying breath.
The moment their masters died, the Griffons would take the corpses of the Imperial Guardians and bring them back to the Anor Londo so that they could have a funeral in the mausoleum in the City of Gods.
An honor reserved for none another.
"Mortals! Die for the glory of the Blood God!"
A deafening roar sounded through the entirety of the battlefield as everyone realized that the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand had arrived. As one of the Daemon Lords under the service of one of the Four Chaos Gods, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was an extremely powerful Daemon Lord.
Karl Franz looked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand from atop his Griffon Deathclaw and knew that the Daemon Lord was much stronger than he was... much stronger, which made him rethink his strategy when dealing against this monstrosity of an opponent.
''Empowered by the Abyssa and Chaos God himself... what are those Four playing again?'
There was only one thing that would explain what was happening right now in the realms of Ruin: the Abyss. Probably all cosmology would witness the birth of a new God of Chaos, albeit a Minor one, but the God of Chaos nevertheless.
"Retreat! All of you retreat on the walls!"
Karl Franz shouted at the Reiksgarde Kngiths, who obeyed his orders and immediately withdrew from the battlefield, leaving there Karl Franz alone, staring at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
The enormous Bloodthirster was at least twice as big as an ordinary Bloodthirster and looked even angrier and more powerful than the ordinary Bloodthirsters. For several first seconds, both of them started at each other before the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand lunged into the air.
Hacking his enormous waraxe decorated with several skulls and Abyssal runes, Karl Franz controlled his Griffon to dodge the attack as Deathclaw flipped in the air and the Holy Imperator threw the Longinuslanze Testament directly at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
The Longinuslanze Testament enveloped in the Golden Light of Holy Destruction boomed with the Holiness of the Great Ones as it hit the enormous Daemon Lord in his shoulder, as the Daemon roared in pain.
Being hit by one of the Holy Artifacts of the Great Ones was something that was deadly and poisonous to the Daemons of Chaos from the depths of the Abyss.
Even from a distance, he could see golden lines penetrating through the Daemon Lord's entire being as he was corroded by the Holiness of the Great Ones.
***
MC POV
I outstretched my right hand and summoned back the Longinuslanze Testament, which immediately shot towards me and landed in my right hand. One good thing about the Holy Artifacts was that they were pretty sentient, like really...
They had their own spirit and mind and thus I could do with them what I did now.
Still, the battle was going on rather well for now; with the loss of most Greater Daemons and almost all Noble Daemons in this horde, they could only proceed with what they had. Without the more powerful ones or powerful Daemon Engines, they couldn't breach the Skycrown Gate.
From the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the gunner regiments already started shooting and skewering them with bullets. Thousands of Daemons fell with each salvo from the gunners and even more fell when the Artillery was firing.
The battle was going on for a good half an hour, so I needed to stall the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand for approximately 30 minutes until Master Hunter from the Workshop arrived and we could kill him.
I doubted that he would retreat... the ones who followed Khorne were mad because Khorne wasn't just Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, but he was also God of Warriors and Martial Honor; there was nothing more despicable for him than escaping from combat.
If the Daemon Lord did such a deed, then his fate would be much worse than simple death.
In a mere moment, hundreds of small light dots appeared all around me and shot towards the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand at lightning speed. All of them were Arcane Missiles, a lesser Spell of Arcane Magic, the purest and most powerful forms of all Magic.
The Daemon Lord knowing what was coming at him, raised his waraxe and attacked the incoming Arcane Missiles head one, tearing them apart with his precision and speed to the point where only a few of them were able to hit him.
He managed to block the majority of them successfully, but that wasn't something surprising truthfully, because all Greater Daemons of Khorne and those above them were masters in single combat and especially in combating Magicians, Wizards, and other Magic users.
Khorne hated Magic, Magic-Users, and everything related to them because he viewed it as a dishonorable way of combat, only fitting for the cowards, as the real warrior slayed his enemies in cold blood with a sharp blade.
Still, this short time window allowed me to conjure a more powerful spell of Arcane Magic when several tens of Arcane Chains appeared out of nowhere and hacked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in the blink of an eye.
And while the Daemon Lord was rather successful at fending them off from the start, there were too many of them and they were too fast for him, so soon, he was becoming bound by the Arcane Chains that were binding him.
Using the opportunity, he positioned his Holy Artifact Longinuslanze Testament in a jousting position and flew at the Daemon Lord with the fastest speed that Deathclaw could muster from him.
Before they could pierce through the Daemon Lord, the enormous Daemon Lord of Khorne roared as he erupted with crimson light, the power of the Blood Gods himself, breaking from the bindings of the Arcane Chains and with his huge waraxe he blocked the Longinuslanze Testament that collided against his weapon.
I didn't expect the Arcane Chains to hold the Daemon Lord down for a long time; even a few seconds would be good until I delivered my blow, but it seemed that the power with which Khorne blessed the Daemon Lord was nothing to scoff at...
Not wasting a moment, flew away from the enraged Daemon Lord, who entered some sort of blood rage upon breaking from the bindings. Apparently, the power of Khorne was a double-sided thing.
Typically, Chaos Gods and other powerful Daemons were tricky... when they gave power to someone, it always came with a heavy price. Be it at the cost of their very own souls, disgusting mutations, or eternal servitude to the said patron to whom the power belonged in the first place.
There was no free lunch among the Ruinious Power and the Daemons of the Abyss.
Nevertheless the situation, I continued entertaining the Daemon Lord, not allowing him to join the siege of the Skycrown Gate because the Daemon Lord was the sole entity on the battlefield that could breach the Gates themselves.
That would be the catastrophic conclusion, so as long as he was bound to me, fighting, the battle would progress smoothly, as the defenders of the Skycrown Gate could fend off the Daemon horde.
And they were doing rather well because Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was performing splendidly, and I already saw that he released some of his vassals to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
When the forces of Von Carsteins joined the battlefield, they descended from the walls and started slaughtering the Daemons left and right, feeding on their blood, constantly healing from even the most gruesome injuries in a matter of seconds.
And after that, they were as good as new and continued to tear through the hordes of enemies, together with them the Holy Knight of the Healing Church purging their filthy existence from the material plane under the Holy Light of the Great Ones.
Several minutes ago, I disembarked from Deathclaw and allowed my ever-loyal familiar to return to the walls because I activated the Golden Light of Holy Destruction to the maximum, not wanting to injure my familiar accidentally.
I lunged at the Daemon Lord, dodging his incoming strike as he slashed with his waraxe at my head, which I managed to timely dodge, but faster than I could anything else, I realized that I was flying in the air, crashing into the hordes of Daemons.
'That fucking bastard surely kicks hard...'
Standing up, an enormous wave of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction exploded from my body, obliterating all opportunistic Daemons that wanted to attack me, as nothing more than even ash remained from them.
Using the Longinuslanze Testament to support me to stand up, I coughed some of the blood which was golden in color. Daemon Lords that were under Chaos God of Blood and Skulls were masters in combat, approaching the skills of Hunters of the Workshop.
Demogorgon, whom I fought against previously, was one of the Daemon Lords under the Chaos God of Change and Sorcery Tzeench.
Daemons of Tzeechs were known for their weakness in combat; they were not combatants and were not nearly as skilled as even some of the weakest Daemons of the God of Warriors and Martial Honor.
Without giving me a moment of peace, I realized that he was already before me, cracking with crimson lighting and his enormous waraxe approaching my head.
Longinuslanze Testament shot towards the waraxe, shockwave knocking both of us back...
In a split of a moment, I summoned the Warhammer Ghal Maraz and with the dull side of the Ghal Maraz, I struck the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in the middle of his chest as his armor cracked upon the impact.
After I sent him crashing, I mobilized my energy and rushed at him with both of my weapons brandished and attacking the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in a new wave of exchanges as the Daemon Lord started suffering more and more injuries.
Naturally, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction that was already within his body started showing its effects as it was corroding his insides and not even the boost from his patron deity was able to extinguish it entirely.
'It seems that after this fight, I need to reconsider the proposal about the reformation of specialized military units...'
Right now, there were many specialized military Units within the Holy Arcadia Empire, whose members are aware all around Level 3... be it the Reiksgarde, Executioner Holy Knights of the Healing Church, Grail Knights, Rune Knights and some others.
Some time ago, there was a proposal in the Imperial Council to merge them all into one coherent organization placed directly under the throne. What would happen if there was a Knight armed with the Old Blood of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights of Church, enhanced with Runes and Arcane Magic and Essence of the Lake.
Approximate results were estimated to be at least Level 4 standardized and with many unique abilities, agelessness and other advantages. It seems that it would be needed... even right now, I could see that the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were suffering losses...
High losses.
And for the Daemons losses were nothing because while we killed around forty Greater Daemons and I personally slayed five Daemon Nobles, it was nothing... The Abyss was swarming with an endless number of Daemons.
Dodging another wave of ferocious attacks from the Daemon Lord as several Greater Daemons appeared around us, joining the attack on my person, only affirmed my decision.
I blasted them apart with my Golden Light of Holy Destruction, exterminating another several Greater Daemons and even another two Daemon Nobles that appeared out of nowhere, not counting several tens of thousands of Lesser Daemons that were unfortunate to be around.
It seemed that the Imperial Forces needed another wave of reformation...
While Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were strong on their own, it was not enough. While Grail Knights were peerless warriors that were traveling through the Lands of Lordran and killing dangerous Beasts or Magical creatures, there were too few.
While Hunters were the pinnacle of the Imperial spirits and strength, there were only around fifteen of them and they were needed to hunt the most dangerous beings that inhabited the Imperial Lands.
Perhaps, not only Westeros and Essos were coming to the new Age... but Holy Arcadia Empire was too entering the new Age.
***
Some distance from the Skycrown Gate.
A huge convoy of several tens of thousands of soldiers of the 6th Imperial Legion were marching to reinforce the Skycrown Gate defenders under the leadership of the Legion's General Wolfgang Rundstadt.
"Sir, the Skycrown Gate is already in the vicinity."
Because they were not bringing with them any heavy artillery or armored regiment to not slow them down, they managed to reach the Skycrown Gate in record time. General Rundstadt was aware that the Daemon horde that was right now sieging the Skycrown Gate was the biggest in the past two centuries.
Not to mention it was led by a Daemon Lord and Holy Imperator was personally stalling the Daemon Lord on the battlefield.
"Increase the speed; we need to arrive faster!"
Right now, time was an essential thing, but unfortunately, they didn't have much of it because, from the scouts, he found out that the fighting between the defenders and invaders had already been moved to the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
It was only a matter of time until that happened; thus, he adjusted his golden facemask on his armor and ordered the soldiers to march faster. The 6th Imperial Legion was bringing to fold 75,000 fresh soldiers that were only a bit tired from the traveling.
Fortunately enough, because every soldier has digested the lowest level of the Old Blood, which was officially termed as Level 0, while not giving them any superhuman capabilities, it still enhanced their stamina and regeneration capabilities enough.
Coupled with special potions that were created to relieve fatigue and so on, it wasn't much of a problem for the Legions to cross even huge distances without being tired at all...
***
Atop the Skycrown Gate
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was busy commanding the flow of the battle as the Daemons began sieging the walls...
The good news about the entire ordeal was the fact that without the Greater Daemons, they couldn't really breach the Gates of the Skycrown Gate, or more precisely, without anyone at Level 5, it was nigh impossible.
The bad news was that the Lesser Daemons were right now flooding the entirety of the walls and the number of soldiers was stretched thin.
There were too many of the Lesser Daemons that were being dropped on the walls, or some ingenious ones were even capable of climbing or otherwise arriving at the top of the walls.
But with the addition of the Reiksgarde and Church's Executioners, the tables were turning because they were all the most powerful knights within the Holy Arcadia Empire. When they delved into the depths of the Daemon horde, they were slaughtering them left and right.
"My Lord, there are too many Daemons down there; the Head Wizard is asking for permission to activate the trap."
Suddenly, one of the officers wearing the similar bronze-golden armor of the Imperial Army, contrary to that of the average soldiers, theirs was more heavy plated, like that of knights, but had a similar design and also contained a facemask.
"Give them hell... also, send the order to the dwarven engineers to start arming Griffons with packages..."
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes said with a bloodthirsty grin as he ordered before he hopped on his Griffon and personally joined the battle. As someone who reached Level 5, his physical strength was especially fearsome, able to compete against adult True Dragons in terms of physical power.
His orders were instantly relayed to their receivers as everyone started doing their tasks.
The Battle Wizards started chanting a spell that would soon change the course of the entire battle, while down below the Skycrown Gate's walls, in their camp, dwarves were preparing to load explosives on the Griffons.
This was a tactic that the Holy Imperator came with himself, as Griffons would pick up explosives and drop in on nothing suspecting the enemy. He called this strategy "aerial bombardment", and dwarves loved it immediately when they heard it.
So much so that they were competing for who could create more dangerous bombs and bigger explosions. Soon enough, tens of Griffons picked up the explosion before they soared high in the air, as high as possible to avoid the aftermath of the aerial bombardment.
***
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The Empire is a land of endless possibilities; it is a land where one could rise from peasant to status of highest nobility that would put all former Kings of the Seven Kingdoms to shame, but it was also a land where one mistake would see all those possibilities come to a sudden and often very painful end."
Quote by Tywin Lannister from the book "The First Landing".
***
Codex: Laws of Succession of Imperial Nobles
Contrary to the lands of Westeros and Essoss, the Laws of Imperial Sucesses are entirely different.
While the Noble Titles of Barons and Viceroys are passable to the eldest descendants, be they male or female, in the Main Line after passing Imperial Examinations, the Elector Counts are in entirely different situations.
Part of the reason why they are called Elector Counts is that they themselves are to be elected to their position by the House Council after passing the Imperial Examination firstly to ensure that only the best of the best would become the new Elector Counts.
After that, the Elector Count candidate is chosen by votes, where the Elders of the Elector Count House will vote for the new Elector Count. If the previous Elector Count is still alive, he doesn't get a vote unless the vote ends in a draw, then he gets the deciding vote.
This process also applies to the Lord High Magistrate House of Vileblood that controls the City-State of Cainhurst the City of Silver.
While the new Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church is chosen too by voting among Vicars and the Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth is selected by voting and duel.
***
"Chaos Furies are incoming! Prepare the bolters! Wizards prepare the Spells!"
Karl Franz could hear the Elector Count of Sylvania, Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes, shout as thousands of creatures appeared from the sky and started descending on the Skycrown Gate in huge numbers.
The Chaos Furies were fierce creatures with great leathery wings. Their faces have more in common with Dragons or Wyvern than they do with Humans, as they are twisted into snarling visages full of sharp angles and wicked fangs set beneath searching, feral, red eyes.
Since Chaos Furies lack the power and malevolent purpose of serving a particular Ruinous Power, they are among the weakest of the Lesser Daemons, though more than a match for most mortals. They haunt forlorn places, always searching for lone or injured travelers.
Among the forces of the Daemons, they presented the basis of the Air Forces of the Daemons and foul powers.
Meanwhile, on the walls of the Skycrown Gates, the Dwarven Engineers were loading the machines of war called Dwarf Bolt Thrower, which was basically a large version of the crossbow or Scorpio, able to fire very heavy bolts over greater distances.
Dwarf Engineers still vie with each other to invent Bolt Throwers with greater range, loading speed, or accuracy. Practical to a fault, the Dwarfs place more trust in an old, proven Bolt Thrower that has fired reliably for generations.
The Bolt Thrower remains an integral part of the Dwarf arsenal because it can be built and maintained cheaply and is accurate enough to bring down monsters such as Wyverns or Trolls with a well-judged shot.
Across the entire walls of the Skycrown Gate, there were hundreds of the Bolt Throwers, and soon, all of them, in a beautiful symphony of coordinated attack, launched waves of heavy bolts that skewered through the clouds of the Chaos Furies.
The foul Lesser Daemons were torn to shreds by the swarms of the bots, while some of the bolts that didn't hit the Chaos Furies still fell onto the Daemons on the ground, killing some Bloodletters and other kinds of Lesser Daemons instead.
"Battle Wizards attack!"
During the time the Bolt Throwers were being reloaded, the Battle Wizards unleashed their carnage of spells as the entire Tartarus Pass lit in a spectacular performance of various Lores of Magic.
Elemental Spells like those of Lighting or Fire were doing the most significant damage; the Pyromancers of the Chaos Flame Covenant and House Izalith were burning the Daemons to the crips.
And the moment Spells quieted down, the Bolt Throwers fired once again, leaving there no blank time when the Skycrown Gate wasn't shooting something at the enemy. From a distance, though, Karl Franz could see some of the Greater Daemons appearing among the horde.
"Bloodthirsters spotted!"
Soon enough, the enormous Greater Daemons of Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, one of the rulers of the Abyss, appeared in the distance.
"Elector Count Vladislaus, I will take care of them."
Karl Franz stated, receiving a nod from the Elector Count, who could now focus more on the defense of the Skycrown Gate.
"1st Shield Company of Reiksgarde with me!"
The Holy Imperator shouted as he mounted his Griffon Deathclaw and rose high in the air; together with him, 125 members of the Reiksgarde repeated the same action as more than a hundred Griffon Knights rose into the air and flew directly at the several tens of Bloodthirsters.
The Bloodthirster is a massive Daemon with crimson skin that perspires blood. It has the lower legs of a beast, blending the traits of a goat and bull, with the upper body of a man, though covered in thick, curly black hair sodden with gore.
From its back spread two massive leathery wings, not unlike those of a Dragon. Atop its neck is a bestial, tusked, dog-faced head fitted with two bull horns that spread to either side.
The horns and head of this Greater Daemon are decorated with profane symbols of the Blood God, including the Mark of Khorne. Covering its body are plates of brass Chaos Armour bolted directly to its bone and fused to its flesh.
Many Drinkers of Blood also tear the faces of their victims from their skulls to add them to their armor like some perverse purity scroll.
This armor is forged upon the Daemon's flesh by Khorne himself and thereafter becomes a living part of the Daemon's physical form, even while maintaining a brutal intelligence of its own. As such, even the Bloodthirster's armor is wrathful and longs for slaughter.
Most Bloodthirsters wield Daemonic battleaxes known simply as the Axes of Khorne. Said to contain the essence of failed Daemons, these weapons are noted for cutting through flesh and armor with ease.
There were around thirty Bloodthirsters that were at the Greater Daemon Level, and there were even several Daemon Nobles that were comparable to Level 5, which would be left to the Holy Imperator to handle.
Several members of the Reiksgarde, when grouped together, could take down a Bloodthirster with some effort, especially if they were boosted by the Priests of the Healing Church and their weapons contained the Holy Power of the Great Ones that were deathly to the Daemons of Abyss.
Riding on the top of his Griffon Deathclaw, Karl Franz held strong on his weapon, the Holy Artifact of the Great Ones, Longinuslanze Testament, as he aimed directly at the biggest of the Bloodthirsters.
Among the Bloodthirsters, the Chieftains were Daemon Nobles and were Level 5 beings more powerful than ordinary Bloodthirsters. Before the collision happened, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction burst out of the Longinuslanze Testament, blinding all those around him.
Instantly the Golden Light burned down any Daemons in the vicinity; even several unfortunate Greater Daemons were burned to crips as they could even withstand the presence of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
"Let you be judged by the will of the Great Ones! For the Lord Gwyn!"
Karl Franz shouted as the Longinuslanze Testament pierced through the skull of one of the Daemon Nobles in a mere moment, killing one of the most powerful Daemons on the battlefield within a matter of moments.
The Reiksgarde Knights followed tightly after the Holy Imperator and started attacking the Greater Daemons Bloodthirsters from their Griffons, flying around the huge Greater Daemons and striking them with their weapons or spells.
One thing that was disadvantageous about them was that they were relatively huge and agility wasn't their strongest side, which was naturally then exploited by the Reiksgarde Knights, which were flying around the huge Bloodthirsters.
They were harassing them, slashing at them with their lances and swords, often casting some sort of Magic Spells at them. Each Knigth of the Reiksgarde was proficient in Magic on the level of an average Battle Wizard who mastered specific lore.
The Reiksgarde were the best of the best; they were truly prime examples of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Just after five minutes, several of the Bloodthirsters were already on the verge of death because they were previously injured by the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
***
On the Walls
Everything that was happening on the battlefield was observed by the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes, who was commander of the Skycrown Gate.
Now that the Greater Daemons Bloodthristers were taken care of, he could focus on the Lesser Daemons, who had already arrived and were attacking the gate itself.
"Skull Cannons... Reinforce the barrier!"
He shouted at the Wizards and Magicians who were stationed on the Skycrown Gate, who immediately went to work and started reinforcing the barrier surrounding the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
The Skull Cannons of Khorne, also known as Hellforged Bellowers, the Bonegrinders, or the Clinkerfiends, are massive Daemon Engines of Khorne. Legend tells that the Skull Cannons of Khorne were forged in the furnaces at the foot of the Blood God's throne and beaten into shape upon his mighty anvil.
Hundreds of them appeared in the distance among the endless Daemon Horde and started firing flaming projectiles at the walls of the Skycrown Gate. Fortunately, the Skycrown Gate had several layers of defense, including physical ones and magical ones.
"Dammit... there are too many of them... return it to them, aim at the Skull Cannons! Acht, take Division of Silver Knight and reinforce the weak point number Alpha; the Daemons would land there in five minutes."
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes, who was standing together with his father on the walls, nodded his head and immediately hopped on his Griffon and flew to another part of the Skycrown Gate.
Delivered a command from his father as the Silver Knights were heading towards the cornermost part of the Skycrown Gate, which was under the heaviest assault of Chaos Furies and other types of flying Daemons.
Soon enough, the Chaos Furies would be picking up other Daemons and dropping them directly at the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
In the same place where Jubstacheit was leading 2,500 Silver Knights, Commander of the 15th Regiment of 11th Legion, numbering 5,000 Soldiers of the Imperial Army.
"Commander Helmut, we got the news that Elector Count has sent reinforcements numbering the entire Division of Silver Knight led by the young lord."
Commander Helmut was clad in his military uniform, as he was personally commanding the Artillery that was targeting the flying Daemons.
The standard armor of the Imperial Soldiers varied; the ordinary soldiers wore a mixture of chainmail, heavy leather made from powerful Magical Creatures and heavy plates; they also wore a face mask attached to their helmets.
Meanwhile, the officers and stronger members of the Imperial Army were wearing heavy planted armor reminiscent of knights, with face facemasks.
Having their entire Division of Silver Knights would be certainly helpful, as their position was most vulnerable against the attack of Daemons right now. Across the Holy Arcadia Empire, there were only two places where Legions of Silver Knights were permanently stationed.
One of them was Skycrown Gate and another was Grand Province of Orleáns, which was defending against the Orks. Naturally, these Legions were constantly rotating, so every Legion got enough combat experience.
"Send them directly to Squad Master of Holy Knights..."
Four minutes later, one minute before the approximate arrival of the Division of the Silver Knights, the Chaos Furies had already started dropping Daemon on the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
Seeing this, Commander Helmut grits his teeth because the Daemons were faster than their reinforcements by one minute, so this would be pretty hard... every single second was crucial in situations like this.
The Daemons that they were dropping here were stronger Bloodletters, and there were more and more of them, and the ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Army were not able to resist against the stronger Bloodletters that were around Level 2 or higher.
But like it was heaven sent from Lady Luck, several tens of Griffons descended from the skies and started tearing apart the Chaos Furies.
Among the Silver Knights, only the Grand Knights could have a Griffon as a mount and among the entire Division of 2,500 Silver Knights, there were around 200 Grand Knights.
"We were lucky this time..."
Commander Helmut sighed in relief because while the soldiers of the Imperial Army were of the peak human condition, but it was not enough in front of Bloodletters, that had greater physical strength.
Fortunately, what the Soldiers of the Imperial Army lacked in strength, speed and physique, they made up for with their skills and abilities, as the Bloodletters were relatively simple when it came to fighting and combat.
Several minutes after the arrival of the Division of Silver Knights, they started pushing back the Chaos Furies entirely. However, the fighting on the walls was still going on, but soon the soldiers of the Imperial Army were reinforced by the Silver Knights.
With the Silver Knights entering the battle, the number of casualties of the Imperial Soldiers started decreasing at a steady rate, as the Silver Knights took the role of combating the Daemons, while the Imperial Army only had a supplementary role.
The Silver Knights, in their heavy armor and weapons, all made by Dwarven hands and inscribed with runes, were like War Gods incarnate as they were cutting through the hordes of Daemon with thunderous speed.
Soon enough, they contained the Daemons on the Skycrown Gate and were steadily pushing them out. Naturally, this didn't come without the losses from the side of the Silver Knights, but they were minuscule compared to the losses that the Daemons were suffering.
Another thing that helped was that, across the entirety of the Skycrown Gate, there were several Priests of the Healing Church who were responsible for healing the injured. Hence, the casualties were much lesser than they would normally be in a fight of these proportions.
***
On the Battlefield
Deeper on the battlefield, the forces of the Reiksgarde, under the leadership of the Holy Imperator, were fighting against the Greater Daemons of Khorne, the Bloodthirsters and also some of the Daemon Nobles that were engaged against the Holy Imperator himself.
Several members of the Reiksgarde have already fallen to the brutal onslaught of the Bloodthirsters, but not without taking with them as many enemies as possible. From the initial 125 Reiksgarde, now something around 80 remained.
Rest were killed in combat, dying valorously for the glory and holiness of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its people. Some of them even took down Greater Daemons themselves on their dying breath.
The moment their masters died, the Griffons would take the corpses of the Imperial Guardians and bring them back to the Anor Londo so that they could have a funeral in the mausoleum in the City of Gods.
An honor reserved for none another.
"Mortals! Die for the glory of the Blood God!"
A deafening roar sounded through the entirety of the battlefield as everyone realized that the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand had arrived. As one of the Daemon Lords under the service of one of the Four Chaos Gods, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was an extremely powerful Daemon Lord.
Karl Franz looked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand from atop his Griffon Deathclaw and knew that the Daemon Lord was much stronger than he was... much stronger, which made him rethink his strategy when dealing against this monstrosity of an opponent.
''Empowered by the Abyssa and Chaos God himself... what are those Four playing again?'
There was only one thing that would explain what was happening right now in the realms of Ruin: the Abyss. Probably all cosmology would witness the birth of a new God of Chaos, albeit a Minor one, but the God of Chaos nevertheless.
"Retreat! All of you retreat on the walls!"
Karl Franz shouted at the Reiksgarde Kngiths, who obeyed his orders and immediately withdrew from the battlefield, leaving there Karl Franz alone, staring at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
The enormous Bloodthirster was at least twice as big as an ordinary Bloodthirster and looked even angrier and more powerful than the ordinary Bloodthirsters. For several first seconds, both of them started at each other before the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand lunged into the air.
Hacking his enormous waraxe decorated with several skulls and Abyssal runes, Karl Franz controlled his Griffon to dodge the attack as Deathclaw flipped in the air and the Holy Imperator threw the Longinuslanze Testament directly at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
The Longinuslanze Testament enveloped in the Golden Light of Holy Destruction boomed with the Holiness of the Great Ones as it hit the enormous Daemon Lord in his shoulder, as the Daemon roared in pain.
Being hit by one of the Holy Artifacts of the Great Ones was something that was deadly and poisonous to the Daemons of Chaos from the depths of the Abyss.
Even from a distance, he could see golden lines penetrating through the Daemon Lord's entire being as he was corroded by the Holiness of the Great Ones.
***
MC POV
I outstretched my right hand and summoned back the Longinuslanze Testament, which immediately shot towards me and landed in my right hand. One good thing about the Holy Artifacts was that they were pretty sentient, like really...
They had their own spirit and mind and thus I could do with them what I did now.
Still, the battle was going on rather well for now; with the loss of most Greater Daemons and almost all Noble Daemons in this horde, they could only proceed with what they had. Without the more powerful ones or powerful Daemon Engines, they couldn't breach the Skycrown Gate.
From the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the gunner regiments already started shooting and skewering them with bullets. Thousands of Daemons fell with each salvo from the gunners and even more fell when the Artillery was firing.
The battle was going on for a good half an hour, so I needed to stall the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand for approximately 30 minutes until Master Hunter from the Workshop arrived and we could kill him.
I doubted that he would retreat... the ones who followed Khorne were mad because Khorne wasn't just Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, but he was also God of Warriors and Martial Honor; there was nothing more despicable for him than escaping from combat.
If the Daemon Lord did such a deed, then his fate would be much worse than simple death.
In a mere moment, hundreds of small light dots appeared all around me and shot towards the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand at lightning speed. All of them were Arcane Missiles, a lesser Spell of Arcane Magic, the purest and most powerful forms of all Magic.
The Daemon Lord knowing what was coming at him, raised his waraxe and attacked the incoming Arcane Missiles head one, tearing them apart with his precision and speed to the point where only a few of them were able to hit him.
He managed to block the majority of them successfully, but that wasn't something surprising truthfully, because all Greater Daemons of Khorne and those above them were masters in single combat and especially in combating Magicians, Wizards, and other Magic users.
Khorne hated Magic, Magic-Users, and everything related to them because he viewed it as a dishonorable way of combat, only fitting for the cowards, as the real warrior slayed his enemies in cold blood with a sharp blade.
Still, this short time window allowed me to conjure a more powerful spell of Arcane Magic when several tens of Arcane Chains appeared out of nowhere and hacked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in the blink of an eye.
And while the Daemon Lord was rather successful at fending them off from the start, there were too many of them and they were too fast for him, so soon, he was becoming bound by the Arcane Chains that were binding him.
Using the opportunity, he positioned his Holy Artifact Longinuslanze Testament in a jousting position and flew at the Daemon Lord with the fastest speed that Deathclaw could muster from him.
Before they could pierce through the Daemon Lord, the enormous Daemon Lord of Khorne roared as he erupted with crimson light, the power of the Blood Gods himself, breaking from the bindings of the Arcane Chains and with his huge waraxe he blocked the Longinuslanze Testament that collided against his weapon.
I didn't expect the Arcane Chains to hold the Daemon Lord down for a long time; even a few seconds would be good until I delivered my blow, but it seemed that the power with which Khorne blessed the Daemon Lord was nothing to scoff at...
Not wasting a moment, flew away from the enraged Daemon Lord, who entered some sort of blood rage upon breaking from the bindings. Apparently, the power of Khorne was a double-sided thing.
Typically, Chaos Gods and other powerful Daemons were tricky... when they gave power to someone, it always came with a heavy price. Be it at the cost of their very own souls, disgusting mutations, or eternal servitude to the said patron to whom the power belonged in the first place.
There was no free lunch among the Ruinious Power and the Daemons of the Abyss.
Nevertheless the situation, I continued entertaining the Daemon Lord, not allowing him to join the siege of the Skycrown Gate because the Daemon Lord was the sole entity on the battlefield that could breach the Gates themselves.
That would be the catastrophic conclusion, so as long as he was bound to me, fighting, the battle would progress smoothly, as the defenders of the Skycrown Gate could fend off the Daemon horde.
And they were doing rather well because Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was performing splendidly, and I already saw that he released some of his vassals to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
When the forces of Von Carsteins joined the battlefield, they descended from the walls and started slaughtering the Daemons left and right, feeding on their blood, constantly healing from even the most gruesome injuries in a matter of seconds.
And after that, they were as good as new and continued to tear through the hordes of enemies, together with them the Holy Knight of the Healing Church purging their filthy existence from the material plane under the Holy Light of the Great Ones.
Several minutes ago, I disembarked from Deathclaw and allowed my ever-loyal familiar to return to the walls because I activated the Golden Light of Holy Destruction to the maximum, not wanting to injure my familiar accidentally.
I lunged at the Daemon Lord, dodging his incoming strike as he slashed with his waraxe at my head, which I managed to timely dodge, but faster than I could anything else, I realized that I was flying in the air, crashing into the hordes of Daemons.
'That fucking bastard surely kicks hard...'
Standing up, an enormous wave of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction exploded from my body, obliterating all opportunistic Daemons that wanted to attack me, as nothing more than even ash remained from them.
Using the Longinuslanze Testament to support me to stand up, I coughed some of the blood which was golden in color. Daemon Lords that were under Chaos God of Blood and Skulls were masters in combat, approaching the skills of Hunters of the Workshop.
Demogorgon, whom I fought against previously, was one of the Daemon Lords under the Chaos God of Change and Sorcery Tzeench.
Daemons of Tzeechs were known for their weakness in combat; they were not combatants and were not nearly as skilled as even some of the weakest Daemons of the God of Warriors and Martial Honor.
Without giving me a moment of peace, I realized that he was already before me, cracking with crimson lighting and his enormous waraxe approaching my head.
Longinuslanze Testament shot towards the waraxe, shockwave knocking both of us back...
In a split of a moment, I summoned the Warhammer Ghal Maraz and with the dull side of the Ghal Maraz, I struck the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in the middle of his chest as his armor cracked upon the impact.
After I sent him crashing, I mobilized my energy and rushed at him with both of my weapons brandished and attacking the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand in a new wave of exchanges as the Daemon Lord started suffering more and more injuries.
Naturally, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction that was already within his body started showing its effects as it was corroding his insides and not even the boost from his patron deity was able to extinguish it entirely.
'It seems that after this fight, I need to reconsider the proposal about the reformation of specialized military units...'
Right now, there were many specialized military Units within the Holy Arcadia Empire, whose members are aware all around Level 3... be it the Reiksgarde, Executioner Holy Knights of the Healing Church, Grail Knights, Rune Knights and some others.
Some time ago, there was a proposal in the Imperial Council to merge them all into one coherent organization placed directly under the throne. What would happen if there was a Knight armed with the Old Blood of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights of Church, enhanced with Runes and Arcane Magic and Essence of the Lake.
Approximate results were estimated to be at least Level 4 standardized and with many unique abilities, agelessness and other advantages. It seems that it would be needed... even right now, I could see that the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were suffering losses...
High losses.
And for the Daemons losses were nothing because while we killed around forty Greater Daemons and I personally slayed five Daemon Nobles, it was nothing... The Abyss was swarming with an endless number of Daemons.
Dodging another wave of ferocious attacks from the Daemon Lord as several Greater Daemons appeared around us, joining the attack on my person, only affirmed my decision.
I blasted them apart with my Golden Light of Holy Destruction, exterminating another several Greater Daemons and even another two Daemon Nobles that appeared out of nowhere, not counting several tens of thousands of Lesser Daemons that were unfortunate to be around.
It seemed that the Imperial Forces needed another wave of reformation...
While Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were strong on their own, it was not enough. While Grail Knights were peerless warriors that were traveling through the Lands of Lordran and killing dangerous Beasts or Magical creatures, there were too few.
While Hunters were the pinnacle of the Imperial spirits and strength, there were only around fifteen of them and they were needed to hunt the most dangerous beings that inhabited the Imperial Lands.
Perhaps, not only Westeros and Essos were coming to the new Age... but Holy Arcadia Empire was too entering the new Age.
***
Some distance from the Skycrown Gate.
A huge convoy of several tens of thousands of soldiers of the 6th Imperial Legion were marching to reinforce the Skycrown Gate defenders under the leadership of the Legion's General Wolfgang Rundstadt.
"Sir, the Skycrown Gate is already in the vicinity."
Because they were not bringing with them any heavy artillery or armored regiment to not slow them down, they managed to reach the Skycrown Gate in record time. General Rundstadt was aware that the Daemon horde that was right now sieging the Skycrown Gate was the biggest in the past two centuries.
Not to mention it was led by a Daemon Lord and Holy Imperator was personally stalling the Daemon Lord on the battlefield.
"Increase the speed; we need to arrive faster!"
Right now, time was an essential thing, but unfortunately, they didn't have much of it because, from the scouts, he found out that the fighting between the defenders and invaders had already been moved to the walls of the Skycrown Gate.
It was only a matter of time until that happened; thus, he adjusted his golden facemask on his armor and ordered the soldiers to march faster. The 6th Imperial Legion was bringing to fold 75,000 fresh soldiers that were only a bit tired from the traveling.
Fortunately enough, because every soldier has digested the lowest level of the Old Blood, which was officially termed as Level 0, while not giving them any superhuman capabilities, it still enhanced their stamina and regeneration capabilities enough.
Coupled with special potions that were created to relieve fatigue and so on, it wasn't much of a problem for the Legions to cross even huge distances without being tired at all...
***
Atop the Skycrown Gate
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes was busy commanding the flow of the battle as the Daemons began sieging the walls...
The good news about the entire ordeal was the fact that without the Greater Daemons, they couldn't really breach the Gates of the Skycrown Gate, or more precisely, without anyone at Level 5, it was nigh impossible.
The bad news was that the Lesser Daemons were right now flooding the entirety of the walls and the number of soldiers was stretched thin.
There were too many of the Lesser Daemons that were being dropped on the walls, or some ingenious ones were even capable of climbing or otherwise arriving at the top of the walls.
But with the addition of the Reiksgarde and Church's Executioners, the tables were turning because they were all the most powerful knights within the Holy Arcadia Empire. When they delved into the depths of the Daemon horde, they were slaughtering them left and right.
"My Lord, there are too many Daemons down there; the Head Wizard is asking for permission to activate the trap."
Suddenly, one of the officers wearing the similar bronze-golden armor of the Imperial Army, contrary to that of the average soldiers, theirs was more heavy plated, like that of knights, but had a similar design and also contained a facemask.
"Give them hell... also, send the order to the dwarven engineers to start arming Griffons with packages..."
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes said with a bloodthirsty grin as he ordered before he hopped on his Griffon and personally joined the battle. As someone who reached Level 5, his physical strength was especially fearsome, able to compete against adult True Dragons in terms of physical power.
His orders were instantly relayed to their receivers as everyone started doing their tasks.
The Battle Wizards started chanting a spell that would soon change the course of the entire battle, while down below the Skycrown Gate's walls, in their camp, dwarves were preparing to load explosives on the Griffons.
This was a tactic that the Holy Imperator came with himself, as Griffons would pick up explosives and drop in on nothing suspecting the enemy. He called this strategy "aerial bombardment", and dwarves loved it immediately when they heard it.
So much so that they were competing for who could create more dangerous bombs and bigger explosions. Soon enough, tens of Griffons picked up the explosion before they soared high in the air, as high as possible to avoid the aftermath of the aerial bombardment.
***
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Chapter 10 - Battle Of The Skycrown Gate (End)
Trafford
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"Dear, oh dear, what was it? The Hunt, the Blood, or the horrible Dream? Oh, it doesn't matter. It always comes down to the Hunters' helper to clean up after these sorts of messes. Tonight, Gehrman joins the Hunt..."
Gehrman, the First Hunter
***
Codex: The Ancient Tomb Expedition
In the Year 4,551 an expedition was conducted by several people when the vast underground labyrinth was found underneath the city known as Yharnam. When they discovered the Ancient Tombs, several people led the Expedition into the depths; among them, the most notable were five leaders of the Expedition.
Master Willem and Big Hat Logan represent the Byrgenwerth, occultist of ancient Gods Laurence and one of the famous warriors from the Age of Strife known just as Gehrman, who acted as their bodyguard. Aside from them, there were two more people who were local nobles.
One of them was the ruler of the region that would be once known as the Grand Principality of Reikland, Gottfried Isebrand Holswig-Schliestein and Lancelin Cainar, who ruled the City State of Cainhurst.
These few people conducted the first Expedition into the Ancient Tombs, where they found the substance later known as the Old Blood and were the first people in the Lordran who encountered the vision from the Great Ones.
***
From a distance, everyone could see gathering clouds high above the Skycrown Gate and the Battle Wizards and Sholaars calling the Winds of Magic for their help. Omnious-looking storm clouds were gathered in one place, as out of nowhere, they started striking hundreds of lightning bolts at the Daemon Horde beneath them.
Each of the thunderbolts that struck down charred hundreds, if not thousands of Lesser Daemons in a split of a second, and their intensity and power were only increasing with each passing second.
Upon this happening, the Daemons started panicking because their numbers were drastically dropping down at tremendous speed under the barrage of the lightning bolts, never-ending dwarven siege engines that were bombarding them to oblivion.
And just as the storm clouds dispersed, tens of Griffons flew high in the air, carrying huge packages with their claws, and when they were above the battlefield, they were dropping them in free fall mode.
Upon contact with the ground, they were exploding in the green fire, a direct greeting from the Gnomeregan, the capital of Gnomes and Thinkers of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Soon enough, the entire battlefield was enveloped in a new wave of explosion and death as the Daemos were dying life and right.
***
On the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the location of Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes.
"My Lord, My Lord, the 6th Imperial Legion has arrived!"
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes took out his sword from the corpse of Greater Daemon and managed to sneak upon the walls of the Skycrwon Gate under the concealment of the shadows and powerful Chaos Magic.
Still, he was killed by the son of the Elector Count of Sylvania when Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes looked over at the officer who reported this news and sighed in relief.
With the addition of another Imperial Legion, they could coordinate with the Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, and Holy Knights to launch a counterattack.
Even right now, as they were speaking the majority of the Daemon horde lay dead, either from various traps prepared by the defenders, Artillery or Battle Wizards. And that was not talking about several tens of thousands that were personally killed by the Holy Imperator.
The outbursts of the legendary legendary Golden Light of Holy Destruction could be seen even from the distance of the Skycrown Gate, as with each outburst of the legendary aura, tens of thousands of Lesser Daemons were incarnated to the nothingness.
The current numbers and lack of truly powerful Daemons on the battlefield signified the time for a counterattack by the Imperial Forces.
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes could see that his father was already raging on the battlefield as he turned into a mist of hundreds if not thousands of bats, which were killing everything in their path.
As the Vampires, the children of the night, they commanded very powerful Blood Magic and could control Blood as they wished, which gave them a very special standing in the Religion of the Great Ones because they were considered as "progeny" of the Formless God of Blood.
Not to mention, one of the greatest Noble Houses, the House Vileblood, were something that could be considered as Primogenotrs of the Vampires, as they were truly the masters of masters of Blood and Blood Magic.
Current Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes learned under the Vilebloods of Cainhurst and even married the niece of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, the Queen of Blood.
"Prepare for the counterattack! Send down the order!"
With the walls being mostly cleaned up, it was time to clean up the remaining Daemons that were running here and there under the walls. There were something around a few hundreds of thousands of Lesser Daemons remaining on the battlefield.
With the remaining ammunition being used, it would cut the number to approximately 300,000 Lesser Daenmons, which was from an initial number of 2,5 million, a good result.
This they could already handle with combined forces of 2 Imperial Legions, Provincial Amry, Reiksgarde, Holy Knights and Household Guards of Noble Houses. Soon enough, as Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes sent down the orders, the soldiers started gathering and preparing to march.
***
With the 6th Imperial Legion
General Rundstadt was hurrying his soldiers to the Skycrown Gate as they were intercepted by the messenger of the Elector Count House of Draculya-Tepes bearing the newest orders.
"General Lord Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes has ordered the counterattack against the Daemons; their numbers have been cut enough; we can start the cleaning operations already."
General Rundstadt of the 6th Imperial Legion raised his brow because he was surprised that they were missing most parts of the fight, but it seemed that the Skycrown Gate was very well defended, prepared and it seemed that the addition of Holy Imperator on the battlefield turned the tables considerably.
Having someone who could kill Greater Daemons and even Daemon Nobles in a split of second if the enemies were careless was something that significantly increased the efficiency of the Imperial Forces.
Without the heavy hitters, the strong commanders, Leaders... and elite forces of the Imperial Forces could turn their focus on the Lesser Daemons and putting someone on the level of Reiksgarde or Holy Knight among the ordinary Lesser Daemons would for sure end in a bloodbath.
"To the Gate! Prepare for battle!"
General Rundstadt, upon receiving the order, led his men to battle, with each of his Legates that commanded over three Divisions of the Legion ordered their forces into the formation.
They were going to meet the enemy head-on, so he was a bit worried, though not for the result of the battle because that would be won, but for his granddaughter, who was in command of the 3rd Division and was the newest Legate of the 6th Imperial Legion.
***
MC POV
When I saw that the Skycrown Gate was dropping everything they had in their arsenal against the Daemons, I knew that they were already preparing for the counterattack. Soon, the Gates would open, and the glorious armies of the Holy Arcadia Empire would march with sharp blades and Faith to slay the foul powers of Abyss and Chaos.
I looked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, whose armor was cracked all around the place, and he was bleeding from several parts of his body.
The corrosion done by the Golden Light of Holy Destruction was getting more and more prevalent to the point where it started destroying parts of his body from the inside.
Yet, to my surprise and not to my surprise, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was still fighting with even bigger ferocity and brutality than before; the power of his Patron God was getting stronger and stronger...
'Of course... we are on the battlefield, full of carnage, blood and war... naturally Khorne would get tremendous power from it, and everything went to the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand to make him even stronger... fortunately the Senior Hunter from the Worskhop should arrive within a few minutes at last...'
This entire place was constantly empowering the Daemon Lord of Khone... in the end, it was his domain; if not, then Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand would have long ago fallen to the corrosion of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
While the Daemon Lord was stronger than me by a significant margin, while both of us were technically speaking Level 6 existences, there was a great disparity between us as the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was undoubtedly stronger.
Yet under the corrosion of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction, he was getting weaker and weaker, but due to blessings of the Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, Martial Honor and War, who was using the lingering aura of the entire battlefield to empower his servant, he was still standing.
And not only standing, but that bastard was still attacking, forcing me too completely go on the defensive, as I was forced to use Ghal Maraz to block his overpowering blows that were getting stronger and stronger.
It didn't take a long time to realize that the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand entered some sort of Blood Rage or higher state of Blood Rage?
I don't really know because I am not a Demonologist, but he lost his rationality, that was for sure.
Even though when he previously entered that Blessed State, which Chaos God Khorne gave him a bit of his power, he still retained a piece of his own mind. But right now, he was only a maddened beast unleashed on the opponent; he really reminded me of some very powerful Clerical Beasts.
Upon the relentless and unending assault of the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, I was using practically everything I could to stall him down for a moment so that I could deliver some fatal blow to the maddened Daemon Lord.
As I dodged the enormous waraxe of Khorne, I dropped my weapons as I unleashed a massive Arcane Blast on the chest-belly region of the Daemon Lord's body, blasting him several hundreds of meters away.
In a split of a second, I conjured hundreds of lighting bolts, which all shot toward the still-flying Daemon Lord at full speed, falling onto his body as the Daemon Lord roared in pain from being bombarded by the lightning bolts.
Lore of Heavens the Azyr was Magic in which I was very proficient... aside from the Arcane Magic that was unique to the people who reached Noble Blood of the Old Blood, I focused mostly on the Lore of Heavens because of its destructive capabilities.
Suddenly, as the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was about to stand up, a huge two-handed longsword shot through the air and buried itself in the shoulder of the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
In split of a second, a male figure wearing a long leather trenchcoat landed on the two-handed longsword that was buried in the should of the Daemon Lord, taking a pair of daggers and slashing them at the neck of the enormous Daemonic Beings before he tore out the longsword and jumped back.
"Your Holy Majesty."
The Senior Hunter of the Workshop has arrived, and now the tables have turned... I prepared my Holy Lance and looked at the Daemon Lord with a grin because now that the odds were in my favor, it was time to dance...
***
3rd POV
Atop on the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the Heir of the House of Draculya-Tepes was finished cleaning the last Daemons from the parts of the walls as he raised his head upon hearing the battle horn.
"All Soldiers ready! The reinforcements are here; send them back to the Abyss! Prepare to open the Gate!"
He saw that the 6th Imperial Legion had been lined up in front of the closed gate, together with parts of the 11th Imperial Legion, Provincial Army of the Grand Province of Sylvania, Household Guards of Viceroys and Baron, Silver Knights, Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church and Reiksgarde.
"Open the Gates!"
He shouted as he saw his father, the Elector Count of Sylvania, decapitating another Greater Daemon of Khorne as an enormous Bloodthirster fell onto the ground dead and several tens of the Skull Canons exploded into the bloody mist.
Soon enough, as he issued the order for the gates to be opened, the enormous gates of the Skycrown Gate, which were about fifty meters high, started slowly opening as soldiers beneath them got ready for the fight.
Battle Wizards were preparing the spells, Priests of the Healing Chruch were prying for Blessings from the Great Ones and on the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the Artillery forces were loading for the last shot to clean the way for the soldiers.
Everything happened too fast, as the Hellstorm Batteries and Canon fired at once, targeting the hordes of the Lesser Daemons in front of the gates, clearing the way for the charging soldiers.
And as the explosions quieted down, the soldiers started charging, calling for the Glory of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the Holy Imperator and the Great Ones in their fanatically loyal zeal to the Great Ones and Holy Imperator.
The thunderous charge of the Knights of the Holy Arcadia Empire, be it Silver Knights, Holy Knights of the Healing Church, or the sworn protectors of the Divine Throne of the Cinder and Sunlight the Reiksgarde, were charging on the enemy as some more weak-willed Lesser Daemons starred escaping outright.
Some of the Lesser Daemons were not really strong-willed creatures; they were cowardly as it could be... and when they sensed the overpowering Holy Aura originating from the Imperial Soldiers, they started escaping.
With the addition of another Imperial Legion, they started systematically exterminating every single Daemon that remained on the battlefield under the leadership of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights.
***
MC POV
Now that we were two on the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, we didn't need to say another word, as we just looked at each other and knew what to do exactly.
The Senior Hunter and I flanked the Daemon Lord from both sides and started relentlessly attacking the enormous Bloodthirster. The Senior Hunter was holding a huge claymore Holy Sword that was radiating the Holy Power of the Great Ones.
"Use the Arcane Prison!"
The Senior Hunter shouted at me as I nodded and prepared the special Arcane Spell that was used for trapping more powerful Cleric Beasts. Within a split of second, several rods of pure Arcane Energy appeared around the Daemon Lord Azigth.
Almost instantly later, the Senior Hunter hacked with his Holy Sword Claymore into the chest of the Daemon Lord Azgith as the Daemon Lord roared in pain because the Senior Hunter hit the weak spot.
I didn't waste the opportunity and while the Arcane Prison was still in effect, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction burst out from both of my weapons as I charged at the Daemon Lord Azgith, piercing through his heart with the Holy Artiact of the Great Ones.
And to my shock, even this didn't kill this Daemonic monstrosity as it was still continuing to fight at full power. The power of the Chaos God of Blood and Skulls was keeping the Daemon Lord going on...
But it didn't last for long because after my attack, the Senior Hunter buried his claymore deep into his brain and immediately afterward, I raised the Ghal Maraz that erupted with the Golden Light of Holy Destruction and smashed apart his skull.
And again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until nothing remained from the skull of the Daemon Lord.
***
3rd POV
Skycrown Gate, Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes landed on the walls of the Skycrown Gate as he hopped down from his Griffon. The fight on the ground basically ended when the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
With the death of their leader, the entire Daemon Horde quieted down because, without their leader, the Daemons were like headless chickens. Now that their leader was dead, there was nobody left in charge, and coupled with the fact that Daemons suffered tremendous losses, they started escaping.
The Lesser Daemons, contrary to the Greater Daemons and all Daemons at or above Level 4, basically behaved more or like on their instincts; those were the most important things for Lesser Daemons...
"Start cleaning up the battlefield... pursue them till the end of the Tartarus Pass..."
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes looked at the battlefield as he issued his orders. This was a hard fight... there were many losses; he could see that the 11th Imperial Legion suffered severe losses...
The Provincial Army of Grand Province of Sylvania, too, and there were also a good number of Reiksgarde, Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church that perished on the battlefield and the Silver Knight Order suffered the most in the battle.
"If there are even more battles like this, we need to seriously reform our military forces... the number of Greater Daemons and Noble Daemons within the horde was something outrageous."
Elector Count of Sylvania said because this battle showed that while the Army of the Holy Arcadia Empire was strong but seemingly ineffective against opponents that contained a lot of powerful beings.
Normally, the armies attacking the Skycrown Gate didn't contain so many Greater Daemons and Noble Daemons. Typically speaking, there were maximally a few Greater Daemons and maybe one or two Noble Daemons.
"As I am seeing this father, this would be a topic for the Landsraad or maybe even Great Convention Council..."
His son Jubstacheit arrived shortly after because he, too, left the battlefield as now all of the powerful enemies at Level 4 or above were already dead.
The Great Convention Council was something that was called only a few times during the existence of the Holy Arcadia Empire. It was basically a boosted-up version of the Landsraad; just there were many more people attending aside from the Nobility of the Empire.
Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes knew that a few decades ago, somebody proposed to create a new elite force within the Imperial Military, mainly to create a new breed of super soldiers, even Level above Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church.
Unfortunately, it went into nothingness because there was, technically speaking, no need for such radical measure, and the Healing Church also wasn't that much thrilled at that.
'It seems that the fusion of Religious Power and Imperial Power is inevitable after this...'
There were rumors that sooner or later, the Emperor would fuse the two types of power into one, directly under the Divine Authority of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
It was progressing slowly, but the process started a few decades ago when even the Emperor changed his official title to the Holy Imperator and the state was approaching more and more theocracy...
This, technically speaking, wasn't really good news for the Nobles because the already immense power of the Imperial House would be so strong that there would be basically no chance of any kind of opposition.
'It seems that some things are really inevitable...'
With that being said, the battle of today was won.
Hail the Victorious dead!
***
MC POV
Several hours later, after the battle ended, I was listening to the reports of losses. Thanks to Magic and famed Imperial Bureaucracy, counting dead wasn't any problem... at least from the technical side, because it was my least favorite aspect of the battle.
"The 11th Imperial Legion has suffered 18,645 deaths; the 6th Imperial Legion suffered 4,599 deaths, Provincial Army suffered 9,411 deaths. From Household Guards of the Noble Houses of Grand Province, there are varied, but they are around 3,000 or so... Aside from these..."
The Elector Count of Grand Province of Sylvania was reporting the numbers, as I saw there General Rundstedt of the House Rundstadt, who commanded the 6th Imperial Legion, and General Tamuc of the 11th Imperia Legion.
Siegfried Tamuc of the Viceroy House Tamuc of the Grand Principality of Reikland, but had the appearance of a typical Fenrisian because his father was actually from the Grand Province of Fenris, from the House Lothbrok.
His 2.5-metre height made him look like a veritable pillar himself, and the tens of little brown pigtails for his beard that were blowing in the wind did nothing to diminish his image. The gemstones, metal rings, animal teeth, and other such trinkets braided into his beard clanged against each other in the wind.
"Aside from these... 71 members of the Reiksgarde perished on the battlefield and 67 Holy Knight Executioners also perished. Deaths from the Silver Knight Order have reached 2,789."
Hearing those losses made me realize that they were indeed too high; it was unusual but also understandable because rarely do so many high-leveled entities participate in one battle, as most of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights perished against the Greater Daemons and Daemon Nobles.
In the end, they were Level 3 beings, and even with their superior training and equipment, going against Level 4 Greater Daemon was extremely dangerous, especially when the Greater Daemon was blessed by the Chaos God of Blood and Skulls.
The sole good thing was that due to the system I created within the Empire, replenishing the losses would take only a short time. Every single citizen of the Holy Arcadia Empire was required to learn how to fight and actively practice, or else there were sanctions.
The Reiksgarde and Holy Knights would replenish their numbers from the Silver Knight Order, who in turn would recruit from the Imperial Legions, who would recruit from the Provincial Armies and the Provincial Armies would recruit from the broader population of the province.
This created rather a sturdy wheel when replenishing deceased soldiers relatively easily and fast, so I estimated that within a few upcoming weeks or, maximally, months in the case of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights, the numbers would return back where they were.
Still, the 11th Imperial Legion suffered the biggest losses for the past few centuries, not only within the Legion itself but this could be said to be the biggest losses from a singular battle considering the number of Legions and other Units participating within it.
"That would be all gentlemen..."
I was woken up from my train of thoughts when every pair of eyes turned on me.
"This battle pointed to the ineffectiveness of the Imperial forces when dealing with an opponent that has far more high-leveled entities within their ranks... aside from the pure fact that something is happening in the Abyss. First thing was Daemon Lord Demogorgon, whom I killed in the continent of Westeros and now this..."
People here weren't surprised to hear that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was killed by me, even though it happened only a short time ago. But, considering the gravity of such information, I knew that immediately it happened, it was relayed back to the Homeland.
Everyone could see that something was happening in the Abyss, but nobody could tell what exactly was happening in there.
"Is it something related to the Great Game or not?"
The Great Game is the name given by the servants of Chaos to the endless struggle for influence and dominance in the Realm of Chaos the Abyss, the Dark Lands, and across many of the mortal worlds out there.
In the civilized realms of the material plane, where the Four Major Chaos Gods, their Daemon servants and, their various mortal Chaos Champions and other followers clash in the endless wheels of carnage and death.
Many legends mention the "Great Game", a mythical contest of war and wits fought between the four Ruinous Powers. The Dark Gods ally with one another only when it suits them and often fights against each other for the most spurious reasons.
Tzeentch, Slaanesh, Nurgle, and Khorne constantly compete to become the most powerful of the Chaos Gods. They are united only in their determination to finally destroy the Material Plane or conquer some mortal planet.
The Great Game is played out in three arenas. The first was naturally the Abyss itself, then it was the entirety of the Material Plane and the third were their own personal kingdoms, known as the Realms of Chaos.
Within the Realm of Chaos, the four major gods send armies of their Daemons and the most powerful of their mortal champions to assault each other's domains. However, the defenses surrounding their infernal kingdoms are almost impossible to breach.
The second theatre was the entire Material Plane, where the forces of the Ruination were invading the planets and nothing suspecting worlds that fell into the Chaos. Rarely the worlds were powerful enough even to defend, not to mention to push back the forces of the Dark Gods.
"It is highly possible... Reports from Marian Cross indicate that either one of Four is making a major move or there is someone attempting to become a new Chaos God."
Aside from the Four Major Chaos Gods, there were many Minor Chaos Gods, but the Minor Chaos Gods were actually not of that importance because they were not really that powerful and they actually feared to set foot on the premises of the Azyr.
The last time one attempted to do so was killed by Lord Gwyn during his Apotheosis, so the Minor Chaos Gods were a bit reluctant to do so.
"That is highly disturbing, Your Majesty."
The Elector Count of Grand Province Sylvania said as others wholeheartedly agreed with him.
"Yes, it is... but there is nothing we could do about it; we don't have any means to influence the happenings in the Abyss... though there is actually one thing we can do."
I then remembered one of the reports I got from the Directorate of the Imperial Military Intelligence.
"After the reformation of the military forces and elite Units, I plan to launch a systematic attack against the Skaven."
The Skaven, sometimes known as the ramen, the Ratkin, the Children of the Horned Rat, or the Underfolk, are a malevolent and diabolical race of large, intelligent, humanoid rats that inhabit a massive, inter-continental, subterranean empire known in their tongue simply as the Under-Empire.
At the very heart of Skavendom lies the horrific city of Skavenblight, the ratmen's capital city and the probable birthplace of the Skaven race. Most of their territory is within the Dark Lands of the Lordran, but there are many places, even within the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire, where they took root.
"You suspect that this upheaval has something to do with the Great Horned Rat?"
General Rundstedt asked as I nodded because that was what the reports indicated.
"Actually, yes... While we know that as right as now, the Great Horned Rat is one of the Minor Chaos Gods, we have confirmed that its powers are greatly increasing and its Pantheon is getting stronger; maybe the happenings within the Abyss have something to do with the Skaven."
Skaven were the scourge of the Lordran, and they were constantly embroiled in conflict against the Dwarves of Khaz-Modan and Fenrisian of the Grand Province of Fenris, as those were two mountainous areas of the Empire.
"Dwarves would be pleased when they heard about making a move on the Skaven..."
Yes, they would, but we would need to hit them systematically, breaking their strongholds under other Provinces because right now, Reikland was the sole province where there was no Skaven presence underneath.
The Reiksgarde and Holy Knights made sure of it, but the last time it was checked was a few decades ago, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Skaven stronghold even underneath the Reikland as they reproduced with the speed of light.
"Yes, they would... but we need to prepare for that properly... the Skaven are an underlying danger to the integrity of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and we need to push them back into the Dark Lands."
If we push back the Skaven into the Dark Lands, we can get hands-on access to their underground lairs and pathways, which could very well reach the other continents.
Perhaps, reaching even the of ends of the Essos, Sothoryos, Ulthos or any other landmasses that may or may not exist within the Azyr.
***
3rd POV
Faust, the City of Miracles, around the same time
The battle of the Skycrown Gate has been going on for some time already, and during the time Karl Franz was away, his newest fianceé was left in the Blackrose Castle as she was familiarizing herself with the new environment and also physical changes...
The digestion of the Old Blood always drastically improved the physical attributes of the person who drank the Old Blood, so one needed a lot of time until they once again learned how to control their physical strength.
But for that, the Healing Church was kind enough to send a teacher for Cersei, who was right now a small bundle of nerves, considering the fact that her fianceé went to a dangerous war and the fact that she probably developed an unhealthy obsession with the man.
And the teacher was none other than Vicar Amelia because the Healing Church felt that something was amiss with the situation and wanted to take advantage of it; every player always wanted to get an edge in the game.
Cersei was the daughter of Tywin Lannister; she wasn't that stupid to see that they were attempting to use her because of her lack of background within the Holy Arcadia Empire, either the Byrgenwerth or the Healing Church...
But she was rather okey with it, no matter how pissing off it was to her, but at the same time, she was also using them to obtain more power and build her own support base.
"You are doing well, my child. You have taken to the control lessons very fast, but achieving even greater control over your power would require more time. Still, to be able to reach level 3 through the First Blood Ministration is an impressive feat, even considering the wider Imperium."
Vicar Amelia wasn't flattering her right now, but just telling the truth because people rarely reached higher than Level 2 in the First Blood Ministration.
"Do you have any news from the Skycrown Gate?"
During the past few hours that her fianceé was away, she was very nervous; Cersei had a hard time admitting that she grew very fond of her fianceé. Not only because for the first time, someone actually asked her what she wanted to do, but he also spent a lot of time with her and entertained her whims.
Allowed her to train, taught her, laughed with her, and sparred with her.
"Actually, yes. The battle has been won and under control; his Holy Majesty would return back to the Faust soon enough."
Vicar Amelia said to soothe her nerves as the young daughter of House Lannister relaxed considerably.
"But for now, you should focus on training more because if not, then your opportunity to sneak into His Majesty's bed wouldn't come."
Soon enough, the young woman blushed in mild embarrassment because the sole reason she didn't really sleep with her fianceé was that her physique couldn't withstand it.
***
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Gehrman, the First Hunter
***
Codex: The Ancient Tomb Expedition
In the Year 4,551 an expedition was conducted by several people when the vast underground labyrinth was found underneath the city known as Yharnam. When they discovered the Ancient Tombs, several people led the Expedition into the depths; among them, the most notable were five leaders of the Expedition.
Master Willem and Big Hat Logan represent the Byrgenwerth, occultist of ancient Gods Laurence and one of the famous warriors from the Age of Strife known just as Gehrman, who acted as their bodyguard. Aside from them, there were two more people who were local nobles.
One of them was the ruler of the region that would be once known as the Grand Principality of Reikland, Gottfried Isebrand Holswig-Schliestein and Lancelin Cainar, who ruled the City State of Cainhurst.
These few people conducted the first Expedition into the Ancient Tombs, where they found the substance later known as the Old Blood and were the first people in the Lordran who encountered the vision from the Great Ones.
***
From a distance, everyone could see gathering clouds high above the Skycrown Gate and the Battle Wizards and Sholaars calling the Winds of Magic for their help. Omnious-looking storm clouds were gathered in one place, as out of nowhere, they started striking hundreds of lightning bolts at the Daemon Horde beneath them.
Each of the thunderbolts that struck down charred hundreds, if not thousands of Lesser Daemons in a split of a second, and their intensity and power were only increasing with each passing second.
Upon this happening, the Daemons started panicking because their numbers were drastically dropping down at tremendous speed under the barrage of the lightning bolts, never-ending dwarven siege engines that were bombarding them to oblivion.
And just as the storm clouds dispersed, tens of Griffons flew high in the air, carrying huge packages with their claws, and when they were above the battlefield, they were dropping them in free fall mode.
Upon contact with the ground, they were exploding in the green fire, a direct greeting from the Gnomeregan, the capital of Gnomes and Thinkers of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Soon enough, the entire battlefield was enveloped in a new wave of explosion and death as the Daemos were dying life and right.
***
On the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the location of Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes.
"My Lord, My Lord, the 6th Imperial Legion has arrived!"
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes took out his sword from the corpse of Greater Daemon and managed to sneak upon the walls of the Skycrwon Gate under the concealment of the shadows and powerful Chaos Magic.
Still, he was killed by the son of the Elector Count of Sylvania when Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes looked over at the officer who reported this news and sighed in relief.
With the addition of another Imperial Legion, they could coordinate with the Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, and Holy Knights to launch a counterattack.
Even right now, as they were speaking the majority of the Daemon horde lay dead, either from various traps prepared by the defenders, Artillery or Battle Wizards. And that was not talking about several tens of thousands that were personally killed by the Holy Imperator.
The outbursts of the legendary legendary Golden Light of Holy Destruction could be seen even from the distance of the Skycrown Gate, as with each outburst of the legendary aura, tens of thousands of Lesser Daemons were incarnated to the nothingness.
The current numbers and lack of truly powerful Daemons on the battlefield signified the time for a counterattack by the Imperial Forces.
Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes could see that his father was already raging on the battlefield as he turned into a mist of hundreds if not thousands of bats, which were killing everything in their path.
As the Vampires, the children of the night, they commanded very powerful Blood Magic and could control Blood as they wished, which gave them a very special standing in the Religion of the Great Ones because they were considered as "progeny" of the Formless God of Blood.
Not to mention, one of the greatest Noble Houses, the House Vileblood, were something that could be considered as Primogenotrs of the Vampires, as they were truly the masters of masters of Blood and Blood Magic.
Current Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes learned under the Vilebloods of Cainhurst and even married the niece of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, the Queen of Blood.
"Prepare for the counterattack! Send down the order!"
With the walls being mostly cleaned up, it was time to clean up the remaining Daemons that were running here and there under the walls. There were something around a few hundreds of thousands of Lesser Daemons remaining on the battlefield.
With the remaining ammunition being used, it would cut the number to approximately 300,000 Lesser Daenmons, which was from an initial number of 2,5 million, a good result.
This they could already handle with combined forces of 2 Imperial Legions, Provincial Amry, Reiksgarde, Holy Knights and Household Guards of Noble Houses. Soon enough, as Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes sent down the orders, the soldiers started gathering and preparing to march.
***
With the 6th Imperial Legion
General Rundstadt was hurrying his soldiers to the Skycrown Gate as they were intercepted by the messenger of the Elector Count House of Draculya-Tepes bearing the newest orders.
"General Lord Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes has ordered the counterattack against the Daemons; their numbers have been cut enough; we can start the cleaning operations already."
General Rundstadt of the 6th Imperial Legion raised his brow because he was surprised that they were missing most parts of the fight, but it seemed that the Skycrown Gate was very well defended, prepared and it seemed that the addition of Holy Imperator on the battlefield turned the tables considerably.
Having someone who could kill Greater Daemons and even Daemon Nobles in a split of second if the enemies were careless was something that significantly increased the efficiency of the Imperial Forces.
Without the heavy hitters, the strong commanders, Leaders... and elite forces of the Imperial Forces could turn their focus on the Lesser Daemons and putting someone on the level of Reiksgarde or Holy Knight among the ordinary Lesser Daemons would for sure end in a bloodbath.
"To the Gate! Prepare for battle!"
General Rundstadt, upon receiving the order, led his men to battle, with each of his Legates that commanded over three Divisions of the Legion ordered their forces into the formation.
They were going to meet the enemy head-on, so he was a bit worried, though not for the result of the battle because that would be won, but for his granddaughter, who was in command of the 3rd Division and was the newest Legate of the 6th Imperial Legion.
***
MC POV
When I saw that the Skycrown Gate was dropping everything they had in their arsenal against the Daemons, I knew that they were already preparing for the counterattack. Soon, the Gates would open, and the glorious armies of the Holy Arcadia Empire would march with sharp blades and Faith to slay the foul powers of Abyss and Chaos.
I looked at the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, whose armor was cracked all around the place, and he was bleeding from several parts of his body.
The corrosion done by the Golden Light of Holy Destruction was getting more and more prevalent to the point where it started destroying parts of his body from the inside.
Yet, to my surprise and not to my surprise, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was still fighting with even bigger ferocity and brutality than before; the power of his Patron God was getting stronger and stronger...
'Of course... we are on the battlefield, full of carnage, blood and war... naturally Khorne would get tremendous power from it, and everything went to the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand to make him even stronger... fortunately the Senior Hunter from the Worskhop should arrive within a few minutes at last...'
This entire place was constantly empowering the Daemon Lord of Khone... in the end, it was his domain; if not, then Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand would have long ago fallen to the corrosion of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction.
While the Daemon Lord was stronger than me by a significant margin, while both of us were technically speaking Level 6 existences, there was a great disparity between us as the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was undoubtedly stronger.
Yet under the corrosion of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction, he was getting weaker and weaker, but due to blessings of the Chaos God of Blood and Skulls, Martial Honor and War, who was using the lingering aura of the entire battlefield to empower his servant, he was still standing.
And not only standing, but that bastard was still attacking, forcing me too completely go on the defensive, as I was forced to use Ghal Maraz to block his overpowering blows that were getting stronger and stronger.
It didn't take a long time to realize that the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand entered some sort of Blood Rage or higher state of Blood Rage?
I don't really know because I am not a Demonologist, but he lost his rationality, that was for sure.
Even though when he previously entered that Blessed State, which Chaos God Khorne gave him a bit of his power, he still retained a piece of his own mind. But right now, he was only a maddened beast unleashed on the opponent; he really reminded me of some very powerful Clerical Beasts.
Upon the relentless and unending assault of the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, I was using practically everything I could to stall him down for a moment so that I could deliver some fatal blow to the maddened Daemon Lord.
As I dodged the enormous waraxe of Khorne, I dropped my weapons as I unleashed a massive Arcane Blast on the chest-belly region of the Daemon Lord's body, blasting him several hundreds of meters away.
In a split of a second, I conjured hundreds of lighting bolts, which all shot toward the still-flying Daemon Lord at full speed, falling onto his body as the Daemon Lord roared in pain from being bombarded by the lightning bolts.
Lore of Heavens the Azyr was Magic in which I was very proficient... aside from the Arcane Magic that was unique to the people who reached Noble Blood of the Old Blood, I focused mostly on the Lore of Heavens because of its destructive capabilities.
Suddenly, as the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand was about to stand up, a huge two-handed longsword shot through the air and buried itself in the shoulder of the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
In split of a second, a male figure wearing a long leather trenchcoat landed on the two-handed longsword that was buried in the should of the Daemon Lord, taking a pair of daggers and slashing them at the neck of the enormous Daemonic Beings before he tore out the longsword and jumped back.
"Your Holy Majesty."
The Senior Hunter of the Workshop has arrived, and now the tables have turned... I prepared my Holy Lance and looked at the Daemon Lord with a grin because now that the odds were in my favor, it was time to dance...
***
3rd POV
Atop on the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the Heir of the House of Draculya-Tepes was finished cleaning the last Daemons from the parts of the walls as he raised his head upon hearing the battle horn.
"All Soldiers ready! The reinforcements are here; send them back to the Abyss! Prepare to open the Gate!"
He saw that the 6th Imperial Legion had been lined up in front of the closed gate, together with parts of the 11th Imperial Legion, Provincial Army of the Grand Province of Sylvania, Household Guards of Viceroys and Baron, Silver Knights, Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church and Reiksgarde.
"Open the Gates!"
He shouted as he saw his father, the Elector Count of Sylvania, decapitating another Greater Daemon of Khorne as an enormous Bloodthirster fell onto the ground dead and several tens of the Skull Canons exploded into the bloody mist.
Soon enough, as he issued the order for the gates to be opened, the enormous gates of the Skycrown Gate, which were about fifty meters high, started slowly opening as soldiers beneath them got ready for the fight.
Battle Wizards were preparing the spells, Priests of the Healing Chruch were prying for Blessings from the Great Ones and on the walls of the Skycrown Gate, the Artillery forces were loading for the last shot to clean the way for the soldiers.
Everything happened too fast, as the Hellstorm Batteries and Canon fired at once, targeting the hordes of the Lesser Daemons in front of the gates, clearing the way for the charging soldiers.
And as the explosions quieted down, the soldiers started charging, calling for the Glory of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the Holy Imperator and the Great Ones in their fanatically loyal zeal to the Great Ones and Holy Imperator.
The thunderous charge of the Knights of the Holy Arcadia Empire, be it Silver Knights, Holy Knights of the Healing Church, or the sworn protectors of the Divine Throne of the Cinder and Sunlight the Reiksgarde, were charging on the enemy as some more weak-willed Lesser Daemons starred escaping outright.
Some of the Lesser Daemons were not really strong-willed creatures; they were cowardly as it could be... and when they sensed the overpowering Holy Aura originating from the Imperial Soldiers, they started escaping.
With the addition of another Imperial Legion, they started systematically exterminating every single Daemon that remained on the battlefield under the leadership of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights.
***
MC POV
Now that we were two on the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, we didn't need to say another word, as we just looked at each other and knew what to do exactly.
The Senior Hunter and I flanked the Daemon Lord from both sides and started relentlessly attacking the enormous Bloodthirster. The Senior Hunter was holding a huge claymore Holy Sword that was radiating the Holy Power of the Great Ones.
"Use the Arcane Prison!"
The Senior Hunter shouted at me as I nodded and prepared the special Arcane Spell that was used for trapping more powerful Cleric Beasts. Within a split of second, several rods of pure Arcane Energy appeared around the Daemon Lord Azigth.
Almost instantly later, the Senior Hunter hacked with his Holy Sword Claymore into the chest of the Daemon Lord Azgith as the Daemon Lord roared in pain because the Senior Hunter hit the weak spot.
I didn't waste the opportunity and while the Arcane Prison was still in effect, the Golden Light of Holy Destruction burst out from both of my weapons as I charged at the Daemon Lord Azgith, piercing through his heart with the Holy Artiact of the Great Ones.
And to my shock, even this didn't kill this Daemonic monstrosity as it was still continuing to fight at full power. The power of the Chaos God of Blood and Skulls was keeping the Daemon Lord going on...
But it didn't last for long because after my attack, the Senior Hunter buried his claymore deep into his brain and immediately afterward, I raised the Ghal Maraz that erupted with the Golden Light of Holy Destruction and smashed apart his skull.
And again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until nothing remained from the skull of the Daemon Lord.
***
3rd POV
Skycrown Gate, Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes landed on the walls of the Skycrown Gate as he hopped down from his Griffon. The fight on the ground basically ended when the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
With the death of their leader, the entire Daemon Horde quieted down because, without their leader, the Daemons were like headless chickens. Now that their leader was dead, there was nobody left in charge, and coupled with the fact that Daemons suffered tremendous losses, they started escaping.
The Lesser Daemons, contrary to the Greater Daemons and all Daemons at or above Level 4, basically behaved more or like on their instincts; those were the most important things for Lesser Daemons...
"Start cleaning up the battlefield... pursue them till the end of the Tartarus Pass..."
Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes looked at the battlefield as he issued his orders. This was a hard fight... there were many losses; he could see that the 11th Imperial Legion suffered severe losses...
The Provincial Army of Grand Province of Sylvania, too, and there were also a good number of Reiksgarde, Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church that perished on the battlefield and the Silver Knight Order suffered the most in the battle.
"If there are even more battles like this, we need to seriously reform our military forces... the number of Greater Daemons and Noble Daemons within the horde was something outrageous."
Elector Count of Sylvania said because this battle showed that while the Army of the Holy Arcadia Empire was strong but seemingly ineffective against opponents that contained a lot of powerful beings.
Normally, the armies attacking the Skycrown Gate didn't contain so many Greater Daemons and Noble Daemons. Typically speaking, there were maximally a few Greater Daemons and maybe one or two Noble Daemons.
"As I am seeing this father, this would be a topic for the Landsraad or maybe even Great Convention Council..."
His son Jubstacheit arrived shortly after because he, too, left the battlefield as now all of the powerful enemies at Level 4 or above were already dead.
The Great Convention Council was something that was called only a few times during the existence of the Holy Arcadia Empire. It was basically a boosted-up version of the Landsraad; just there were many more people attending aside from the Nobility of the Empire.
Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes knew that a few decades ago, somebody proposed to create a new elite force within the Imperial Military, mainly to create a new breed of super soldiers, even Level above Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church.
Unfortunately, it went into nothingness because there was, technically speaking, no need for such radical measure, and the Healing Church also wasn't that much thrilled at that.
'It seems that the fusion of Religious Power and Imperial Power is inevitable after this...'
There were rumors that sooner or later, the Emperor would fuse the two types of power into one, directly under the Divine Authority of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
It was progressing slowly, but the process started a few decades ago when even the Emperor changed his official title to the Holy Imperator and the state was approaching more and more theocracy...
This, technically speaking, wasn't really good news for the Nobles because the already immense power of the Imperial House would be so strong that there would be basically no chance of any kind of opposition.
'It seems that some things are really inevitable...'
With that being said, the battle of today was won.
Hail the Victorious dead!
***
MC POV
Several hours later, after the battle ended, I was listening to the reports of losses. Thanks to Magic and famed Imperial Bureaucracy, counting dead wasn't any problem... at least from the technical side, because it was my least favorite aspect of the battle.
"The 11th Imperial Legion has suffered 18,645 deaths; the 6th Imperial Legion suffered 4,599 deaths, Provincial Army suffered 9,411 deaths. From Household Guards of the Noble Houses of Grand Province, there are varied, but they are around 3,000 or so... Aside from these..."
The Elector Count of Grand Province of Sylvania was reporting the numbers, as I saw there General Rundstedt of the House Rundstadt, who commanded the 6th Imperial Legion, and General Tamuc of the 11th Imperia Legion.
Siegfried Tamuc of the Viceroy House Tamuc of the Grand Principality of Reikland, but had the appearance of a typical Fenrisian because his father was actually from the Grand Province of Fenris, from the House Lothbrok.
His 2.5-metre height made him look like a veritable pillar himself, and the tens of little brown pigtails for his beard that were blowing in the wind did nothing to diminish his image. The gemstones, metal rings, animal teeth, and other such trinkets braided into his beard clanged against each other in the wind.
"Aside from these... 71 members of the Reiksgarde perished on the battlefield and 67 Holy Knight Executioners also perished. Deaths from the Silver Knight Order have reached 2,789."
Hearing those losses made me realize that they were indeed too high; it was unusual but also understandable because rarely do so many high-leveled entities participate in one battle, as most of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights perished against the Greater Daemons and Daemon Nobles.
In the end, they were Level 3 beings, and even with their superior training and equipment, going against Level 4 Greater Daemon was extremely dangerous, especially when the Greater Daemon was blessed by the Chaos God of Blood and Skulls.
The sole good thing was that due to the system I created within the Empire, replenishing the losses would take only a short time. Every single citizen of the Holy Arcadia Empire was required to learn how to fight and actively practice, or else there were sanctions.
The Reiksgarde and Holy Knights would replenish their numbers from the Silver Knight Order, who in turn would recruit from the Imperial Legions, who would recruit from the Provincial Armies and the Provincial Armies would recruit from the broader population of the province.
This created rather a sturdy wheel when replenishing deceased soldiers relatively easily and fast, so I estimated that within a few upcoming weeks or, maximally, months in the case of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights, the numbers would return back where they were.
Still, the 11th Imperial Legion suffered the biggest losses for the past few centuries, not only within the Legion itself but this could be said to be the biggest losses from a singular battle considering the number of Legions and other Units participating within it.
"That would be all gentlemen..."
I was woken up from my train of thoughts when every pair of eyes turned on me.
"This battle pointed to the ineffectiveness of the Imperial forces when dealing with an opponent that has far more high-leveled entities within their ranks... aside from the pure fact that something is happening in the Abyss. First thing was Daemon Lord Demogorgon, whom I killed in the continent of Westeros and now this..."
People here weren't surprised to hear that the Daemon Lord Demogorgon was killed by me, even though it happened only a short time ago. But, considering the gravity of such information, I knew that immediately it happened, it was relayed back to the Homeland.
Everyone could see that something was happening in the Abyss, but nobody could tell what exactly was happening in there.
"Is it something related to the Great Game or not?"
The Great Game is the name given by the servants of Chaos to the endless struggle for influence and dominance in the Realm of Chaos the Abyss, the Dark Lands, and across many of the mortal worlds out there.
In the civilized realms of the material plane, where the Four Major Chaos Gods, their Daemon servants and, their various mortal Chaos Champions and other followers clash in the endless wheels of carnage and death.
Many legends mention the "Great Game", a mythical contest of war and wits fought between the four Ruinous Powers. The Dark Gods ally with one another only when it suits them and often fights against each other for the most spurious reasons.
Tzeentch, Slaanesh, Nurgle, and Khorne constantly compete to become the most powerful of the Chaos Gods. They are united only in their determination to finally destroy the Material Plane or conquer some mortal planet.
The Great Game is played out in three arenas. The first was naturally the Abyss itself, then it was the entirety of the Material Plane and the third were their own personal kingdoms, known as the Realms of Chaos.
Within the Realm of Chaos, the four major gods send armies of their Daemons and the most powerful of their mortal champions to assault each other's domains. However, the defenses surrounding their infernal kingdoms are almost impossible to breach.
The second theatre was the entire Material Plane, where the forces of the Ruination were invading the planets and nothing suspecting worlds that fell into the Chaos. Rarely the worlds were powerful enough even to defend, not to mention to push back the forces of the Dark Gods.
"It is highly possible... Reports from Marian Cross indicate that either one of Four is making a major move or there is someone attempting to become a new Chaos God."
Aside from the Four Major Chaos Gods, there were many Minor Chaos Gods, but the Minor Chaos Gods were actually not of that importance because they were not really that powerful and they actually feared to set foot on the premises of the Azyr.
The last time one attempted to do so was killed by Lord Gwyn during his Apotheosis, so the Minor Chaos Gods were a bit reluctant to do so.
"That is highly disturbing, Your Majesty."
The Elector Count of Grand Province Sylvania said as others wholeheartedly agreed with him.
"Yes, it is... but there is nothing we could do about it; we don't have any means to influence the happenings in the Abyss... though there is actually one thing we can do."
I then remembered one of the reports I got from the Directorate of the Imperial Military Intelligence.
"After the reformation of the military forces and elite Units, I plan to launch a systematic attack against the Skaven."
The Skaven, sometimes known as the ramen, the Ratkin, the Children of the Horned Rat, or the Underfolk, are a malevolent and diabolical race of large, intelligent, humanoid rats that inhabit a massive, inter-continental, subterranean empire known in their tongue simply as the Under-Empire.
At the very heart of Skavendom lies the horrific city of Skavenblight, the ratmen's capital city and the probable birthplace of the Skaven race. Most of their territory is within the Dark Lands of the Lordran, but there are many places, even within the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire, where they took root.
"You suspect that this upheaval has something to do with the Great Horned Rat?"
General Rundstedt asked as I nodded because that was what the reports indicated.
"Actually, yes... While we know that as right as now, the Great Horned Rat is one of the Minor Chaos Gods, we have confirmed that its powers are greatly increasing and its Pantheon is getting stronger; maybe the happenings within the Abyss have something to do with the Skaven."
Skaven were the scourge of the Lordran, and they were constantly embroiled in conflict against the Dwarves of Khaz-Modan and Fenrisian of the Grand Province of Fenris, as those were two mountainous areas of the Empire.
"Dwarves would be pleased when they heard about making a move on the Skaven..."
Yes, they would, but we would need to hit them systematically, breaking their strongholds under other Provinces because right now, Reikland was the sole province where there was no Skaven presence underneath.
The Reiksgarde and Holy Knights made sure of it, but the last time it was checked was a few decades ago, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Skaven stronghold even underneath the Reikland as they reproduced with the speed of light.
"Yes, they would... but we need to prepare for that properly... the Skaven are an underlying danger to the integrity of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and we need to push them back into the Dark Lands."
If we push back the Skaven into the Dark Lands, we can get hands-on access to their underground lairs and pathways, which could very well reach the other continents.
Perhaps, reaching even the of ends of the Essos, Sothoryos, Ulthos or any other landmasses that may or may not exist within the Azyr.
***
3rd POV
Faust, the City of Miracles, around the same time
The battle of the Skycrown Gate has been going on for some time already, and during the time Karl Franz was away, his newest fianceé was left in the Blackrose Castle as she was familiarizing herself with the new environment and also physical changes...
The digestion of the Old Blood always drastically improved the physical attributes of the person who drank the Old Blood, so one needed a lot of time until they once again learned how to control their physical strength.
But for that, the Healing Church was kind enough to send a teacher for Cersei, who was right now a small bundle of nerves, considering the fact that her fianceé went to a dangerous war and the fact that she probably developed an unhealthy obsession with the man.
And the teacher was none other than Vicar Amelia because the Healing Church felt that something was amiss with the situation and wanted to take advantage of it; every player always wanted to get an edge in the game.
Cersei was the daughter of Tywin Lannister; she wasn't that stupid to see that they were attempting to use her because of her lack of background within the Holy Arcadia Empire, either the Byrgenwerth or the Healing Church...
But she was rather okey with it, no matter how pissing off it was to her, but at the same time, she was also using them to obtain more power and build her own support base.
"You are doing well, my child. You have taken to the control lessons very fast, but achieving even greater control over your power would require more time. Still, to be able to reach level 3 through the First Blood Ministration is an impressive feat, even considering the wider Imperium."
Vicar Amelia wasn't flattering her right now, but just telling the truth because people rarely reached higher than Level 2 in the First Blood Ministration.
"Do you have any news from the Skycrown Gate?"
During the past few hours that her fianceé was away, she was very nervous; Cersei had a hard time admitting that she grew very fond of her fianceé. Not only because for the first time, someone actually asked her what she wanted to do, but he also spent a lot of time with her and entertained her whims.
Allowed her to train, taught her, laughed with her, and sparred with her.
"Actually, yes. The battle has been won and under control; his Holy Majesty would return back to the Faust soon enough."
Vicar Amelia said to soothe her nerves as the young daughter of House Lannister relaxed considerably.
"But for now, you should focus on training more because if not, then your opportunity to sneak into His Majesty's bed wouldn't come."
Soon enough, the young woman blushed in mild embarrassment because the sole reason she didn't really sleep with her fianceé was that her physique couldn't withstand it.
***
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Chapter 11 - Aftermath and Time of Relax
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"Great Resurgence and the Noble Houses of Westeros
When the Great Resurgence of Magic started in the Azyr, the ones that took the most significant changes were the contiínents of Westeros and Essos. When it became clear that the old order was dead and the new had come, people started adjusting to it.
Wizards and Sorcerers started appearing in Westeros; the long-forgotten abilities like Greenseers, Wargs, or Water Controllers were resurfacing one by one. Naturally, the changes were not only within the common people, but most significant were among the Nobility of the Seven Kingdoms.
Due to the return of Magic, people got physically stronger, faster, and more powerful. Due to their connection with the Lordran, some even prolonged their natural lifespans. Many Noble Houses rose to greater heights, and even more, were destroyed and forgotten by the passage of time.
Most notable of the period was House Stark of the North, who obtained power branches of Ice Magic and Warg Magic, naturally the connection and relationship that Lord Rickard Stark built with Elector Count House Stark an Russ.
Then there were House Nymeros Martell, famed for their various Magical abilities related to the Sand and Earth, but most importantly for the Water Control ability as descendants from the ancient Rhoynish Water Mages.
Aside from these two, there were naturally House Baratheon, famed for the strong affinity for the Lore of Heavens and House Lannister for the connection to the Lore of Metal.
Naturally, in a situation like this, it would be important to also tell something about the Greater Houses of Westeros that actually perished with the Great Upheaval of Magic.
Houses Tully and Tyrell became extinct directly due to the Great Upheaval of Magic because their Lineages were far more inferior to older, more powerful Magical Lineages of the world, which included many of their own vassals."
From the book series Great Resurgence written by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel, Year unknown
***
Codex: Great Convention
The Great Convention is a treaty of the Unification of Lordran and the foundation of the Holy Arcadia Empire. It was brokered between the Imperial House Holswig-Schliestein, Greater Houses, The Healing Church, Byrgenwerth, Workshop and the Holy Arcadia Empire itself shortly after Emperor Karl-Franz unified Lordran.
Every Article of the Great Convention began with the term "The Forms must be obeyed."
One could think of the Great Convention as the constitution of the Holy Arcadia Empire and the contract between all factions of the Empire to coexist with each other.
***
The aftermath of another assault on the Skycrown Gate, which was termed as Fallings of the Dark, was instead a bittersweet victory. While the battle was won and the integrity of the lands of the Empire remained intact, the number of dead was high.
Especially considering the fact that many of the deceased were the members of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Chruch. Silver Knight Order also suffered relatively high casualties together with the Imperial Legions and Provincial Army.
So yes, it left a weird feeling in many of the higher-ups with the Imperial machinery, and it was clear that this topic would need to be addressed. This attack showed them that they needed to focus more on cultivating high-level professionals and powerful combatants to fight against the Ruinious Powers in the future.
In regard to the Reiksgarde and Holy Knight Executioners, their number was relatively low because the Orders had only exactly 1,000 members. No less and no more, which has been shown to be not enough for the current needs of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
The dark times were coming, and they needed to be prepared for whatever they would encounter. It was clear that the relatively peaceful times of the Lands of Ancients had come to an end; now, the turbulent times were waiting for them.
But the Holy Imperator Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor was actually awaiting them with glee and happiness. The turbulent times that were coming for the Lordran, and later for the Westeros and Essos, and then for the entirety of the Azyr were also an opportunity.
An opportunity to bring the Holy Arcadia Empire to new heights... he was waiting for the opportunity, for the time, and he was already properly preparing for it. He already got some reports from the High Schoalrs of Byrgenwerth that the entire Azyr was undergoing another wave of Magic Resurgence.
Which was a shocking revelation in itself because of the consequences it was bringing with it...
While not entirely confirmed, it was very likely that the density of Magic would be increased significantly in the following decades. Soon enough, Westeros and Essos would be reversed into how they looked several thousand years ago and would be full-fledged magical continents.
And that was not talking about the mysterious landmass known as Sothoryos, which was something recorded rather extensively even within the Imperial Archives.
***
MC POV
It was finally the end; the final ceremony was nearing the end, as we were transporting the corpses of the deceased for burial. The members of the Reiksgarde to the Anor Londo, Holy Knights to the Yharnam, and Silver Knights to the Cainhurst.
Where their names would be engraved to be forever remembered as the heroes of the Imperial who put down their lives for a better tomorrow and fought against the evil forces of the Chaos and Abyss.
The losses of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were different from all others... they were all men and women whom I have known personally. To a great degree because they all represented the pinnacle of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
I could name every single one member of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knight Executioners because they were men and women whom I personally Knighted to the positions of either Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners.
Not to mention, this would significantly weaken both organizations for some time, but on the other hand, to not see just the negatives, this was an opportunity for me to consolidate power in the Empire... once again.
And it also gives me a reason to finally create the Stormcast Eternals, as it was proposed a long time ago.
But since the Empire suffered such great losses in this battle, mainly thanks to more than 150 Level 3 Beings and several Level 4 commanders that fell, it changed the entire situation.
It gave me the reason, and that was all that was needed.
Still, having the Healing Church under the Divine Throne and completely merging together the Religious Power and State Power was very into the one was very appealing to me.
Still, that was for the future and something that would be announced at the Great Convention Council in a few months, probably in the half year because that was the fastest time how we could get it together.
"Soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire, proud sons and daughters of the Lordran. You have fought valiantly for the glory of our nation! Some of you died for protecting what you hold dear; some of you died against the blades of Ruinious Powers. The sacrifices that you made for the Empire shall not be forgotten, and they are never forgotten! The names of the dead shall be revered as the heroes of the Empire, as the Saints and Saintesses who put down their lives so the others could live in peace! Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
I finished the speech atop the walls of the Skycrown Gate while looking at the Imperial Forces from the 6th Imperial Legion, 11th Imperial Legion, Provincial Army, elite forces of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and other units and people who participated in the Fallings of the Darkstorm.
"Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
"Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
"Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
The Imperial Soldiers shouted in cheer because they were happy about the victory and also because there were never-forgotten soldiers with the Holy Arcadia Empire who died in service to the nation.
After I finished my speech for the soldiers, I wasn't very keen on remaining at the Skycrown Gate, so after exchanging some pleasantries with the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes and his heir, I returned through the portal to the Faust.
***
Faust, the City of Miracles
After I returned to the Faust, I went directly to the Blackrose Castle, and I just wanted to sleep as I fell down on my enormous king-sized bed because I felt really exhausted from today's battle.
The walls are adorned with rich, deep colors such as burgundy, dark green, or royal blue. Elaborate, textured wallpapers with intricate patterns of damask, floral motifs, or ornate designs cover the walls from ceiling to wainscoting.
Gold leaf accents are hand-painted onto the intricate patterns, catching the light and adding an air of decadence. However, considering the status of the Imperial House, it was relatively modest; some wealthy Nobles or Merchants were even more opulent.
The room's focal point is a large, intricately carved four-poster bed with a towering canopy draped with rich fabrics like velvet, silk, or brocade. The bedposts are adorned with ornate finials, and the headboard showcases detailed woodwork or tufted upholstery.
The bedding is a combination of layers of fine linens, lace-trimmed pillows, and a sumptuous duvet.
Matching the bed's grandeur, you'll find a vanity with an ornate, tilting mirror surrounded by intricate carvings and delicate scrollwork. A dressing table holds an array of exquisite crystal perfume bottles, hairbrushes with ivory handles, and a silver tray with delicate jewelry.
Near the windows, there's a chaise lounge or a plush seating area upholstered in luxurious fabric, providing a cozy spot for reading or leisure.
A writing desk is placed against one wall, featuring intricate inlays and compartments for writing materials, and a plush; upholstered chair complements the desk.
I rarely felt this kind of tired like today, but all things considered, I was spending the whole morning and noon with Cersei shopping, and afterward, I went to the Skycrown Gate and fought against the entire Daemon horde.
Together with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
Before the sleep took me out of the Waking World, I suddenly heard knocking on my door, which was rather surprising because there were not many people who would be disrupting me.
Aside from the fact that it was already evening.
"Enter."
I said while sitting up on the bed, though with my accurate hearing, I could hear who was knocking on the door. It seemed that my newest fiancé couldn't really wait to meet me, which was something that made me happy.
Being desired is always a very satisfying feeling.
"You were trying to stay awake just for me?"
I was genuinely surprised because she underwent the Blood Ministration only a few days ago, so her body was still in the adjustment period. When a person underwent the Blood Ministration, the process of adjustment and becoming a full-fledged superhuman took time.
And that time was measured in weeks, but even right now, Cersei had some qualities that were showing themselves, mainly enhanced senses learning capabilities and her physical strength could already overpower trained adult men.
That was rather impressive for a fifteen-year-old girl who had just now received the Blood Ministration. I estimated that within ten days or so, she would be strong enough to compete physically with powerful Orks and, within three weeks, Nobz.
It would take her at least two months or so to reach the standard physical capabilities of Level 4, but that was to be expected because she made a jump with her Blood Ministration.
"Isn't that obvious?"
She huffed at hearing such an obvious question.
"So you were worried for me... that's rather cute."
In truth, I wouldn't expect that she was still awake because she was worried about my well-being, which was indeed how it sounded... it was cute.
Hearing that, I knew that she huffed in annoyance but nevertheless sat down next to me.
***
3rd POV
Indeed, Cersei was somewhat worried about her finaceé going into such a dangerous conflict, even though they had known each other for a very short time. However, at the same time, even within Westeros, it was common for people who didn't really know each other to get married.
Mainly to secure the benefits for the Noble Families.
So, she didn't think that their relationship was developing fast; on the contrary, she would appreciate it if it went even faster. She had to admit that she found the entire persona of Warrior Emperor that her fianceé had highly appealing.
Not to mention, he was much older, appearance-wise, naturally, which further enhanced his charm in her eyes. And this was all without taking his personality and his efforts in supporting her dreams into account.
"Vicar Amelia relayed to me the news that the Skycrown Gate was under the biggest attack since probably its establishment."
Now that they counted the number of Greater Daemons and Daemon Nobles, it was indeed probably the most noteworthy attack on the Skycrown Gate since it was built.
"Yes, we lost many good men and women in that fight... but their sacrifice won't be in vain, and at the same time, it will allow me to smoothly call Great Convention Council to pass some more radical reforms..."
Karl Franz and Cersei were sitting on the bed and just talking because he found it weirdly comforting. Even with Maria, when they were not doing anything and just talked, it was something that was comforting on many fronts.
"What are you planning to do?"
She asked curiously as she played with her golden locks.
"Consolidation of power... reforms of the military and fusion of Church and State, soon enough the Healing Church would fell under the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, as we all every other military unit within the Holy Arcadia Empire."
Cersei could agree with this sentiment because, in her head, everyone and everything should be under the might of the Divine Throne and the authority of the Imperial House. And now it would happen; she could see that the might of the Imperial House would be unmatched.
"So, would we continue our tour of the City tomorrow?"
She asked because today, their nice time together was cut short when he needed to depart for the frontlines to fight against the forces of Ruination. Still, she was rather satisfied with the results because she found many excellent pieces of jewelry, weapons, and other things that she bought.
"Yes, but after a few days, we need to depart for the Anor Londo, and the journey there would take some time."
Karl Franz said to her annoyance because she knew that three Holy Cites and Anor Londo were interconnected together through portals, something that she learned very fast.
"Can't we take the portal? Right now, we are in Klandor, and the journey to the heart of Reikland will take more than a few weeks."
She pointed like a little kid because she wasn't a fan of spending another few weeks in the war wagon, especially if they could just take the portal and arrive at the Anor Londo, the City of Gods, in a matter of mere moments.
"No, we can't... entering the Anor Londo in a more formal way through the main gates, and everything is another form of ceremony. Aside from that, there would be an Imperial Procession due to the situation on the frontlines and Skycrown Gate as I killed another Daemon Lord."
Hearing that once again brightened her mood because, during the time they spent together, Karl learned one thing about Cersei. She loved formal occasions like this, absolutely loved, and she was natural at them.
Contrary to Maria, who, when heard words like "Ball", "Dress" or something else in this direction, she was washed over by dread, and she tended to escape. So, from the gloomy mood, Cersei was eager for the format procession as she wanted to pick the best dress.
"Yes, yes, tomorrow we will go and pick up some formal clothing for you... I think there should be some shop in the Faust for that."
Karl said because he was partially just guessing right now, as he didn't really know if Faust had something like a shop for formal dresses for women. Considering the purpose and size of the City; it was highly possible that it would not, but for now, he didn't want to squash her excitement.
"Thank you very much."
She gave him a kiss on the cheeks and wrapped her hands around his neck like a koala for several seconds straight.
"You know, something like this is for certain..."
As she was pressing her body against his in a rather seductive position, which he didn't know if it was intentional or not, he noticed that her physique was becoming more and more toned and shaped.
All the training, physical exercises, and different diets started doing wonders; as for now, Cersei was spending most, if not all, of her free time either training in combat or reading books.
She wasn't her imp of a brother, who was buried in books since the day he could read, so at the start, she had some problems with concentration and learning because it was vastly different than being taught by a Maester.
"Today I read about the regime at the Schola Progenium... and I must say that I find it pretty strict..."
Karl Franz didn't know if she was going to complain about it or what, but he still entertained her thoughts about it.
"It is... very strict, but at the same time, it is the finest educational institution with the entire Holy Arcadia Empire and all people who graduate from there are considered as elites among the elites."
While Karl Franz never attended it as a student, he would often go to give lectures at some of the finest Imperial Universities.
Mainly at the Schola Progenium, Diesdorf Military College and Aquailla Academy.
"You would be okey; just a good advice: don't try to use your nobility status there... it never ends well in those cases."
One of the reasons why the Schola Progenium was considered the finest institution within the wider Imperium and also the one that brought the best result was its very strict regime.
"In there, the only thing that matters is merit and nothing more... even if you are a child of Elector Count, if you don't behave, you would still be punished like if you were a commoner."
Indeed, the conditions of the Schola Progenium were harsh, sometimes pretty harsh, but the results were speaking for themselves.
"..."
For several moments, his fiancé was looking at him, not knowing what to say because such things would be considered unthinkable within the Westeros and Essos.
"Don't worry about that... you will have some time to adjust to the new environment. I already spoke with the Headmaster about that and also, you would be fostered at Lady Annalise, so if you have any problem, you could ask for her help."
She had every advantage that she could get her hands on; most of them originated directly.
So, for that reason, Cersei was rather calm, but that was only still she didn't arrive at the Schola Progenium.
"But don't worry about that right now."
Karl Franz stated as he kissed her on her lips.
***
The next day, early in the morning.
While Cersei wasn't a morning person, but today she was as early up as possible.
Because today they were going to pick up a dress for the formal occasions, and naturally, because Karl Franz was essentially bullshitting yesterday, he needed to call his personal tailoring team from Anor Londo.
The good thing about that was that he didn't need to go through the arduous process of shopping, but at the same time, he would need to be present at the tailoring of the dress and all things around it.
Fortunately, as these were the Imperial Tailors that were making all of his clothes, not like he had many because his wardrobe was relatively modest, they worked really, really fast and precisely.
So even though something like a formal dress would take a lot of time, he knew that they would get it done very fast, and he also knew that it would be the most perfect dress for his little golden lioness.
So straight from the morning, the entire team of more than twenty best tailors of the Holy Arcadia Empire were working non-stop on her new dress. Because she would be participating in the Imperial Procession next to him, she needed to look as good as possible.
Nothing lower than perfection was not acceptable.
After her dress was finished, or rather after all menial tasks were done with it, like taking measurements, picking up the colors, themes, and trying the models that were already prepared, they could go to finish their tour of Faust.
"Please try this, my Lady; this is the material from Alpha-Class Danger Beasts, made from the fur of a Twin-Headed Golden Lion. It would be the perfect material to make the ornaments of Lions on the dress."
Her dress would be rather thematic because it would combine the colors of House Lannister, red and gold, together with patterns of Lion and Griffon, which were the symbols of her birth house and the Empire.
"And could you integrate the Sigil of the Twin-Tailed Comet and Imperial House?"
Hearing her ask made Karl Franz raise his brow because it was actually pretty smart with this. Not only would she, in one move, present her own birth House, but also the Imperial House and him as her fianceé.
"Of course, My Lady. Is there anything that you wish to add?"
The head tailor asked her as she nodded her head.
"Actually, yes, make it seem more traditional and conservative... something that would be appreciated mainly by the old noble families of Lordran."
Cersei certainly knew how to make the first impression, something that Karl Franz didn't really care if she wore a modern dress that was popular these days among the young noble ladies of the Empire or something more traditional.
Clothes were the most important on these occasions because they reflected status; they reflected the thoughts of the person who were them and could also send out powerful messages.
"It shall be done, my Lady; the first model would be done within eight hours."
The Head Tailor was a rather lean middle-aged man with long black hair and a rather gentle appearance. Eight hours was actually a very short time, but considering the skills of the people were confined to the title of Imperial Tailor, it was to be expected.
Yes, there was a title of "Imperial Tailor" awarded to the personal Tailors who worked in the Imperial Palace and were creating the clothes of the members of the Imperial House.
After they got her the dress, Karl Franz took her back on the tourney through the Faust, as the City itself was enormous, and because of the lack of people, it looked like a ghost town, but it was also a very tranquil place.
They returned to the Faust because it was already noon; they had spent almost three hours in a designer room with the tailors and stylists who were working on her dress.
***
MC POV
I was showing Cersei around the Faust; we were going from one place to another. One thing unique about the Faust was that, after we checked the Trade District of the City, we went to the other District of the Main Floating Island of the Faust.
All three Holy Cities and Anor Londo the City of Gods, were always tranquil and peaceful due to the fact that all three, despite their vast size, had relatively small populations, giving the places another kind of charm.
After the Faust, Anor Londo was a city that had the smallest population, numbering only slightly above a hundred thousand or so of permanent residents, which was only a little more than the Faust had.
Yharnam also didn't have a big population of permanent residents, as most of its inhabitants were members of the Clergy, Priests and, naturally, the pilgrims that were going on pilgrimage to the Holy City of the Healing Church and Religion of the Great Ones.
Because it was noon, we went to the restaurant where we were originally going yesterday for dinner, but the launch was also good. Ironically, though, the restaurant where we were going was opened by one of the former Imperial Chefs who were in charge of the kitchens in the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo.
This alone attracted a lot of Nobles, high-level Professionals, and powerful Wizards that were living in the Faust. Some were coming even from the far corners of the Empire to try the cuisine of Chef Osmont Jamelin and his wife, Edelina Jamelin.
It was a mix of traditional Brettonian cuisine with elements of Reikland's traditional cuisine and obviously, every single dish was made from very precious and rare ingredients.
"It is empty here..."
Cersei stated as we went to a huge building that looked very unassuming and was similar to other buildings that were in the other districts of the Faust.
"Yes, it is... not many people have money to pay even for a single dish prepared here, not only due to the prestige of this place but also because the ingredients are something that would bankrupt some lesser Nobles."
I said as we were led to the top floor, to private VIP cabins reserved only for the guests of the highest honor.
Obviously, only after we signed into the book of guests did the restaurant could throw around its newly found status of hosting the Holy Imperator.
Not that I minded that... capitalism was developing within the Empire at a steady pace, and more and more people were trying their luck with becoming entrepreneurs, merchants and so on...
"Greetings, Your Holy Majesty, My Lady. Have you chosen your meal?"
As they sat down behind the table with a good view of the rest of the city, as they were on the top floor of the building with the best view, a waitress came to them. I had to admit that by standards of beauty, she would be ranked at the upper percentage and she wore a rather stylish yet simple uniform.
"Yes, Special Menu Number 3 two times."
I said after I skimmed the menu quickly.
It consisted of a simple appetizer of Egg Benedict made from Royal Flame Chicken, a Class Gamma Danger Beast, onion soup made from Brettonian Onions and cheese from Two-Headed Brown Cow, the main dish was Fire Dragon Steak made from the meat of Special Class Flame Dragon, and desert was a surprise of the chef.
The price of one menu was a staggering 5,000 Gold Reichsmarks... which was a very high number for a single dish, but as I said, this place wasn't even for ordinary nobles or merchants or Professionals.
Only for the most powerful or richest.
And the fact that it was in the Faust also didn't help the prices to get lower.
Anything that was stationed within the Three Holy Cities and Anor Londo wasn't ordinary.
And of course, we had the meal for free, because the restaurant "Fat Dragon" could use it as an advertisement for their place. Naturally, any spot that was visited by the Holy Imperator would attract a lot of people just by this fact alone and they were greatly capitalizing on it.
"A real dragon meat as the main dish?"
Even Cersei looked at the menu skeptically because the average adult dragon was a Special Class Danger Beast that would require Level 5 to subjugate it... this was extravagance not even her father would entertain and even Tywin Lannister, with all of his gold, wouldn't pay 15,000 Golden Dragon for one lunch.
"Yes... though restaurants like this are relatively rare within the Empire, not many places offer ingredients of powerful Danger Beasts, so most are only with the Three Holy Cities, Anor Londo and Provincial Capitals..."
She nodded at that because that seemed logical; even most nobles wouldn't be able to pay for that, but she enjoyed such luxury and spending money. Though at the same time, I was already instilling into her that it was okay to spend money as long as you could make it back.
So, as one of the tests I prepared for her was to create an alternative means of business...
In her family, they knew how to make money and gold; her father was a prime example of that fact.
I already heard that he was taking note of the Empire and established a chamber of commerce called Lannister Trading Company that would focus on reselling things imported from the Empire to the rest of Westeros and Essos.
It was a rather smart move because Westeros and Essos represented an enormous market, especially the Seven Kingdoms, some of the Free Cities and Empires further east.
Even the Imperial House itself, aside from various investments, had a trading organization called CHOAM, or by the full name Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, under its control.
"So, have you decided on what to do with the task?"
I asked; previously, I offered her an initial investment of 20,000 Golden Reichsmarks so she could create her own income. One of the common problems of Monarchies was that the ruling families were typically using the state money on themselves and sometimes too much of the state money.
On Earth, it led to the fall of many regimes because sooner or later, the extravagant lifestyle of the Royal Family would be very hard to sustain, so for that reason, I created a rule for myself and my future descendants that they got only a very limited amount of money from the Imperial Treasury.
If they wanted more, they would need to earn it by themselves and that was a rule even I followed to make an example. Even Maria, if she wanted something, she would work as a Monster Hunter, a very profitable job and equally dangerous.
Most nobles followed this example with the Empire, either from their own initiative to not look bad and incompetent before the Divine Throne or Landsraad or from their own initiative.
"Yes, invention, creation and selling of beauty products for women."
I raised my brow at that because while it sounded clisché or something in that way, this was actually a very lucrative market. Considering the fact that things like soap or beauty products were exceedingly rare with the Westeros and Essos.
Even in the Empire, women would pay an extraordinary amount of gold for anything related to beauty care, be it soaps, various oils, potions against wrinkles, or potions prolonging youthful appetence or rejuvenation.
"We are rather devious, are we?"
She agreed with me proudly, actually very satisfied with herself on this one.
"Actually not, I will be just providing what the people need and get gold for it... as simple as that, though I will need how to bypass father's influence, I don't want to share profits..."
Now she was speaking like a true Lannister; I suspected that if Tywin heard her, he would be proud... considering the fact that his eldest son wasn't really bright mind aside from the swordsmanship and combat and his youngest son was an imp...
"If you were a man, you would certainly be venerated as the genius of millennia within the Seven Kingdoms."
I couldn't help but tease her a bit, and also, I also wanted to see her reaction to my provocations.
"So what? I will show them that I am better than all of them combined together."
She said haughtily with brimming confidence, something that I really found appealing to her; she had good potential... Indeed, she wasn't naturally some genius or someone so talented, but at the same time, those things could be made with some hard work.
"Then I am proud of you..."
When I said that, I noticed a lone tear escaping her eye, which she very fast wiped to hide that she was crying. Probably, unfortunately, chose a combination of time and words because I suspected that this was something she wanted to always hear from her father.
Cersei Lannister was always very eager to prove herself that she was as smart or capable as her father... It was one of the bad habits that she had; she always tried to prove she could live up to the Lannister reputation that her father built.
That and her overconfidence were something on that I needed to thread carefully... because such habits would typically end not very well...
***
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When the Great Resurgence of Magic started in the Azyr, the ones that took the most significant changes were the contiínents of Westeros and Essos. When it became clear that the old order was dead and the new had come, people started adjusting to it.
Wizards and Sorcerers started appearing in Westeros; the long-forgotten abilities like Greenseers, Wargs, or Water Controllers were resurfacing one by one. Naturally, the changes were not only within the common people, but most significant were among the Nobility of the Seven Kingdoms.
Due to the return of Magic, people got physically stronger, faster, and more powerful. Due to their connection with the Lordran, some even prolonged their natural lifespans. Many Noble Houses rose to greater heights, and even more, were destroyed and forgotten by the passage of time.
Most notable of the period was House Stark of the North, who obtained power branches of Ice Magic and Warg Magic, naturally the connection and relationship that Lord Rickard Stark built with Elector Count House Stark an Russ.
Then there were House Nymeros Martell, famed for their various Magical abilities related to the Sand and Earth, but most importantly for the Water Control ability as descendants from the ancient Rhoynish Water Mages.
Aside from these two, there were naturally House Baratheon, famed for the strong affinity for the Lore of Heavens and House Lannister for the connection to the Lore of Metal.
Naturally, in a situation like this, it would be important to also tell something about the Greater Houses of Westeros that actually perished with the Great Upheaval of Magic.
Houses Tully and Tyrell became extinct directly due to the Great Upheaval of Magic because their Lineages were far more inferior to older, more powerful Magical Lineages of the world, which included many of their own vassals."
From the book series Great Resurgence written by Archmaester Marwyn of Citadel, Year unknown
***
Codex: Great Convention
The Great Convention is a treaty of the Unification of Lordran and the foundation of the Holy Arcadia Empire. It was brokered between the Imperial House Holswig-Schliestein, Greater Houses, The Healing Church, Byrgenwerth, Workshop and the Holy Arcadia Empire itself shortly after Emperor Karl-Franz unified Lordran.
Every Article of the Great Convention began with the term "The Forms must be obeyed."
One could think of the Great Convention as the constitution of the Holy Arcadia Empire and the contract between all factions of the Empire to coexist with each other.
***
The aftermath of another assault on the Skycrown Gate, which was termed as Fallings of the Dark, was instead a bittersweet victory. While the battle was won and the integrity of the lands of the Empire remained intact, the number of dead was high.
Especially considering the fact that many of the deceased were the members of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Chruch. Silver Knight Order also suffered relatively high casualties together with the Imperial Legions and Provincial Army.
So yes, it left a weird feeling in many of the higher-ups with the Imperial machinery, and it was clear that this topic would need to be addressed. This attack showed them that they needed to focus more on cultivating high-level professionals and powerful combatants to fight against the Ruinious Powers in the future.
In regard to the Reiksgarde and Holy Knight Executioners, their number was relatively low because the Orders had only exactly 1,000 members. No less and no more, which has been shown to be not enough for the current needs of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
The dark times were coming, and they needed to be prepared for whatever they would encounter. It was clear that the relatively peaceful times of the Lands of Ancients had come to an end; now, the turbulent times were waiting for them.
But the Holy Imperator Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor was actually awaiting them with glee and happiness. The turbulent times that were coming for the Lordran, and later for the Westeros and Essos, and then for the entirety of the Azyr were also an opportunity.
An opportunity to bring the Holy Arcadia Empire to new heights... he was waiting for the opportunity, for the time, and he was already properly preparing for it. He already got some reports from the High Schoalrs of Byrgenwerth that the entire Azyr was undergoing another wave of Magic Resurgence.
Which was a shocking revelation in itself because of the consequences it was bringing with it...
While not entirely confirmed, it was very likely that the density of Magic would be increased significantly in the following decades. Soon enough, Westeros and Essos would be reversed into how they looked several thousand years ago and would be full-fledged magical continents.
And that was not talking about the mysterious landmass known as Sothoryos, which was something recorded rather extensively even within the Imperial Archives.
***
MC POV
It was finally the end; the final ceremony was nearing the end, as we were transporting the corpses of the deceased for burial. The members of the Reiksgarde to the Anor Londo, Holy Knights to the Yharnam, and Silver Knights to the Cainhurst.
Where their names would be engraved to be forever remembered as the heroes of the Imperial who put down their lives for a better tomorrow and fought against the evil forces of the Chaos and Abyss.
The losses of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights were different from all others... they were all men and women whom I have known personally. To a great degree because they all represented the pinnacle of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
I could name every single one member of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knight Executioners because they were men and women whom I personally Knighted to the positions of either Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners.
Not to mention, this would significantly weaken both organizations for some time, but on the other hand, to not see just the negatives, this was an opportunity for me to consolidate power in the Empire... once again.
And it also gives me a reason to finally create the Stormcast Eternals, as it was proposed a long time ago.
But since the Empire suffered such great losses in this battle, mainly thanks to more than 150 Level 3 Beings and several Level 4 commanders that fell, it changed the entire situation.
It gave me the reason, and that was all that was needed.
Still, having the Healing Church under the Divine Throne and completely merging together the Religious Power and State Power was very into the one was very appealing to me.
Still, that was for the future and something that would be announced at the Great Convention Council in a few months, probably in the half year because that was the fastest time how we could get it together.
"Soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire, proud sons and daughters of the Lordran. You have fought valiantly for the glory of our nation! Some of you died for protecting what you hold dear; some of you died against the blades of Ruinious Powers. The sacrifices that you made for the Empire shall not be forgotten, and they are never forgotten! The names of the dead shall be revered as the heroes of the Empire, as the Saints and Saintesses who put down their lives so the others could live in peace! Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
I finished the speech atop the walls of the Skycrown Gate while looking at the Imperial Forces from the 6th Imperial Legion, 11th Imperial Legion, Provincial Army, elite forces of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and other units and people who participated in the Fallings of the Darkstorm.
"Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
"Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
"Glory to the Victorious Fallen!"
The Imperial Soldiers shouted in cheer because they were happy about the victory and also because there were never-forgotten soldiers with the Holy Arcadia Empire who died in service to the nation.
After I finished my speech for the soldiers, I wasn't very keen on remaining at the Skycrown Gate, so after exchanging some pleasantries with the Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes and his heir, I returned through the portal to the Faust.
***
Faust, the City of Miracles
After I returned to the Faust, I went directly to the Blackrose Castle, and I just wanted to sleep as I fell down on my enormous king-sized bed because I felt really exhausted from today's battle.
The walls are adorned with rich, deep colors such as burgundy, dark green, or royal blue. Elaborate, textured wallpapers with intricate patterns of damask, floral motifs, or ornate designs cover the walls from ceiling to wainscoting.
Gold leaf accents are hand-painted onto the intricate patterns, catching the light and adding an air of decadence. However, considering the status of the Imperial House, it was relatively modest; some wealthy Nobles or Merchants were even more opulent.
The room's focal point is a large, intricately carved four-poster bed with a towering canopy draped with rich fabrics like velvet, silk, or brocade. The bedposts are adorned with ornate finials, and the headboard showcases detailed woodwork or tufted upholstery.
The bedding is a combination of layers of fine linens, lace-trimmed pillows, and a sumptuous duvet.
Matching the bed's grandeur, you'll find a vanity with an ornate, tilting mirror surrounded by intricate carvings and delicate scrollwork. A dressing table holds an array of exquisite crystal perfume bottles, hairbrushes with ivory handles, and a silver tray with delicate jewelry.
Near the windows, there's a chaise lounge or a plush seating area upholstered in luxurious fabric, providing a cozy spot for reading or leisure.
A writing desk is placed against one wall, featuring intricate inlays and compartments for writing materials, and a plush; upholstered chair complements the desk.
I rarely felt this kind of tired like today, but all things considered, I was spending the whole morning and noon with Cersei shopping, and afterward, I went to the Skycrown Gate and fought against the entire Daemon horde.
Together with the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
Before the sleep took me out of the Waking World, I suddenly heard knocking on my door, which was rather surprising because there were not many people who would be disrupting me.
Aside from the fact that it was already evening.
"Enter."
I said while sitting up on the bed, though with my accurate hearing, I could hear who was knocking on the door. It seemed that my newest fiancé couldn't really wait to meet me, which was something that made me happy.
Being desired is always a very satisfying feeling.
"You were trying to stay awake just for me?"
I was genuinely surprised because she underwent the Blood Ministration only a few days ago, so her body was still in the adjustment period. When a person underwent the Blood Ministration, the process of adjustment and becoming a full-fledged superhuman took time.
And that time was measured in weeks, but even right now, Cersei had some qualities that were showing themselves, mainly enhanced senses learning capabilities and her physical strength could already overpower trained adult men.
That was rather impressive for a fifteen-year-old girl who had just now received the Blood Ministration. I estimated that within ten days or so, she would be strong enough to compete physically with powerful Orks and, within three weeks, Nobz.
It would take her at least two months or so to reach the standard physical capabilities of Level 4, but that was to be expected because she made a jump with her Blood Ministration.
"Isn't that obvious?"
She huffed at hearing such an obvious question.
"So you were worried for me... that's rather cute."
In truth, I wouldn't expect that she was still awake because she was worried about my well-being, which was indeed how it sounded... it was cute.
Hearing that, I knew that she huffed in annoyance but nevertheless sat down next to me.
***
3rd POV
Indeed, Cersei was somewhat worried about her finaceé going into such a dangerous conflict, even though they had known each other for a very short time. However, at the same time, even within Westeros, it was common for people who didn't really know each other to get married.
Mainly to secure the benefits for the Noble Families.
So, she didn't think that their relationship was developing fast; on the contrary, she would appreciate it if it went even faster. She had to admit that she found the entire persona of Warrior Emperor that her fianceé had highly appealing.
Not to mention, he was much older, appearance-wise, naturally, which further enhanced his charm in her eyes. And this was all without taking his personality and his efforts in supporting her dreams into account.
"Vicar Amelia relayed to me the news that the Skycrown Gate was under the biggest attack since probably its establishment."
Now that they counted the number of Greater Daemons and Daemon Nobles, it was indeed probably the most noteworthy attack on the Skycrown Gate since it was built.
"Yes, we lost many good men and women in that fight... but their sacrifice won't be in vain, and at the same time, it will allow me to smoothly call Great Convention Council to pass some more radical reforms..."
Karl Franz and Cersei were sitting on the bed and just talking because he found it weirdly comforting. Even with Maria, when they were not doing anything and just talked, it was something that was comforting on many fronts.
"What are you planning to do?"
She asked curiously as she played with her golden locks.
"Consolidation of power... reforms of the military and fusion of Church and State, soon enough the Healing Church would fell under the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, as we all every other military unit within the Holy Arcadia Empire."
Cersei could agree with this sentiment because, in her head, everyone and everything should be under the might of the Divine Throne and the authority of the Imperial House. And now it would happen; she could see that the might of the Imperial House would be unmatched.
"So, would we continue our tour of the City tomorrow?"
She asked because today, their nice time together was cut short when he needed to depart for the frontlines to fight against the forces of Ruination. Still, she was rather satisfied with the results because she found many excellent pieces of jewelry, weapons, and other things that she bought.
"Yes, but after a few days, we need to depart for the Anor Londo, and the journey there would take some time."
Karl Franz said to her annoyance because she knew that three Holy Cites and Anor Londo were interconnected together through portals, something that she learned very fast.
"Can't we take the portal? Right now, we are in Klandor, and the journey to the heart of Reikland will take more than a few weeks."
She pointed like a little kid because she wasn't a fan of spending another few weeks in the war wagon, especially if they could just take the portal and arrive at the Anor Londo, the City of Gods, in a matter of mere moments.
"No, we can't... entering the Anor Londo in a more formal way through the main gates, and everything is another form of ceremony. Aside from that, there would be an Imperial Procession due to the situation on the frontlines and Skycrown Gate as I killed another Daemon Lord."
Hearing that once again brightened her mood because, during the time they spent together, Karl learned one thing about Cersei. She loved formal occasions like this, absolutely loved, and she was natural at them.
Contrary to Maria, who, when heard words like "Ball", "Dress" or something else in this direction, she was washed over by dread, and she tended to escape. So, from the gloomy mood, Cersei was eager for the format procession as she wanted to pick the best dress.
"Yes, yes, tomorrow we will go and pick up some formal clothing for you... I think there should be some shop in the Faust for that."
Karl said because he was partially just guessing right now, as he didn't really know if Faust had something like a shop for formal dresses for women. Considering the purpose and size of the City; it was highly possible that it would not, but for now, he didn't want to squash her excitement.
"Thank you very much."
She gave him a kiss on the cheeks and wrapped her hands around his neck like a koala for several seconds straight.
"You know, something like this is for certain..."
As she was pressing her body against his in a rather seductive position, which he didn't know if it was intentional or not, he noticed that her physique was becoming more and more toned and shaped.
All the training, physical exercises, and different diets started doing wonders; as for now, Cersei was spending most, if not all, of her free time either training in combat or reading books.
She wasn't her imp of a brother, who was buried in books since the day he could read, so at the start, she had some problems with concentration and learning because it was vastly different than being taught by a Maester.
"Today I read about the regime at the Schola Progenium... and I must say that I find it pretty strict..."
Karl Franz didn't know if she was going to complain about it or what, but he still entertained her thoughts about it.
"It is... very strict, but at the same time, it is the finest educational institution with the entire Holy Arcadia Empire and all people who graduate from there are considered as elites among the elites."
While Karl Franz never attended it as a student, he would often go to give lectures at some of the finest Imperial Universities.
Mainly at the Schola Progenium, Diesdorf Military College and Aquailla Academy.
"You would be okey; just a good advice: don't try to use your nobility status there... it never ends well in those cases."
One of the reasons why the Schola Progenium was considered the finest institution within the wider Imperium and also the one that brought the best result was its very strict regime.
"In there, the only thing that matters is merit and nothing more... even if you are a child of Elector Count, if you don't behave, you would still be punished like if you were a commoner."
Indeed, the conditions of the Schola Progenium were harsh, sometimes pretty harsh, but the results were speaking for themselves.
"..."
For several moments, his fiancé was looking at him, not knowing what to say because such things would be considered unthinkable within the Westeros and Essos.
"Don't worry about that... you will have some time to adjust to the new environment. I already spoke with the Headmaster about that and also, you would be fostered at Lady Annalise, so if you have any problem, you could ask for her help."
She had every advantage that she could get her hands on; most of them originated directly.
So, for that reason, Cersei was rather calm, but that was only still she didn't arrive at the Schola Progenium.
"But don't worry about that right now."
Karl Franz stated as he kissed her on her lips.
***
The next day, early in the morning.
While Cersei wasn't a morning person, but today she was as early up as possible.
Because today they were going to pick up a dress for the formal occasions, and naturally, because Karl Franz was essentially bullshitting yesterday, he needed to call his personal tailoring team from Anor Londo.
The good thing about that was that he didn't need to go through the arduous process of shopping, but at the same time, he would need to be present at the tailoring of the dress and all things around it.
Fortunately, as these were the Imperial Tailors that were making all of his clothes, not like he had many because his wardrobe was relatively modest, they worked really, really fast and precisely.
So even though something like a formal dress would take a lot of time, he knew that they would get it done very fast, and he also knew that it would be the most perfect dress for his little golden lioness.
So straight from the morning, the entire team of more than twenty best tailors of the Holy Arcadia Empire were working non-stop on her new dress. Because she would be participating in the Imperial Procession next to him, she needed to look as good as possible.
Nothing lower than perfection was not acceptable.
After her dress was finished, or rather after all menial tasks were done with it, like taking measurements, picking up the colors, themes, and trying the models that were already prepared, they could go to finish their tour of Faust.
"Please try this, my Lady; this is the material from Alpha-Class Danger Beasts, made from the fur of a Twin-Headed Golden Lion. It would be the perfect material to make the ornaments of Lions on the dress."
Her dress would be rather thematic because it would combine the colors of House Lannister, red and gold, together with patterns of Lion and Griffon, which were the symbols of her birth house and the Empire.
"And could you integrate the Sigil of the Twin-Tailed Comet and Imperial House?"
Hearing her ask made Karl Franz raise his brow because it was actually pretty smart with this. Not only would she, in one move, present her own birth House, but also the Imperial House and him as her fianceé.
"Of course, My Lady. Is there anything that you wish to add?"
The head tailor asked her as she nodded her head.
"Actually, yes, make it seem more traditional and conservative... something that would be appreciated mainly by the old noble families of Lordran."
Cersei certainly knew how to make the first impression, something that Karl Franz didn't really care if she wore a modern dress that was popular these days among the young noble ladies of the Empire or something more traditional.
Clothes were the most important on these occasions because they reflected status; they reflected the thoughts of the person who were them and could also send out powerful messages.
"It shall be done, my Lady; the first model would be done within eight hours."
The Head Tailor was a rather lean middle-aged man with long black hair and a rather gentle appearance. Eight hours was actually a very short time, but considering the skills of the people were confined to the title of Imperial Tailor, it was to be expected.
Yes, there was a title of "Imperial Tailor" awarded to the personal Tailors who worked in the Imperial Palace and were creating the clothes of the members of the Imperial House.
After they got her the dress, Karl Franz took her back on the tourney through the Faust, as the City itself was enormous, and because of the lack of people, it looked like a ghost town, but it was also a very tranquil place.
They returned to the Faust because it was already noon; they had spent almost three hours in a designer room with the tailors and stylists who were working on her dress.
***
MC POV
I was showing Cersei around the Faust; we were going from one place to another. One thing unique about the Faust was that, after we checked the Trade District of the City, we went to the other District of the Main Floating Island of the Faust.
All three Holy Cities and Anor Londo the City of Gods, were always tranquil and peaceful due to the fact that all three, despite their vast size, had relatively small populations, giving the places another kind of charm.
After the Faust, Anor Londo was a city that had the smallest population, numbering only slightly above a hundred thousand or so of permanent residents, which was only a little more than the Faust had.
Yharnam also didn't have a big population of permanent residents, as most of its inhabitants were members of the Clergy, Priests and, naturally, the pilgrims that were going on pilgrimage to the Holy City of the Healing Church and Religion of the Great Ones.
Because it was noon, we went to the restaurant where we were originally going yesterday for dinner, but the launch was also good. Ironically, though, the restaurant where we were going was opened by one of the former Imperial Chefs who were in charge of the kitchens in the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo.
This alone attracted a lot of Nobles, high-level Professionals, and powerful Wizards that were living in the Faust. Some were coming even from the far corners of the Empire to try the cuisine of Chef Osmont Jamelin and his wife, Edelina Jamelin.
It was a mix of traditional Brettonian cuisine with elements of Reikland's traditional cuisine and obviously, every single dish was made from very precious and rare ingredients.
"It is empty here..."
Cersei stated as we went to a huge building that looked very unassuming and was similar to other buildings that were in the other districts of the Faust.
"Yes, it is... not many people have money to pay even for a single dish prepared here, not only due to the prestige of this place but also because the ingredients are something that would bankrupt some lesser Nobles."
I said as we were led to the top floor, to private VIP cabins reserved only for the guests of the highest honor.
Obviously, only after we signed into the book of guests did the restaurant could throw around its newly found status of hosting the Holy Imperator.
Not that I minded that... capitalism was developing within the Empire at a steady pace, and more and more people were trying their luck with becoming entrepreneurs, merchants and so on...
"Greetings, Your Holy Majesty, My Lady. Have you chosen your meal?"
As they sat down behind the table with a good view of the rest of the city, as they were on the top floor of the building with the best view, a waitress came to them. I had to admit that by standards of beauty, she would be ranked at the upper percentage and she wore a rather stylish yet simple uniform.
"Yes, Special Menu Number 3 two times."
I said after I skimmed the menu quickly.
It consisted of a simple appetizer of Egg Benedict made from Royal Flame Chicken, a Class Gamma Danger Beast, onion soup made from Brettonian Onions and cheese from Two-Headed Brown Cow, the main dish was Fire Dragon Steak made from the meat of Special Class Flame Dragon, and desert was a surprise of the chef.
The price of one menu was a staggering 5,000 Gold Reichsmarks... which was a very high number for a single dish, but as I said, this place wasn't even for ordinary nobles or merchants or Professionals.
Only for the most powerful or richest.
And the fact that it was in the Faust also didn't help the prices to get lower.
Anything that was stationed within the Three Holy Cities and Anor Londo wasn't ordinary.
And of course, we had the meal for free, because the restaurant "Fat Dragon" could use it as an advertisement for their place. Naturally, any spot that was visited by the Holy Imperator would attract a lot of people just by this fact alone and they were greatly capitalizing on it.
"A real dragon meat as the main dish?"
Even Cersei looked at the menu skeptically because the average adult dragon was a Special Class Danger Beast that would require Level 5 to subjugate it... this was extravagance not even her father would entertain and even Tywin Lannister, with all of his gold, wouldn't pay 15,000 Golden Dragon for one lunch.
"Yes... though restaurants like this are relatively rare within the Empire, not many places offer ingredients of powerful Danger Beasts, so most are only with the Three Holy Cities, Anor Londo and Provincial Capitals..."
She nodded at that because that seemed logical; even most nobles wouldn't be able to pay for that, but she enjoyed such luxury and spending money. Though at the same time, I was already instilling into her that it was okay to spend money as long as you could make it back.
So, as one of the tests I prepared for her was to create an alternative means of business...
In her family, they knew how to make money and gold; her father was a prime example of that fact.
I already heard that he was taking note of the Empire and established a chamber of commerce called Lannister Trading Company that would focus on reselling things imported from the Empire to the rest of Westeros and Essos.
It was a rather smart move because Westeros and Essos represented an enormous market, especially the Seven Kingdoms, some of the Free Cities and Empires further east.
Even the Imperial House itself, aside from various investments, had a trading organization called CHOAM, or by the full name Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, under its control.
"So, have you decided on what to do with the task?"
I asked; previously, I offered her an initial investment of 20,000 Golden Reichsmarks so she could create her own income. One of the common problems of Monarchies was that the ruling families were typically using the state money on themselves and sometimes too much of the state money.
On Earth, it led to the fall of many regimes because sooner or later, the extravagant lifestyle of the Royal Family would be very hard to sustain, so for that reason, I created a rule for myself and my future descendants that they got only a very limited amount of money from the Imperial Treasury.
If they wanted more, they would need to earn it by themselves and that was a rule even I followed to make an example. Even Maria, if she wanted something, she would work as a Monster Hunter, a very profitable job and equally dangerous.
Most nobles followed this example with the Empire, either from their own initiative to not look bad and incompetent before the Divine Throne or Landsraad or from their own initiative.
"Yes, invention, creation and selling of beauty products for women."
I raised my brow at that because while it sounded clisché or something in that way, this was actually a very lucrative market. Considering the fact that things like soap or beauty products were exceedingly rare with the Westeros and Essos.
Even in the Empire, women would pay an extraordinary amount of gold for anything related to beauty care, be it soaps, various oils, potions against wrinkles, or potions prolonging youthful appetence or rejuvenation.
"We are rather devious, are we?"
She agreed with me proudly, actually very satisfied with herself on this one.
"Actually not, I will be just providing what the people need and get gold for it... as simple as that, though I will need how to bypass father's influence, I don't want to share profits..."
Now she was speaking like a true Lannister; I suspected that if Tywin heard her, he would be proud... considering the fact that his eldest son wasn't really bright mind aside from the swordsmanship and combat and his youngest son was an imp...
"If you were a man, you would certainly be venerated as the genius of millennia within the Seven Kingdoms."
I couldn't help but tease her a bit, and also, I also wanted to see her reaction to my provocations.
"So what? I will show them that I am better than all of them combined together."
She said haughtily with brimming confidence, something that I really found appealing to her; she had good potential... Indeed, she wasn't naturally some genius or someone so talented, but at the same time, those things could be made with some hard work.
"Then I am proud of you..."
When I said that, I noticed a lone tear escaping her eye, which she very fast wiped to hide that she was crying. Probably, unfortunately, chose a combination of time and words because I suspected that this was something she wanted to always hear from her father.
Cersei Lannister was always very eager to prove herself that she was as smart or capable as her father... It was one of the bad habits that she had; she always tried to prove she could live up to the Lannister reputation that her father built.
That and her overconfidence were something on that I needed to thread carefully... because such habits would typically end not very well...
***
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Chapter 12 – Anor Londo, The City of Gods
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"Most of my children have already grown up, and many of those who haven't are only a waste of resources."
Ironblood Lord, Elector Count Jacques d'Orleáns.
***
Codex: WAAAGH!
"Waaagh!", which is a guttural slang for the word "War!", is an almighty phenomenon, an almost spiritual calling to war that fills every Greenskin with frenetic energy. It is the will of Gork and Mork made manifest, a power visible to Greenskins in many ways.
Shamans, as Greenskins calls their wizards, are also directly connected to their Gods. A Shaman can tap into that green power to blast foes or rouse Greenskins to greater heights of violence.
A Waaagh! is akin to a migrating invasion when some successful Warboss throws everything he's got against his chosen enemy and all the other species of the Greenskins flock to join him. It is truly a sight to freeze the blood - an unstoppable sea of green-skinned monsters swarming across the horizon, whooping, jeering, and yelling their barbarous war cries.
The Waaghs are periodically military campaigns / migrating invasions that the Greenskins unleash on the Lordran as part of their eternal desire to seek out combat and war. The term is an essential part of the Orkish "Kultur" around which the entire Greenskin society, if it can be called that, revolves.
The world quakes in fear of the resounding roar of the Waaagh!
***
3rd POV
Several weeks later, some kilometers away from the Anor Londo.
For the past two weeks and some days, Karl Franz and his fianceé, Cersei Lannister, were in the armored wagon en route to the Anor Londo, the City of Gods and Capital of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
Anor Londo was stationed in Grey Valley within the heart of the Grey Mountains; it was one of the most defended areas of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
The enormous Grey Mountains are so high and rugged that only a few passes cross them and cross over them; otherwise, it would end in sure death. The mountains are riddled with Dwarfen tunnels because the Grey Mountains, since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire, were heavily militarized and many mining operations were started.
In the past, the Grey Mountains were the nest for the Greenkins, Mountain Trolls and even Skaven. Coujnmtless holds high above the region of Reikland were seas of Orks, Goblins, Gretche and naturally Danger Beasts...
Danger Beasts remained within the Greay Mountains till this day, but every single Greenskin, Mountain Troll or Skaven were brutally purged when the Holy Arcadia Empire was established because it was unacceptable that the Capital was a dangerous area.
The lower slopes of the Grey Mountains, however, are an important resource for the feudal lords of the Reikland. Here, they have sunk many mines, extracting minerals such as iron, gold, marble, and precious gems.
Now, the entirety of the Grey Mountains was turned into one enormous and comprehensive military complex, which was typically used to train the members of the Imperial Legions, Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, Holy Knights and other military units with the Imperial War Machine.
To make up for Cersei, Karl Franz took one of the biggest and most luxurious war wagons that were available within the Faust, so at least they had far more room.
So they were enjoyed rather a big luxury in the War Wagon; most of their time was either spent by reading or by cuddling and kissing.
Karl Franz noticed that his faicneé was becoming more and more affectionate with him and didn't have a problem with even more... intimate matters and acts.
Probably due to the culture of Westeros, where many people married without really knowing each other, she didn't have that problem. Such things were rare within the Holy Arcadia Empire because of the courtship period between people.
When people entered the courtship, they had a certain period of knowing each other; within the noble circles, this period was usually something around one year, sometimes even more, especially for the Elector Counts or other prestigious Lineages; the timeline was bigger.
So in the Empire, there was typically a long period before the marriage where people got to know each other.
"We would be soon arriving at the Anor Londo, we already passed most of the Gray Mountains, and we should already be in the perimeter of the city."
Kral Franz said as he looked through the window of the war wagon. They were already within the premises of the Anor Londo so that they would be soon enough arriving at the Celestial Gate...
Cersei was already wearing the clothes that the team of Imperial Tailors had handmade for her, and even the Holy Imperator had to admit that they were breathtaking. Combining multiple elements of symbols together but still maintaining the traditional and old-school feel.
The Imperial Procession was something rare; the last one happened around one hundred years ago when Karl Franz led Imperial Armies to crush the WAAAGH! of Ork Warboss Gnork that rose in the Grand Province of Brettonia and unleashed brutal WAAAGH! on the Empire.
That was one glorious sight, countless Greenskins rallied around the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire and even the attacks on the Grand Province of Orleáns got several times worse, to the point where most of the Reiksgarde was mobilized to fight against the Orks.
Fortunately, this Warboss was only Level 5 and didn't have many high-level Professionals, so the situation was resolved relatively swiftly.
Orks often depended on huge quantities like Daemons of Chaos, but contrary to the Daemons, they often lacked high-level Professionals; those were rare within the WAAAGH!.
"And it seems that we have arrived at the Sen's Fortress."
Sen's Fortress was a large fort that guarded the entrance to the Anor Londo... if someone wanted to enter the City of Gods, then there was only one sole path leading to the Grey Valley and that was through the Sen's Fortress.
The Fortress was Mastercraft made by the best dwarven stone shapers, blacksmiths and engineers and was generally considered an impregnable fortress. Guarded by the Silver Knguith Order, Battle Wizards and Reiksgarde together.
And there was also one Senior Hunter permanently stationed at the Sen's Fortress because it was in the end entrance to the Anor Londo. After controlling their documents, the war wagon passed through the Sen's Fortress and slowly headed towards their final destination.
***
One hour later, Gray Valley
"It seems that we have arrived..."
Karl Franz said when the war wagon stopped after another one hour of traveling in front of the gates of the Anor Londo. Both of them exited the War Wagon, while Cersei looked around, noticing that the area was...
Not what she expected...
Everywhere were trees, while the place was blending with nature, it didn't even remotely look like the Capital of the behemoth of the Empire like the Holy Arcadia Empire was. She compared it to the King's Landing or Marienburg, which looked like more advanced cities.
"Welcome to the Capital of the Holy Arcadia Empire, City of Gods, Anor Londo!"
Karl Franz said theatrically as he spread his arms and pointed at the enormous looking gate of the Anor Londo, called Celestial Gate. The walls were high, very, very high and made from some kind of pure white stone, but still looked very sturdy and robust.
Anor Londo was a majestic, towering city that exuded an atmosphere of grandeur and beauty despite being steeped in darkness and decay. The city was situated around a mountain and was characterized by its towering architecture, intricate stone structures, and towering spires that reach towards the sky.
The city scape is dominated by its Imperial Palace,, built on the top of the Ashen Mountain, overseeing the entirety of the city with breathtaking beauty and wonder.
As the Holy Imperator took her hand, the gate of the Celestial Gate started opening slowly, under the music that was played for the start of the Imperial Procession, with tens of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights swarming around them, marching in perfectly orderly formation as their pristine armors were reflecting the sun rays that were falling on them.
"Rember, always smile, occasionally wave at the people and advance slowly with me..."
Karl Franz said as he took her hand and they continued together as the Celestial Gate opened and they entered the Anor Londo, the City of Gods. The entire alley was protected by two lines of Soldiers from the 1st Imperial Legion, which was stationed in the Anor Londo.
They were wearing their full armor, but contrary to the other Imperial Legions, whose armor was a combination of heavy leather, chainmail and some plates and helmets with facemasks, the soldiers of the 1st Imperial Legion had full-plated heavy armor and halberds.
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
All of the soldiers raised their halberds high in the air, creating a roof-like pattern for them to pass, as Karl Franz marched hand to hand with his fainceé, behind them, members of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights.
There were thousands of people in the streets, cheering on the return of the Imperator because it was a big day. The news of the Holy Imperator slaying two Daemon Lords had already spread around the entire Lordran and people were celebrating such a feat.
The Daemons were the most hated and longtime enemies of the Holy Arcadia Empire; anyone who killed such a powerful Daemon would earn tremendous honor and typically also a rise to noble status.
As Karl Franz looked around him, he noticed that the majority of the inhabitants of the Anor Londo came to welcome back their ruler with cheers and happens. Aside from that, there was also immense respect and worship upon seeing the Holy Imperator.
The streets of the Anor Londo were wide, and the buildings were also very high, in typical old Lordraneese architecture.
Or In other words, during the night, Anor Londo was a pretty scary place, but when the sun was setting, it was one of the most beautiful sights in existence.
Cersei was walking with her arm interviewed with her fianceé as she was occasionally wawing at the people of the Capital. She was also surprised by the living standards of the people in the Anor Londo because everyone was wearing clothes that would put most of the nobles of Westeros to shame.
Naturally, the living standards of the commoners within the Holy Arcadia Empire were very high, much higher than that of Westeros and not to mention Essos, where the living standards were the lowest.
When she asked him why he was bothering with the smallfolk, he told her that people could live without the state, but the state cannot exist without the people. When the common people were pressed too much, they could also rise in rebellion and if the Monarch had the support of the common people, then he wouldn't need to fear any rebellion.
"Smile more and wave higher... We would be walking for around half an hour more."
The Holy Imperator whispered to her as she nodded and continued waving her hand and smiling at the people. They were using the longest path that was leading to the Imperial Palace.
Like other cities, Anor Londo was divided into several districts: Imperial District, Administration District, Trade District, Residental District, Cathedral District and Arcane District.
Every District was separated by layers of walls, while the Imperial District was actually protected by three layers of walls.
Among the crowds, there were also many members of the Nobility, ranging from the Grand Paladin Houses to members of Elector Count Lineages, Healing Church, or descendants of powerful Professionals that were living within the City of Gods.
"It is... far more impressive than you told me..."
The triple walls separating the Imperial District from the rest of the District were called Walls Maria, Rose and Sina. The three sets of walls were standing proudly, protecting the small sole mountain, while each set of walls was interconnected with each other with bridged.
This was the most protected and impenetrable place within the entire Holy Arcadia Empire, a masterpiece of the Bronzebeard Clan and the entirety of the Dwarves of the Khaz-Modan.
The protection of it befell onto the City Guard and 1st Imperial Legion, which was responsible for the safety of the Anor Londo.
Actually, every single Provincial Capital and bigger city had the right to have a City Guard so that it wouldn't be that burdening the Provincial Armies that are typically responsible for the safety and order within the entire Province.
"Yes, it is... one of the marvels of the Holy Arcadia Empire."
The trio of walls of Maria, Rose and Sina was something that was built on the order of Karl Franz; it wasn't part of the original Anor Londo. He felt that the Imperial District wasn't protected enough, so he ordered for this trio of walls to be built around the Ashen Mountain on which the Imperial Palace was built.
The Imperial Palace itself was built on the Ashen Mountain and was overseeing the rest of the city from its heightened position. The Imperial Palace itself was an imposing fortress palace, as it was built by Lord Gwyn with military purposes in mind as the first thing.
They passed through the checkpoints of the walls Maria, Rose and Sina and after they reached the last checkpoint, they appeared on the Ashen Mountain, standing right before the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo.
Before them was a monumental fortress-palace that appeared like a cathedral with a huge stairway with the members of the Reiksgarde already in formation as they awaited their arrival at the Imperial Palace.
Karl Franz saw on the top of the stairway a General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, Atreus Atredeis and someone whom he didn't anticipate being here. A woman with shoulder-length blonde-silver hair, wearing the garbs of Hunters, was standing next to the General-Kommandant Atreus Atreides.
He could see her yellowish silver eyes shining as they locked their looks at each other; no words were needed to convey what they wanted to say.
"Maria..."
Karl Franz was surprised to see Maria here because he didn't think she would be patient enough to play with the Imperial Procession and other ceremonies. He thought that she would arrive only when all of these things were already done.
He felt a bit that Cersei stiffened when she looked at Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower because he swore that he saw some imaginary sparks between them take place as both women were observing each other with keen interest and newly formed rivalry.
"Your Majesty, Holy Imperator."
The General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde Atreus Atredeis stepped forward as he kneeled in front of the Holy Imperator as a form of greeting, though he soon stood up after Karl Franz motioned him to stand up.
Atreus Atreides, as the General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, was responsible for the safety of the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo, and only a very limited number of people could enter the Imperial Palace and pass the so-called Ultimate Gate.
"Karl."
Contrary to what would one expect, Maria soon enough ran to him and enveloped him in a huge hug, completely ignoring his runic armor as he felt the imaginary bear hug forcing him to gasp for air.
"Maria, you would crush my armor..."
The Holy Imperator said jokingly as he put her down on the ground; Maria Vileblood wasn't really a fan of protocols of conduct and anything even remotely related to them, something that wasn't really appreciated by her mother, Annalise Vileblood.
Still, with her personality, it was clear that Maria wouldn't be inheriting the title of Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst, the City of Silver, as that responsibility would for sure befall the child between him and Maria.
He knew that with Maria's personality, she wouldn't be interested in any kind of politics or anything even remotely connected to it. So even for that, he needed someone to fill that role, so that was also one of the reasons why he was planning to take multiple spouses.
Not to mention, there was another more strategic reason, which was that, the Imperial House as it was right now, had one member... which was he himself, so technically speaking he needed to repopulate the Imperial Hosue and spread his superior Bloodline and heritage.
He knew that any of his children would become high-level Professionals without many problems so it would be only a boon for the Empire. If all of them reached just Level 5, even that would be considered as a tremendous increase in power of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"So, you are the new one? Rather plain... and weak..."
Meanwhile, the Holy Imperator was lost in his thoughts; Lady Maria looked at the Cersei who was latching on his arms and said with a provocative smirk. Something that Cersei was warned beforehand that their "union" would become a thorn to many...
And naturally, many would either provoke her, mock her or try to challenge her; one of the first people would be Maria Vileblood, but mainly for different reasons compared to the rest of the people.
"Maybe or maybe not, for sure it is, that my assets and 'feminity' is much better than yours."
She immediately bit back, something that not many would do, but contrary to what most people would think Maria laughed hearing that.
"Good, at least you are not a coward... confidence would be much needed in upcoming years."
Maria had known Karl Franz for a long time, they had been together for centuries and she remembered when they first me at the Workshop as they were both pupils of the Gehrman the First Hunter.
If Karl Franz was regarded and venerated as the Father of the Holy Arcadia Empire, then Maria Vileblood would certainly be the Mother of the glorious nation. She was the one who supported Karl Franz in his endeavors of unifying the Lordran.
She was one who shared his hardships and happiness; she was also the sole person who knew about his past life and everything related to it; one could say they were soulmates in every single sense.
"Maria Vileblood, Heir of the Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst, Senior Hunter of the Workshop at your service."
Instantly she went to the more professional side of hers as she clapped her legs together and gave her traditional Imperial Noblity bow with a formal introduction.
"Cersei Lannister, no glorious titles to yours, but soon there would be."
Young lioness tried to imitate the greeting to both Karl's and Maria's chuckled, as Maria already started taking liking to her, because she was bold, confident and round... not to mention that soon enough they would be living together at the Cainhurst.
"Come on you two, we need to give Cersei the tour over the Imperial Palace at first and then talk about some things in private."
Karl Franz said as the enormous gate leading to the Imperial Palace, the Ultimate Gate was opening and welcoming the return of the Holy Imperator.
Both of his fianceés took his side, with Maria taking his left arm and Cersei his right arm, as they entered together into the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo guided by the contingent of the Reiksgarde.
***
MC POV
Courtyard of the Imperial Palace
Despite the huge size of the Imperial Palace, there were not many people up there. Actually, it was rather empty. Imperial Palace housed only a very small number of people; aside from the Reiksgarde, there were some servants, cooks, butlers and so on...
Though the total number of inhabitants didn't exceed 1,000 without the Reiksgarede naturally, which was for a palace of these proportions too little one could say.
"So, how was your trip to the Westeros?"
Maria was one of the few people who knew about my trip to Westeros and the real reason why we were actually going there.
"Rather good... shame the appearance of Daemon Lord Demogorgon cut it short, but we obtain a lot..."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carla Linda Schopenhauer should arrive at the Westerlands around this time, plus or minus a few days to negotiate the rest of the agreement with my future father-in-law.
According to some Scholars who were left in the Westerlands together with one Division of Silver Knights, it seemed that some new precious metals were found within the mines of the Westeralds...
Including Titanine.
Yes, there was only a bit of it, but the possibility of Titanine Mine was something that couldn't be ignored because Titanine was the most precious metal within the entire Lordran, often even termed as Godmetal.
It seemed that the Magic Resurgence was slowly showing itself within the Westeros and more and more magical metals will start appearing there one by one. Of course, soon enough the effects would be felt even on the Lordran.
"That good that you brought someone back? What was the reason?"
I was sitting together with Maria in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace while Cersei was unpacking her things in what would be her room at the Imperial Palace until we are wed; then she would move to my chambers which I am right now sharing with Maria.
Of course, we don't have separate chambers... wink.
The courtyard was encircled by imposing walls of aged, weathered stone. Turrets rose at intervals along the walls, their conical spires reaching towards the heavens. Delicate tracery, intricate carvings, and latticed windows adorn the walls, casting delicate shadows in the light that filters down from the sky.
The ground was a mosaic of stone slabs, each worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Moss and ivy have taken root in the crevices, their verdant fingers crawling upward in a slow, deliberate dance. A central pathway, framed by gravel and bordered by overgrown hedges, beckons you deeper into the courtyard's embrace.
Sunlight trickled through the intricate stained glass windows that lined the upper reaches of the courtyard, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the ground below.
In the midst of the courtyard, a stone fountain stands as a quiet sentinel. Its basin, sculpted with meticulous precision, cradles water that trickles from the mouths of grotesque gargoyles perched at the fountain's edge.
The sound of water murmuring and splashing provides a soothing counterpoint to the courtyard's dramatic ambiance. Torches and lanterns, strategically placed along the walls, flicker to life, casting dancing shadows that seem to conjure stories of long-forgotten times.
"Would you believe that the same reason as you? The Fate? Not to mention, she has a good potential if it is developed properly."
I said as I looked around the courtyard, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of the place, which was very relaxing on my psyche.
"You seriously think that?"
Maria asked me suspiciously because it wasn't every day I praised someone, and at the same time, she was wondering for my reasons.
"Yes, she has a good mind, though your mother would need to beat a few bad habits out of her, but aside from that she has the potential to become an excellent politician and schemer. Aise from that, apparently she has a very powerful aptitude for Magic according to the Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt."
Hearing that made Maria relax because I knew that while she wasn't really against me having an "harem", she knew that several centuries ago when I was just a teen from my previous life, it was my dream.
But she had the condition of approving my choices, not in this one as it happened too soon and out of nowhere.
"And the rest?"
And naturally, the political ramifications were another thing... especially with the Great Resurgence of Magic in Azyr.
"The Westerlands has strategical reserves of Lacrimas, Dimeritium and from the latest reports, they even found Adamantium, Orichalcum and even... bits of Titanium. Not to mention, the Westerlands could be used to propagate our interests within the Westeros and Essos."
How unfortunate it was that the Holy Arcadia Empire didn't have enough manpower to actually wage wars outside of the Lordran. Yes, we may have some if it was carefully planned, but unfortunately, as we were right now, there were many factors tying the majority of our forces down in the Lordran.
"What about the rest of the Known World? Essos, Sothoryos and Ulthos?"
Maria asked with excitement because she actually wanted to travel and see the places for herself. She had a very adventurous spirit and wanted to explore the Azyr; she already traveled through the majority of the Lordran; actually, we traveled mostly together because it was a thing for us.
Or in other words, we could spend time alone and fuck as much as we want.
"Essos is a mess that we are staying out for now, though the Imperial Intelligence Agency would soon start infiltrating it; there should be a few rather dangerous factions within the Essos and the other two are big unknowns."
I said as I remembered that Essos right now was a very dangerous place and had a significant presence of Magic, not to mention it was very big. Not as big as Lordran, but it would be big enough to accommodate 6 or 7 Grand Provinces as Lordran was an enormous continent.
Even though for most of the part it wasn't inhabited, something that was neglected for many millennia couldn't done in a few centuries as repopulation of the Lordran was taking a long and it would take a long time.
"Not to mention it would take a long time for the Imperial Intelligence to penetrate deep into the Essos, especially into the Eastern Essos beyond the Bone Mountains."
Western Essos was divided between the so-called Free Cities and Slaver's Bay with Dothraki playing one of the most significant factions within the entire Western Essos. The Eastern Essos was largely unknown to us, aside from the Golden Empire of Yi Ti and Shadow Lands.
"How is the situation with the Stormwind?"
Stormwind was one of the Grand Provinces within the Empire, under the control of Elector House Cross. It bordered with Grand Province of Orleáns, Grand Province of Faelon, Grand Province of Caladan and Grand Province of Munn and was right now one of the more problematic territories within the Empire.
Mainly due to the badlands of Stormwind that were not under the control of the Empire but rather under the native highlander Barbarian Tribes. Their population was rather high, numbering a few million and they were very strong.
Most of their men and women were natural-born warriors; all of them were gifted with unnatural physical strength and vitality which made them rather fearsome opponents on the battlefield.
Not to mention, many of the Barbarians have innate resistance against Magic, rendering most of the weaker Battle Wizards and Spells virtually useless on the battlefield. Which made the situation considerably worse, and now they were united under the single banner.
Barbarians eschew the use of magic and technology, as they believe the use of such devices will only weaken their resolve. Barbarians have frequently expressed disdain for magic and those who wield it. Renowned for their combat prowess and arrogant demeanor, Barbarians appear to be perpetually girt for battle.
They excelled in physical combat; through the harsh conditions of the Badlands, they grew into a hardened society, and due to their constant clashes against the Orks, they were masterful warriors that elevated combat and killing to the art itself.
"Not good... the newly proclaimed Barbarian King, Worusk has declared himself as the second coming of the Immortal King Bul-Khatos and rallied to his banner all of the 32 Barbarian Tribes, and their army is right now numbering more than half a million or so according to the last reports. They have started concentrating at the Harrogath their Capital and there are talks of them declaring their own Kingdom..."
When I heard Maria saying that I sighed heavily because the situation got even worse than I expected.
"And on the higher end?"
It seemed that the full-out conflict with the Barbarians was indeed inevitable and it would hurt a lot. Nonetheless, when this was done, there wouldn't be any organized force within the Lordran resisting the might of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"That is where we have an advantage for sure; the meeting in the Landsraad is scheduled for the next week. Elector Countess Klauda Marian is also asking for full-out mobilization of Hunters of the Workshop against the Barbarians..."
That was certainly a heavy question; the Hunter of the Old Workshop had never been mobilized for war since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Ordering one or two Hunters was one thing, but mobilizing the entire Workshop was an entirely different matter.
"This is actually good... once again, is everything playing into my cards..."
I said with relief as Maria raised her brow at me, which led me to explain the future of the Empire and my plan to completely merge the Healing Church under the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
And naturally, the creation of the Stormcast Eternals...
"You would need to call the Great Convention Council for a move like this, but it is worth it even though there may be some opposition. With this done, the Imperial House will have all of the power in its hands."
I nodded at her words because for centuries I have been working diligently on this... The complete merger of Healing Church and Divine Throne wasn't something that was birthed in my head only recently.
And fusion of all elite forces of the Empire into one single coherent force directly under the Divine Throne and fanatically loyal to the Holy Imperator was also a long-term plan, but I knew that it would require time.
The unification of the Lordran showed me that... that it was impossible to do at the same time, so I bid my time and I had enough time.
For centuries, I have been preparing for this, creating my Image, strengthening the power of the Imperial House and slowly weakening the political and military power of the Nobility within my Empire.
With my reforms, it was easily done and after people adjusted to them, it became the norm.
Just like my other reforms will become the norm soon enough.
"Having a few thousand pinnacle warriors at Level 4 would ensure that the Empire withstand the passage of time."
Yes, it would... the Old Blood wasn't the only method within the Empire that could gift someone Agenlessness. Even though the average Level 4 Professional could live about two and half thousand years, I wanted the Stormcast Eternals to be Ageless.
"Yes... for that, the Night Well Plan has to come to fruition as soon as possible."
Only a few people knew about this plan; among them were Maria, High Chancellor Luca Brewster, Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt, Gehrman the First Hunter, founder of the Byrgenwerth Big Hat Logan and Master Willem, Lady Annalise Vileblood and Grand Theogenist Volkmar the Grim.
The establishment of something like Nightwell would be something that would propel the Holy Arcadia Empire into a new age.
It would also be the symbol of my Divine Right given by the Great Ones to rule the Mortal Realms. Ironically, though, I wasn't the first person who came up with this idea; but rather, I am just finishing the dream of another...
Of the Lord Gwyn himself in this matter.
***
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Ironblood Lord, Elector Count Jacques d'Orleáns.
***
Codex: WAAAGH!
"Waaagh!", which is a guttural slang for the word "War!", is an almighty phenomenon, an almost spiritual calling to war that fills every Greenskin with frenetic energy. It is the will of Gork and Mork made manifest, a power visible to Greenskins in many ways.
Shamans, as Greenskins calls their wizards, are also directly connected to their Gods. A Shaman can tap into that green power to blast foes or rouse Greenskins to greater heights of violence.
A Waaagh! is akin to a migrating invasion when some successful Warboss throws everything he's got against his chosen enemy and all the other species of the Greenskins flock to join him. It is truly a sight to freeze the blood - an unstoppable sea of green-skinned monsters swarming across the horizon, whooping, jeering, and yelling their barbarous war cries.
The Waaghs are periodically military campaigns / migrating invasions that the Greenskins unleash on the Lordran as part of their eternal desire to seek out combat and war. The term is an essential part of the Orkish "Kultur" around which the entire Greenskin society, if it can be called that, revolves.
The world quakes in fear of the resounding roar of the Waaagh!
***
3rd POV
Several weeks later, some kilometers away from the Anor Londo.
For the past two weeks and some days, Karl Franz and his fianceé, Cersei Lannister, were in the armored wagon en route to the Anor Londo, the City of Gods and Capital of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
Anor Londo was stationed in Grey Valley within the heart of the Grey Mountains; it was one of the most defended areas of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
The enormous Grey Mountains are so high and rugged that only a few passes cross them and cross over them; otherwise, it would end in sure death. The mountains are riddled with Dwarfen tunnels because the Grey Mountains, since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire, were heavily militarized and many mining operations were started.
In the past, the Grey Mountains were the nest for the Greenkins, Mountain Trolls and even Skaven. Coujnmtless holds high above the region of Reikland were seas of Orks, Goblins, Gretche and naturally Danger Beasts...
Danger Beasts remained within the Greay Mountains till this day, but every single Greenskin, Mountain Troll or Skaven were brutally purged when the Holy Arcadia Empire was established because it was unacceptable that the Capital was a dangerous area.
The lower slopes of the Grey Mountains, however, are an important resource for the feudal lords of the Reikland. Here, they have sunk many mines, extracting minerals such as iron, gold, marble, and precious gems.
Now, the entirety of the Grey Mountains was turned into one enormous and comprehensive military complex, which was typically used to train the members of the Imperial Legions, Silver Knights, Reiksgarde, Holy Knights and other military units with the Imperial War Machine.
To make up for Cersei, Karl Franz took one of the biggest and most luxurious war wagons that were available within the Faust, so at least they had far more room.
So they were enjoyed rather a big luxury in the War Wagon; most of their time was either spent by reading or by cuddling and kissing.
Karl Franz noticed that his faicneé was becoming more and more affectionate with him and didn't have a problem with even more... intimate matters and acts.
Probably due to the culture of Westeros, where many people married without really knowing each other, she didn't have that problem. Such things were rare within the Holy Arcadia Empire because of the courtship period between people.
When people entered the courtship, they had a certain period of knowing each other; within the noble circles, this period was usually something around one year, sometimes even more, especially for the Elector Counts or other prestigious Lineages; the timeline was bigger.
So in the Empire, there was typically a long period before the marriage where people got to know each other.
"We would be soon arriving at the Anor Londo, we already passed most of the Gray Mountains, and we should already be in the perimeter of the city."
Kral Franz said as he looked through the window of the war wagon. They were already within the premises of the Anor Londo so that they would be soon enough arriving at the Celestial Gate...
Cersei was already wearing the clothes that the team of Imperial Tailors had handmade for her, and even the Holy Imperator had to admit that they were breathtaking. Combining multiple elements of symbols together but still maintaining the traditional and old-school feel.
The Imperial Procession was something rare; the last one happened around one hundred years ago when Karl Franz led Imperial Armies to crush the WAAAGH! of Ork Warboss Gnork that rose in the Grand Province of Brettonia and unleashed brutal WAAAGH! on the Empire.
That was one glorious sight, countless Greenskins rallied around the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire and even the attacks on the Grand Province of Orleáns got several times worse, to the point where most of the Reiksgarde was mobilized to fight against the Orks.
Fortunately, this Warboss was only Level 5 and didn't have many high-level Professionals, so the situation was resolved relatively swiftly.
Orks often depended on huge quantities like Daemons of Chaos, but contrary to the Daemons, they often lacked high-level Professionals; those were rare within the WAAAGH!.
"And it seems that we have arrived at the Sen's Fortress."
Sen's Fortress was a large fort that guarded the entrance to the Anor Londo... if someone wanted to enter the City of Gods, then there was only one sole path leading to the Grey Valley and that was through the Sen's Fortress.
The Fortress was Mastercraft made by the best dwarven stone shapers, blacksmiths and engineers and was generally considered an impregnable fortress. Guarded by the Silver Knguith Order, Battle Wizards and Reiksgarde together.
And there was also one Senior Hunter permanently stationed at the Sen's Fortress because it was in the end entrance to the Anor Londo. After controlling their documents, the war wagon passed through the Sen's Fortress and slowly headed towards their final destination.
***
One hour later, Gray Valley
"It seems that we have arrived..."
Karl Franz said when the war wagon stopped after another one hour of traveling in front of the gates of the Anor Londo. Both of them exited the War Wagon, while Cersei looked around, noticing that the area was...
Not what she expected...
Everywhere were trees, while the place was blending with nature, it didn't even remotely look like the Capital of the behemoth of the Empire like the Holy Arcadia Empire was. She compared it to the King's Landing or Marienburg, which looked like more advanced cities.
"Welcome to the Capital of the Holy Arcadia Empire, City of Gods, Anor Londo!"
Karl Franz said theatrically as he spread his arms and pointed at the enormous looking gate of the Anor Londo, called Celestial Gate. The walls were high, very, very high and made from some kind of pure white stone, but still looked very sturdy and robust.
Anor Londo was a majestic, towering city that exuded an atmosphere of grandeur and beauty despite being steeped in darkness and decay. The city was situated around a mountain and was characterized by its towering architecture, intricate stone structures, and towering spires that reach towards the sky.
The city scape is dominated by its Imperial Palace,, built on the top of the Ashen Mountain, overseeing the entirety of the city with breathtaking beauty and wonder.
As the Holy Imperator took her hand, the gate of the Celestial Gate started opening slowly, under the music that was played for the start of the Imperial Procession, with tens of Reiksgarde and Holy Knights swarming around them, marching in perfectly orderly formation as their pristine armors were reflecting the sun rays that were falling on them.
"Rember, always smile, occasionally wave at the people and advance slowly with me..."
Karl Franz said as he took her hand and they continued together as the Celestial Gate opened and they entered the Anor Londo, the City of Gods. The entire alley was protected by two lines of Soldiers from the 1st Imperial Legion, which was stationed in the Anor Londo.
They were wearing their full armor, but contrary to the other Imperial Legions, whose armor was a combination of heavy leather, chainmail and some plates and helmets with facemasks, the soldiers of the 1st Imperial Legion had full-plated heavy armor and halberds.
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
All of the soldiers raised their halberds high in the air, creating a roof-like pattern for them to pass, as Karl Franz marched hand to hand with his fainceé, behind them, members of the Reiksgarde and Holy Knights.
There were thousands of people in the streets, cheering on the return of the Imperator because it was a big day. The news of the Holy Imperator slaying two Daemon Lords had already spread around the entire Lordran and people were celebrating such a feat.
The Daemons were the most hated and longtime enemies of the Holy Arcadia Empire; anyone who killed such a powerful Daemon would earn tremendous honor and typically also a rise to noble status.
As Karl Franz looked around him, he noticed that the majority of the inhabitants of the Anor Londo came to welcome back their ruler with cheers and happens. Aside from that, there was also immense respect and worship upon seeing the Holy Imperator.
The streets of the Anor Londo were wide, and the buildings were also very high, in typical old Lordraneese architecture.
Or In other words, during the night, Anor Londo was a pretty scary place, but when the sun was setting, it was one of the most beautiful sights in existence.
Cersei was walking with her arm interviewed with her fianceé as she was occasionally wawing at the people of the Capital. She was also surprised by the living standards of the people in the Anor Londo because everyone was wearing clothes that would put most of the nobles of Westeros to shame.
Naturally, the living standards of the commoners within the Holy Arcadia Empire were very high, much higher than that of Westeros and not to mention Essos, where the living standards were the lowest.
When she asked him why he was bothering with the smallfolk, he told her that people could live without the state, but the state cannot exist without the people. When the common people were pressed too much, they could also rise in rebellion and if the Monarch had the support of the common people, then he wouldn't need to fear any rebellion.
"Smile more and wave higher... We would be walking for around half an hour more."
The Holy Imperator whispered to her as she nodded and continued waving her hand and smiling at the people. They were using the longest path that was leading to the Imperial Palace.
Like other cities, Anor Londo was divided into several districts: Imperial District, Administration District, Trade District, Residental District, Cathedral District and Arcane District.
Every District was separated by layers of walls, while the Imperial District was actually protected by three layers of walls.
Among the crowds, there were also many members of the Nobility, ranging from the Grand Paladin Houses to members of Elector Count Lineages, Healing Church, or descendants of powerful Professionals that were living within the City of Gods.
"It is... far more impressive than you told me..."
The triple walls separating the Imperial District from the rest of the District were called Walls Maria, Rose and Sina. The three sets of walls were standing proudly, protecting the small sole mountain, while each set of walls was interconnected with each other with bridged.
This was the most protected and impenetrable place within the entire Holy Arcadia Empire, a masterpiece of the Bronzebeard Clan and the entirety of the Dwarves of the Khaz-Modan.
The protection of it befell onto the City Guard and 1st Imperial Legion, which was responsible for the safety of the Anor Londo.
Actually, every single Provincial Capital and bigger city had the right to have a City Guard so that it wouldn't be that burdening the Provincial Armies that are typically responsible for the safety and order within the entire Province.
"Yes, it is... one of the marvels of the Holy Arcadia Empire."
The trio of walls of Maria, Rose and Sina was something that was built on the order of Karl Franz; it wasn't part of the original Anor Londo. He felt that the Imperial District wasn't protected enough, so he ordered for this trio of walls to be built around the Ashen Mountain on which the Imperial Palace was built.
The Imperial Palace itself was built on the Ashen Mountain and was overseeing the rest of the city from its heightened position. The Imperial Palace itself was an imposing fortress palace, as it was built by Lord Gwyn with military purposes in mind as the first thing.
They passed through the checkpoints of the walls Maria, Rose and Sina and after they reached the last checkpoint, they appeared on the Ashen Mountain, standing right before the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo.
Before them was a monumental fortress-palace that appeared like a cathedral with a huge stairway with the members of the Reiksgarde already in formation as they awaited their arrival at the Imperial Palace.
Karl Franz saw on the top of the stairway a General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, Atreus Atredeis and someone whom he didn't anticipate being here. A woman with shoulder-length blonde-silver hair, wearing the garbs of Hunters, was standing next to the General-Kommandant Atreus Atreides.
He could see her yellowish silver eyes shining as they locked their looks at each other; no words were needed to convey what they wanted to say.
"Maria..."
Karl Franz was surprised to see Maria here because he didn't think she would be patient enough to play with the Imperial Procession and other ceremonies. He thought that she would arrive only when all of these things were already done.
He felt a bit that Cersei stiffened when she looked at Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower because he swore that he saw some imaginary sparks between them take place as both women were observing each other with keen interest and newly formed rivalry.
"Your Majesty, Holy Imperator."
The General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde Atreus Atredeis stepped forward as he kneeled in front of the Holy Imperator as a form of greeting, though he soon stood up after Karl Franz motioned him to stand up.
Atreus Atreides, as the General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, was responsible for the safety of the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo, and only a very limited number of people could enter the Imperial Palace and pass the so-called Ultimate Gate.
"Karl."
Contrary to what would one expect, Maria soon enough ran to him and enveloped him in a huge hug, completely ignoring his runic armor as he felt the imaginary bear hug forcing him to gasp for air.
"Maria, you would crush my armor..."
The Holy Imperator said jokingly as he put her down on the ground; Maria Vileblood wasn't really a fan of protocols of conduct and anything even remotely related to them, something that wasn't really appreciated by her mother, Annalise Vileblood.
Still, with her personality, it was clear that Maria wouldn't be inheriting the title of Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst, the City of Silver, as that responsibility would for sure befall the child between him and Maria.
He knew that with Maria's personality, she wouldn't be interested in any kind of politics or anything even remotely connected to it. So even for that, he needed someone to fill that role, so that was also one of the reasons why he was planning to take multiple spouses.
Not to mention, there was another more strategic reason, which was that, the Imperial House as it was right now, had one member... which was he himself, so technically speaking he needed to repopulate the Imperial Hosue and spread his superior Bloodline and heritage.
He knew that any of his children would become high-level Professionals without many problems so it would be only a boon for the Empire. If all of them reached just Level 5, even that would be considered as a tremendous increase in power of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"So, you are the new one? Rather plain... and weak..."
Meanwhile, the Holy Imperator was lost in his thoughts; Lady Maria looked at the Cersei who was latching on his arms and said with a provocative smirk. Something that Cersei was warned beforehand that their "union" would become a thorn to many...
And naturally, many would either provoke her, mock her or try to challenge her; one of the first people would be Maria Vileblood, but mainly for different reasons compared to the rest of the people.
"Maybe or maybe not, for sure it is, that my assets and 'feminity' is much better than yours."
She immediately bit back, something that not many would do, but contrary to what most people would think Maria laughed hearing that.
"Good, at least you are not a coward... confidence would be much needed in upcoming years."
Maria had known Karl Franz for a long time, they had been together for centuries and she remembered when they first me at the Workshop as they were both pupils of the Gehrman the First Hunter.
If Karl Franz was regarded and venerated as the Father of the Holy Arcadia Empire, then Maria Vileblood would certainly be the Mother of the glorious nation. She was the one who supported Karl Franz in his endeavors of unifying the Lordran.
She was one who shared his hardships and happiness; she was also the sole person who knew about his past life and everything related to it; one could say they were soulmates in every single sense.
"Maria Vileblood, Heir of the Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst, Senior Hunter of the Workshop at your service."
Instantly she went to the more professional side of hers as she clapped her legs together and gave her traditional Imperial Noblity bow with a formal introduction.
"Cersei Lannister, no glorious titles to yours, but soon there would be."
Young lioness tried to imitate the greeting to both Karl's and Maria's chuckled, as Maria already started taking liking to her, because she was bold, confident and round... not to mention that soon enough they would be living together at the Cainhurst.
"Come on you two, we need to give Cersei the tour over the Imperial Palace at first and then talk about some things in private."
Karl Franz said as the enormous gate leading to the Imperial Palace, the Ultimate Gate was opening and welcoming the return of the Holy Imperator.
Both of his fianceés took his side, with Maria taking his left arm and Cersei his right arm, as they entered together into the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo guided by the contingent of the Reiksgarde.
***
MC POV
Courtyard of the Imperial Palace
Despite the huge size of the Imperial Palace, there were not many people up there. Actually, it was rather empty. Imperial Palace housed only a very small number of people; aside from the Reiksgarde, there were some servants, cooks, butlers and so on...
Though the total number of inhabitants didn't exceed 1,000 without the Reiksgarede naturally, which was for a palace of these proportions too little one could say.
"So, how was your trip to the Westeros?"
Maria was one of the few people who knew about my trip to Westeros and the real reason why we were actually going there.
"Rather good... shame the appearance of Daemon Lord Demogorgon cut it short, but we obtain a lot..."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carla Linda Schopenhauer should arrive at the Westerlands around this time, plus or minus a few days to negotiate the rest of the agreement with my future father-in-law.
According to some Scholars who were left in the Westerlands together with one Division of Silver Knights, it seemed that some new precious metals were found within the mines of the Westeralds...
Including Titanine.
Yes, there was only a bit of it, but the possibility of Titanine Mine was something that couldn't be ignored because Titanine was the most precious metal within the entire Lordran, often even termed as Godmetal.
It seemed that the Magic Resurgence was slowly showing itself within the Westeros and more and more magical metals will start appearing there one by one. Of course, soon enough the effects would be felt even on the Lordran.
"That good that you brought someone back? What was the reason?"
I was sitting together with Maria in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace while Cersei was unpacking her things in what would be her room at the Imperial Palace until we are wed; then she would move to my chambers which I am right now sharing with Maria.
Of course, we don't have separate chambers... wink.
The courtyard was encircled by imposing walls of aged, weathered stone. Turrets rose at intervals along the walls, their conical spires reaching towards the heavens. Delicate tracery, intricate carvings, and latticed windows adorn the walls, casting delicate shadows in the light that filters down from the sky.
The ground was a mosaic of stone slabs, each worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Moss and ivy have taken root in the crevices, their verdant fingers crawling upward in a slow, deliberate dance. A central pathway, framed by gravel and bordered by overgrown hedges, beckons you deeper into the courtyard's embrace.
Sunlight trickled through the intricate stained glass windows that lined the upper reaches of the courtyard, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the ground below.
In the midst of the courtyard, a stone fountain stands as a quiet sentinel. Its basin, sculpted with meticulous precision, cradles water that trickles from the mouths of grotesque gargoyles perched at the fountain's edge.
The sound of water murmuring and splashing provides a soothing counterpoint to the courtyard's dramatic ambiance. Torches and lanterns, strategically placed along the walls, flicker to life, casting dancing shadows that seem to conjure stories of long-forgotten times.
"Would you believe that the same reason as you? The Fate? Not to mention, she has a good potential if it is developed properly."
I said as I looked around the courtyard, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of the place, which was very relaxing on my psyche.
"You seriously think that?"
Maria asked me suspiciously because it wasn't every day I praised someone, and at the same time, she was wondering for my reasons.
"Yes, she has a good mind, though your mother would need to beat a few bad habits out of her, but aside from that she has the potential to become an excellent politician and schemer. Aise from that, apparently she has a very powerful aptitude for Magic according to the Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt."
Hearing that made Maria relax because I knew that while she wasn't really against me having an "harem", she knew that several centuries ago when I was just a teen from my previous life, it was my dream.
But she had the condition of approving my choices, not in this one as it happened too soon and out of nowhere.
"And the rest?"
And naturally, the political ramifications were another thing... especially with the Great Resurgence of Magic in Azyr.
"The Westerlands has strategical reserves of Lacrimas, Dimeritium and from the latest reports, they even found Adamantium, Orichalcum and even... bits of Titanium. Not to mention, the Westerlands could be used to propagate our interests within the Westeros and Essos."
How unfortunate it was that the Holy Arcadia Empire didn't have enough manpower to actually wage wars outside of the Lordran. Yes, we may have some if it was carefully planned, but unfortunately, as we were right now, there were many factors tying the majority of our forces down in the Lordran.
"What about the rest of the Known World? Essos, Sothoryos and Ulthos?"
Maria asked with excitement because she actually wanted to travel and see the places for herself. She had a very adventurous spirit and wanted to explore the Azyr; she already traveled through the majority of the Lordran; actually, we traveled mostly together because it was a thing for us.
Or in other words, we could spend time alone and fuck as much as we want.
"Essos is a mess that we are staying out for now, though the Imperial Intelligence Agency would soon start infiltrating it; there should be a few rather dangerous factions within the Essos and the other two are big unknowns."
I said as I remembered that Essos right now was a very dangerous place and had a significant presence of Magic, not to mention it was very big. Not as big as Lordran, but it would be big enough to accommodate 6 or 7 Grand Provinces as Lordran was an enormous continent.
Even though for most of the part it wasn't inhabited, something that was neglected for many millennia couldn't done in a few centuries as repopulation of the Lordran was taking a long and it would take a long time.
"Not to mention it would take a long time for the Imperial Intelligence to penetrate deep into the Essos, especially into the Eastern Essos beyond the Bone Mountains."
Western Essos was divided between the so-called Free Cities and Slaver's Bay with Dothraki playing one of the most significant factions within the entire Western Essos. The Eastern Essos was largely unknown to us, aside from the Golden Empire of Yi Ti and Shadow Lands.
"How is the situation with the Stormwind?"
Stormwind was one of the Grand Provinces within the Empire, under the control of Elector House Cross. It bordered with Grand Province of Orleáns, Grand Province of Faelon, Grand Province of Caladan and Grand Province of Munn and was right now one of the more problematic territories within the Empire.
Mainly due to the badlands of Stormwind that were not under the control of the Empire but rather under the native highlander Barbarian Tribes. Their population was rather high, numbering a few million and they were very strong.
Most of their men and women were natural-born warriors; all of them were gifted with unnatural physical strength and vitality which made them rather fearsome opponents on the battlefield.
Not to mention, many of the Barbarians have innate resistance against Magic, rendering most of the weaker Battle Wizards and Spells virtually useless on the battlefield. Which made the situation considerably worse, and now they were united under the single banner.
Barbarians eschew the use of magic and technology, as they believe the use of such devices will only weaken their resolve. Barbarians have frequently expressed disdain for magic and those who wield it. Renowned for their combat prowess and arrogant demeanor, Barbarians appear to be perpetually girt for battle.
They excelled in physical combat; through the harsh conditions of the Badlands, they grew into a hardened society, and due to their constant clashes against the Orks, they were masterful warriors that elevated combat and killing to the art itself.
"Not good... the newly proclaimed Barbarian King, Worusk has declared himself as the second coming of the Immortal King Bul-Khatos and rallied to his banner all of the 32 Barbarian Tribes, and their army is right now numbering more than half a million or so according to the last reports. They have started concentrating at the Harrogath their Capital and there are talks of them declaring their own Kingdom..."
When I heard Maria saying that I sighed heavily because the situation got even worse than I expected.
"And on the higher end?"
It seemed that the full-out conflict with the Barbarians was indeed inevitable and it would hurt a lot. Nonetheless, when this was done, there wouldn't be any organized force within the Lordran resisting the might of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"That is where we have an advantage for sure; the meeting in the Landsraad is scheduled for the next week. Elector Countess Klauda Marian is also asking for full-out mobilization of Hunters of the Workshop against the Barbarians..."
That was certainly a heavy question; the Hunter of the Old Workshop had never been mobilized for war since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Ordering one or two Hunters was one thing, but mobilizing the entire Workshop was an entirely different matter.
"This is actually good... once again, is everything playing into my cards..."
I said with relief as Maria raised her brow at me, which led me to explain the future of the Empire and my plan to completely merge the Healing Church under the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
And naturally, the creation of the Stormcast Eternals...
"You would need to call the Great Convention Council for a move like this, but it is worth it even though there may be some opposition. With this done, the Imperial House will have all of the power in its hands."
I nodded at her words because for centuries I have been working diligently on this... The complete merger of Healing Church and Divine Throne wasn't something that was birthed in my head only recently.
And fusion of all elite forces of the Empire into one single coherent force directly under the Divine Throne and fanatically loyal to the Holy Imperator was also a long-term plan, but I knew that it would require time.
The unification of the Lordran showed me that... that it was impossible to do at the same time, so I bid my time and I had enough time.
For centuries, I have been preparing for this, creating my Image, strengthening the power of the Imperial House and slowly weakening the political and military power of the Nobility within my Empire.
With my reforms, it was easily done and after people adjusted to them, it became the norm.
Just like my other reforms will become the norm soon enough.
"Having a few thousand pinnacle warriors at Level 4 would ensure that the Empire withstand the passage of time."
Yes, it would... the Old Blood wasn't the only method within the Empire that could gift someone Agenlessness. Even though the average Level 4 Professional could live about two and half thousand years, I wanted the Stormcast Eternals to be Ageless.
"Yes... for that, the Night Well Plan has to come to fruition as soon as possible."
Only a few people knew about this plan; among them were Maria, High Chancellor Luca Brewster, Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt, Gehrman the First Hunter, founder of the Byrgenwerth Big Hat Logan and Master Willem, Lady Annalise Vileblood and Grand Theogenist Volkmar the Grim.
The establishment of something like Nightwell would be something that would propel the Holy Arcadia Empire into a new age.
It would also be the symbol of my Divine Right given by the Great Ones to rule the Mortal Realms. Ironically, though, I wasn't the first person who came up with this idea; but rather, I am just finishing the dream of another...
Of the Lord Gwyn himself in this matter.
***
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Chapter 13 - Landsraad and Politics
Trafford
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"Beware of the creatures of the Old Night..."
Source Unknown
***
Codex: Rune Knights
Rune knights were an ultimate display of power amongst the humans. Originally archers, defenders, frontliners, or even mages, they all had the ability to bear runes on their bodies. A Mid-Tier rune would raise the might of a melee fighter by thirty percent, putting a Level 1 Knight on the same Level as Level 2.
Rune knights were strategic forces, and legendary mages were strategic deterrents. Knights that have more than 3 Runes on their body. They are the elite of the Holy Arcadia Empire's armies and the turning point in his arms race and development of combat tactics for war.
Rune knights differed based on the Rune sets they used, but the threshold to form a Rune Knight was very high. This made many Noble Houses vie for the creation of Rune Knights among their Household Guards as the core of the Guard and elite force.
And thus, many powerful families had accumulated forces that were unique to them, the Winter Knights of the House Sark an Russ, Iron-Blood Knights of the House Orleáns, or Sardaukar Knights of the House Atreides.
***
"Combination of the Old Blood, Runes, Nightwell, Grail Essence and Holy Empowerment of the Great Ones would indeed push the standard to Level 4."
Maria stated as she thought it over... reaching Level 4 was probably the highest that they could create. Still, with all of these augmentation methods, they could create a top-notch Level 4 Professional.
Above that, everything else was incredibly challenging, even with the usage of the Old Blood and mastering it to a great degree. While the Old Blood gave off tremendous benefits, it was actually very difficult to master, like very, very hard to master.
Only a tiny percentage of people could reach Level 5 and higher Levels; they could be counted on one hand as it was relatively rare. Still, if everything were combined together, they would create a very powerful Level 4 warrior.
With great versatility, combat prowess, and even the potential to reach Level 5 for some of the more lucky ones . Still, even if they didn't reach Level 5, I predicted that with their capabilities, training, equipment and skills, one squad of Stormcast Eternals would be able to defeat even Level 5 beings.
The concept of Level wasn't really good, but it was the closest thing that we have come up with to categorize the strength of various beings so we could adequately send soldiers at them...
It would be rather a foolish thing to send ordinary footsoldiers at the Nobz, for example, as they would just pick them apart like nothing.
So for that one, the concept of Levels was pretty useful, but physical strength and speed weren't everything in the fight, so even though the concept of Levels was widespread across the Lordran, it wasn't everything.
Not for every species, it was very accurate, like it was for Daemons, Danger Beasts, Cleric Beasts, or some species of the Greenskins. For example, in the case of humans, it was sometimes very hard to accurately say someone's Level or his combat prowess.
Even though I was Level 6, I would have a solid chance against even Level 7 Greenskins and many of the Omega Danger Beasts. Naturally, I wouldn't really dare to fight Daemon Princes because those were entirely different realms of power due to their connection with the Chaos Gods.
"I also plan in the future to expand the Silver Knights at least by two Legions... having additionally 20,000 Silver Knights patrolling the Lordran would do us only good and with a finished wall at the borders with the Orklands, we may as we need it."
Maria agreed with my words...
Now that we have finished building an enormous wall entirely severing the Orklands from the rest of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it would create hell. Yeah, the idea was to hold Greenskins from the lands of the Empire, but this would only motivate them to attack us even more.
But at least most of the residential areas would be safe from the raids and attacks by the Greenskins. The Greenskins were a plague to the territories of the Holy Arcadia Empire; they were the ones who ravaged our lands the most and thus, they were considered as one of the prime threats.
"That seems rational... the presence of Silver Knights is needed to complement the standardized Imperial Legions. And with the wall separating the lands of the Empire from the Orklands, the Ork Tribes and Klanz would launch frenzy attacks... probably even more than till now."
The raids of the Greenskins on the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire were the prime source of resources for the Greenskins. The Orks didn't build; they didn't farm or produce anything; they couldn't really create things; they could only wage wars, conquer and destroy things.
They were as simple as that.
"Even right now, they are attacking it, but not in great numbers; apparently, some of the greater Tribes got into conflict with each other, so right now, they are busy killing themselves."
I said one of the most typical Orkish things that could ever happen. The entire society of the Greenskins was separated into Warbands, Tribes, and Klanz. A Tribe consisted of multiple Warbands that consisted in turn of Orks and other species that were creating the Greenskins as a whole.
On the contrary, the Klanz were a more permanent thing because they were a permanent social grouping of like-minded fighters often marked out by the colors and crude Ork glyphs they displayed on their bodies and banners.
An Ork Klan is a massive group of Orks who share an enduring philosophical viewpoint on Greenskin's life. The great Greenskin thinker Orkimedes once postulated that "thinkin' iz for gitz, but everyone'z a git, so's ya might as well think like some other gitz" which has come, through the years, to mean the klanz.
While Ork tribes are constantly changing groups of Greenskins, breaking apart and reforming, Klan ties are more stable and enduring. Ork Klanz are the philosophical delineations representing the various aspects of the Orkish character.
Each klan has its own colors, markings, defining characteristics and ways of waging war.
"Stupid Greenskins... still, we need to reinforce the wall; when the Greenskins within the Orklands cease their conflicts, they will attack the fortifications with their full force."
Nobody exactly knew the size of the Orklands because it was almost night impossible to go around it with ships due to the Green Energy that was all around the Orklands. And nobody would really dare to wander into the Orklands because it was pure suicide.
While the forces of the Holy Arcadia Empire had some preliminary understanding of the Orklands, there were some minor expeditions into the Orklands done by the Empire or by the House Orleáns, so we knew some things about that dammed land.
"Should we retire to our chambers?"
Seeing Maria's stare at me, I nodded as we went to address some important "issues".
He was away for several weeks and now, Maria certainly had some tensions that she needed to release because her fianceé was away from her for a long time.
'Life is good... indeed...'
I thought, certainly a bit weirded by the statement inside my head, considering my past life on Earth.
***
3rd POV
Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo, several days later.
Days were passing relatively fast within the Anor Londo, the City of Gods.
Of course, they were for the Holy Imperator when he was spending the majority of his time with Maria as they were literarily fucking like rabbits, or he was helping Cersei to accommodate better to the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo was enormous, so it took a good few days for Karl Franz to show his newest fainceé everything around here. Yesterday, he also took her to the animal/danger beast zone...
If it could be called that way because it was more luxurious than the entire Red Keep of Westeros.
And it was a place for Griffon Deathclaw to live, though not only him but also his mate, who now laid a clutch of eggs, so soon enough, there would be small griffons flying around the Imperial Palace.
Aside from that, after lazying around for a few days, he knew that it was time to get back to work, so he was already sitting inside his office. On the contrary to his status, his own office was a relatively small, cozy place.
There were a few leather chairs and a leather sofa of dark black color made from the leather of powerful Dangers Beasts. At the same time, there were a few pieces of furniture around the room, as the Holy Imperator himself was sitting behind a huge wooden table with stacks of documents in front of him.
On the table was a huge Lacrima Crystal that served as a transmitter for messages that needed to be delivered directly to him. Since the morning, he was tending to his paperwork, and there was already a considerable amount of it for the three weeks that he was away.
It wasn't a lot; he would actually have it done in a few hours because of the sturdy bureaucratic system that he had created in the Holy Arcadia Empire. If not for that, then there would be much more paperwork than it is right now.
"What is the next thing... Report about Euron Greyjoy... I kinda forgot about him that he was still within the Imperial Dungeons."
Karl Franz stroked his chin as he thought over the matter; he then made a mental note to solve this later, but not to forget, he also signed the paper to transfer the prisoner into a different part of the Imperial Dungeons for the VIP Guests...
It seemed that the madman was making a problem in the prison and constantly provoking guards, and he even managed to attack one of the guards who let himself be provoked by him...
He would need soon to deal with him; his experiences with naval warfare would certainly be useful for the Navy of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Now, our Navy was in a rather pathetic state; the Holy Arcadia Empire never really invested a lot of resources into the Navy.
The Empire, in the first place, never really needed a powerful naval presence for because there was no need for it till now... Most, if not all, fights and battles that the Empire led were done on the ground or in the air.
The Navy was put on secondary priority, and it was used only for delivering supplies and nothing more. Yet, with the addition of the contacts with the Westeros and now with potential expansion to the Essos, Sothoryos and Ulthos, there was now a great need for the Navy and even strengthening the Air Force.
"Now... what is there now... Nation Wide Portal Network Act?"
This was something that was talked about for a long time already because many were proposing to interconnect all of the major Cities and points of interest within the Holy Arcadia Empire with the nationwide portal network.
Right now, only six places were connected, and those were Anor Londo, Yharnam, Cainhurst, Faust, Skycrown Gate, and Ironblood Fortress at the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was the main defensive point against the Greenskins.
"It indeed has a great merit... though it will cost a lot of Reichscrowns and the maintenance won't be cheap either... but I guess we can still commercialize it and let it make money on its own maintenance, maybe even make back the initial costs..."
Of course, using the Portal Network won't be free and would require some money to use; Karl Franz was already thinking of how to make money from it. And what new taxes he would get to create... but not many or too high, as that would be detrimental to the Empire.
As the time continued to flow, soon enough, Karl Franz noticed that it was time for the Landsraad meeting, or rather, the meeting of the Landsraad would take place in one hour, so it would be prudent to be there ahead of time.
***
MC POV
"Do you want to go with me to the Landsraad meeting?"
I asked Cersei and Maria, or more like, the question itself was directed more at the golden lioness than the Lady of the Vilebloods because Maria would never voluntarily go to something as boring as the meeting of the Landsraad.
"I would be naturally delighted to go."
Cersei answered first with glee in her eyes because she was curious about the politics of the Empire, but to my shock, even Maria agreed with it and would go with us. This was something that I wasn't really expecting.
"Maria, you wanna go? Are you okey?"
I asked with faux concern as her brown twitched in anger.
"Of course I am okey, you dolt!"
Nobody could blame me for this because it was indeed really weird for Maria to actually participate in the meeting of the Landsraad. So, I suspected that something interesting would be taking place today within the Landsraad.
Perhaps judgment of some unruly nobles? Or Kanly between some hours... who knew...
"Yeh, yeh... we should come to be there ahead of time; I want to avoid flooding in."
Maria nodded at my words while Cersei looked confused until Maria explained that "flooding in" was that, when the meeting of the Landsraad was starting, most people and representatives of the Noble Houses would typically arrive in the last half an hour before the meeting started.
***
The building that houses the Landsraad was located within the heart of the Administration Discritct of the Anor Londo and looked like an enormous dome with a much smaller building adjusted to the dome.
The dome of the Landsraad was to rise from a massive granite podium 315 by 315 meters and 74 meters high to a total inclusive height of 290 meters. The diameter of the dome was 250 meters.
Inside the building of the Landsraad was a massive apse covered with gold mosaics and enclosing a giant silver statue of the symbol of the Holy Arcadia Empire, depicted as a Griffon beneath which is situated a throne for the Emperor and seats for the High Council.
From the podium there, speakers would be able to address more than several thousand people altogether. The entire place could house a few thousand people seated in three tiers of seats enclosing a giant circular arena.
"It is huge..."
I heard Cersei say when we were seated in our seats, with Maria sitting next to me and not in the seat for the High Lord Magistrate of the Cainhurst, the City of Silver.
The Imperial Nobles were divided based on their rank and affiliated with the Lesser Noble Houses, Greater Noble Houses, or the Healing Church and also had voting rights with the Landsraad...
'Though soon their votes would even formally belong to the Imperial House.'
"Yes, it's actually the building of the Landsraad is one of the biggest administrative buildings within the entire Holy Arcadia Empire."
I said as the huge building started getting full of people, most of them belonging to the Lesser Houses of the Nobility, as the Greater Houses consisted only of the Elector Counts and Lords High Magistrates.
About the next twenty minutes, more and more people were arriving at the meeting of the Lnadsraad, and soon enough, the entire meeting would start. Even the members of the High Council of the Landsraad were in their places, sitting beneath chairs beneath us.
"Order!"
Soon enough, throughout the entire place, the voice of the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire was heard as he officially started this meeting.
"Now it seemed that everyone had arrived. I would like to ask for Elector Counts of Fenris and Khaz-Modan to maintain the civility of this fine institution and avoid any inappropriate behavior."
High Chancellor Luca Brewster said as he looked at the Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan, Magni Bronzebeard and Leman Star an Russ Elector Count of Grand Province of Fenris sternly because both of them made a mess in the past few meetings.
"Now that we have all calmed down, we can start with the program and first voting. The program shall be as follows. 1st theme would be the Judgement of the Viceroy House of Mussilon of the Grand Province of Brettonia for misconduct, poor administration, abuse of power and other things. 2nd thing on the program is Kanly between Houses Lothbrok and Rundstadt. 3rd point on the program is the situation with the Barbarians at the Grand Province of Stormwind and the proposal for the Crusade by Elector Countess Klauda Cross and the last thing would be a speech for the Landsraad by His Majesty, Holy Imperator. Now let's proceed to the vote for the program."
After the lengthy reading done by the High Chancellor Luca Brewster, the members of the Landsraad started voting and soon enough, the program for today's meeting passed with 0:1,000.
"Now let's start with the first topic on the program, the Judgement of the House Mussilon."
As he said, everyone turned their sight in great anticipation because the last situation like this happened more than four hundred years ago. Rarely did the Viceroy Houses mismanage their territories enough for the Landsraad to intervene.
Most things are solved just by written notice from the Ministry of Domestic Affairs and some warnings and fines.
"Why does everyone look like we are going to watch some mummers play or what?"
Cersei asked as both me and Maria chuckled in amusement hearing that question.
"Because, technically speaking, this is the show... last time Viceroy House was judged at the Landsraad was 512 years ago with the House Bergenrein, where entire lineage was executed, so everyone is rather excited to see the drama."
When I said that, I could feel her shock because things like this would almost never happen in Westeros. Even if in the Westeros, the noble killed a few peasants, nobody would care, but in the Lordran, the situation was different.
Mainly because it was required to enforce very strict order and due to how developed the society of the Holy Arcadia Empire was, I knew that common people needed some sort of security against the members of the Nobility or they would cause problems.
And this wasn't talking about the fact that it gave me a perfect reason to sort out the bad apples that were leeching on my nation and have them all killed.
Soon enough, members of the Imperial Legion, more precisely the 1st Imperial Legion, together with one Grail Knight, dragged there a refined middle-aged man, who looked rather fat and sweaty as he was dragged into the meeting in chains.
"Julius Mussilon of the Viceroy House Mussilon of the Grand Province of Brettonia, you stand before the judgment panel of the Landsraad for abuse of power, mismanagement of your territory, non-action against the Ork WAAAGH! that appeared within your Viceroyalty three months ago which led to the death of several hundred of commoners. Furthermore, members of your House are or already were convicted for the murder of several commoners, and your Heir has been convicted guilty and executed for disobeying military orders of the Provincial Army under the leadership of Commander du'Lac."
Hearing all of that made the Nobility murmur among themselves, as everyone's body whispered while the main star of the event was sweating even more. Hearing the accusation, he knew that if he managed to get swift death, it would be considered a good result.
"How do you plead?"
The High Chancellor asked, as all eyes were on Justin Mussilon, who looked like he was about to faint at any given moment.
***
3rd POV
"He looks like a pig seeing butcher."
Now, hearing and seeing this, Cersei understood why her finaceé told her that this was a show. Because it indeed was, the fat man who was previously very important and rather powerful nobleman of the Empire was now sweating like a pig and he was stuck at what to see.
She remembered that Viceroys were the highest rank of the Lesser Noble Houses and were, technically speaking, the highest nobility status that one could get elevated to within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
If she had to compare it with the standards of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, then Viceroys would be the most powerful Bannermen of the Wardens, though their military and economic power was far more powerful.
"Justin Mussilon, do you plead guilty or not?"
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked for the third time already, as the fat man in question was looking around, unsure of what to say, before his sight fell on the figures sitting on the highest parts of the Landsraad.
"Your Majesty! Please! I served well, paid taxes, and took care of the territory as it was ordered! Your Highnesses, please spare my life!"
So the only thing that he could do was, technically speaking, a rather crafty move because he planned to appeal to the youngest woman with golden hair and emerald green eyes who was sitting next to the Holy Imperator and plead for his life.
Considering the fact that she looked very young, probably around fourteen or fifteen years old, he thought that his plan might succeed. Unfortunately for him... If there was one thing that Cersei Lannister wasn't good at, it was forgiving people...
The golden lioness meanwhile looked at the Grail Knight standing behind Justin Mussilon and gave him a subtle nod, which made the Viceroy smile as he thought that he had succeeded, only to be met with an armored fist on his face as he fell on the ground groveling in pain.
Instantly afterward, one swift kick to the head knocked him unconscious.
"As it seemed that the Viceroy Mussilon refused to cooperate, it would be taken that he chose not to plead guilty. In regard to gathered evidence, the House Mussilon shall be stripped of their Title, their lands and wealth shall be confiscated by the state and all members of the House Mussilon connected with offenses shall be executed. Members of the House Mussilon who were not involved in any criminal activity but were aware of them were sentenced to a lifetime in the Death Battalions. The rest of the members of the House Mussilon shall lose all of their privileges and will return all possessions that they got from the House Mussilon."
With the judgment passed, the guards took the unconscious head of the former House of Mussilon to the chopping block. All people within the Landsraad understood the very moment when the accusations were read that the House Mussilon was done for.
"You did good for the first time... I knew that he would try to use you to get mercy for him or perhaps his House."
Karl Franz knew that the moment the accusations were read and he brought Cersei, that they would try to manipulate her for her to plead with him...
It could have probably worked with anyone else from Westeros because in Westeros, it was almost impossible to send entire Hosue to their death for something that most if not all, Nobles consider as something inconsequential.
With Cersei, who was a pretty ruthless and cruel person...
There was no chance, so for him, he was curious to see the situation develop.
Interestingly enough, the situation developed as Karl Franz predicted; she wasn't the person who was moved by something like this, not to mention in her head that all traitors deserved to die with their whole families.
"Now that the judgment of House Mousillon has been concluded, we can move on to the secondary topic. House Rundstedt has declared Kanly against the House Lothbrok."
As the High Chancellor proclaimed that, most of the people grinned hearing that; Maria looked amused by that, The High Chancellor was tired and Cersei looked confused as she leaned over to me.
"What is Kanly?"
She whispered and I proceeded to explain the fundamental nature of the word, term or even tradition at this point.
"Knaly is basically an enactment of formal feud or vendetta in a matter that complies with the Great Convention between Noble Houses, or even other subjects of the Empire; there is even a list of those who are entitled to declare Kanly. Basically, the act of Kanly is a way to allow bitter disputes to be resolved without a declaration of war and unnecessary destruction."
She looked genuinely surprised that the Empire had something like this.
In Westeros, one of the reasons why the Seven Kingdoms never really advanced beyond something other than what they already were was the fact that most of the Lords of Westeros were busy fighting with each other for petty reasons or scheming against one another.
Karl Franz created the concept of Kanly for this very own reason. Soon enough, two people walked up onto the podium. One of them was a gruff-looking man with blonde hair, a beard in the style of braid and electric blue eyes; basically, everything around him screamed the word viking.
Meanwhile, the other one looked like a refined gentleman and was much younger-looking than the blonde-haired man. He was also wearing a three-piece suit of the latest fashion within the Empire, contrary to the armor and wolf skins worn by his opponent.
"Now, please, Viceroy Berengar Rundstedt, to step forward with the reason for the Kanly and proposal."
Berengar Rundstedt was the son of General Rundstedt of the 6th Imperial Legion and certainly, he inherited some demeanor of his father.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. The reason for this Kanly is simple... this barbarian with a half-frozen brain has impregnated my sister and refused to take her as her wife and I demand satisfaction for his dishonor."
Karl Franz scoffed because this looked like a boring reason for a Kanly...
Though it was amusing to have two similar things taking place within the premises of the Landsraad.
Last time, it was Head of the Elector Count House Orleáns attacking Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark for sleeping with his daughter...
Within the Empire, the Landsraad was responsible for resolving conflicts or even hearing out the petitioners. In Westeros, the practice of hearing out the petitioners was up to the King, but Karl didn't really want to deal with this, so he delegated this responsibility to the Landsraad.
He dealt with only the most serious cases that required his attention.
"So, how would this be resolved?"
Cersei asked Karl from the side as she watched with interest.
"Depends... Fenrisians have a lot of rivalry with the Nobles of the Reikland and Brettonia to a certain degree, mainly due to differences with their cultures and traditions..."
The people of the Holy Arcadia Empire were gruff and hard people; considering the conditions they were living in, it wasn't anything that surprising as the danger was in every single corner.
So, the Imperial Nobility was much less focused on their petty squabbles with each other and rather focused on working for the "greater good" if it could be called such.
"They would probably shout at each other for some time, then fight in single combat to decide the conditions... Lothbrok certainly made a mistake, as he made the woman pregnant and if he didn't care for the child, then he would be viewed as a coward, especially among the Fenrisians; it would be a stain on their honor."
Maria said from the side, though hearing this was a rather great shock for the young Lannister from Westeros because Westerosi's practice of bastardy was completely opposite to the beliefs of the Empire.
"Ygnyrd Lothbrok, you have a podium."
Before the two of them started shouting at each other, High Chancellor Luca Brewster said with tired sight because this was the part that he hated when mediating meetings within the Landsraad.
Fortunately, most of the nobles, according to the Imperial Tradition, decided their own conflicts with single combat and only some more serious cases that would typically create scandals were brought to the Landsraad.
"Thank you, Your Excellency... It was not my fold that the woman spread her legs for me when she was so frustrated."
As expected from the Fenrisians... their tact was nowhere to be found, while most of the people here just chuckled hearing that, including the Emperor and Maria Vileblood, but Cersei gasped.
"You bastard! I will put your head on pike!"
Berengar Rundstedt lunged at the Fenrisian and threw him a punch directly in his face.
Unsurprisingly, the gruff-looking Ygnyrd Lothbrok dodged to the side, as his electric blue eyes narrowed his eyes and returned the punch and knocked the Berengar Rundstedt to the ground.
"Order! Order!"
Swiftly, both of them were separated by the soldiers of the Imperial Legion, separating the two brawling noblemen.
"For breaching the sanctity of the Landsraad, Berengar Rundstet, you are fined with a fine of 50,000 Golden Reichscrowns."
50,000 Golden Reichscrowns was a relatively high penalty.
"Now, as usual, we will proceed with the single combat to decide the outcome. Viceroy Rundstedt, what do you wish for as a form of satisfaction from the House Lothbrok and Ygnyrd Lothbrok?"
High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked tiredly as the Head of the House Rundstedt collected himself; whole he was enraged, he didn't really care about the fine, but he was more fearing the reaction of his father.
Old General Rundstedt would be actually delighted that his eldest daughter, Adelheid Rundstedt, would finally be married and even have a child. She was always pretty much unruly, and for the past decades, the only thing she was doing was dedicating her life to the Imperial Legion.
"I demand that he marries my sister or provides remuneration to the House Rundstedt..."
He said after some time of consideration because this was the best thing that he could get from the Lothbrok. He was also aware that the Kanly must be resolved to prevent any conflicts between the Nobility to prevent them from not working together.
"I never said that I won't marry her, though..."
Ygnyrd Lothbrok voiced his opinion from the side, which made the Berengar Rundstedt narrow his eyes at him. This one statement basically buried the hot-headed Berendar Rundstedt because it made the entire Kanly pointless, so the entire procedure went forward very quickly.
"Now that Ygnyrd Lothbrok said his piece, the Kanly of the House Rundstedt has been resolved before it could even start. Now for the last part of the program, which is a proposal of the Crusade against the Barbarian Tribes of Badlands by the Elector Countess Klauda Marian."
With each word, the situation was getting increasingly tense because the Barbarians in the Badlands became more and more powerful. Soon enough, they would represent a grave threat to the Empire.
Even right now, they were representing a significant threat, with their military potential, which was very strong and the Empire would need to take them seriously if they decided to launch the Crusade against the Barbarians.
***
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Source Unknown
***
Codex: Rune Knights
Rune knights were an ultimate display of power amongst the humans. Originally archers, defenders, frontliners, or even mages, they all had the ability to bear runes on their bodies. A Mid-Tier rune would raise the might of a melee fighter by thirty percent, putting a Level 1 Knight on the same Level as Level 2.
Rune knights were strategic forces, and legendary mages were strategic deterrents. Knights that have more than 3 Runes on their body. They are the elite of the Holy Arcadia Empire's armies and the turning point in his arms race and development of combat tactics for war.
Rune knights differed based on the Rune sets they used, but the threshold to form a Rune Knight was very high. This made many Noble Houses vie for the creation of Rune Knights among their Household Guards as the core of the Guard and elite force.
And thus, many powerful families had accumulated forces that were unique to them, the Winter Knights of the House Sark an Russ, Iron-Blood Knights of the House Orleáns, or Sardaukar Knights of the House Atreides.
***
"Combination of the Old Blood, Runes, Nightwell, Grail Essence and Holy Empowerment of the Great Ones would indeed push the standard to Level 4."
Maria stated as she thought it over... reaching Level 4 was probably the highest that they could create. Still, with all of these augmentation methods, they could create a top-notch Level 4 Professional.
Above that, everything else was incredibly challenging, even with the usage of the Old Blood and mastering it to a great degree. While the Old Blood gave off tremendous benefits, it was actually very difficult to master, like very, very hard to master.
Only a tiny percentage of people could reach Level 5 and higher Levels; they could be counted on one hand as it was relatively rare. Still, if everything were combined together, they would create a very powerful Level 4 warrior.
With great versatility, combat prowess, and even the potential to reach Level 5 for some of the more lucky ones . Still, even if they didn't reach Level 5, I predicted that with their capabilities, training, equipment and skills, one squad of Stormcast Eternals would be able to defeat even Level 5 beings.
The concept of Level wasn't really good, but it was the closest thing that we have come up with to categorize the strength of various beings so we could adequately send soldiers at them...
It would be rather a foolish thing to send ordinary footsoldiers at the Nobz, for example, as they would just pick them apart like nothing.
So for that one, the concept of Levels was pretty useful, but physical strength and speed weren't everything in the fight, so even though the concept of Levels was widespread across the Lordran, it wasn't everything.
Not for every species, it was very accurate, like it was for Daemons, Danger Beasts, Cleric Beasts, or some species of the Greenskins. For example, in the case of humans, it was sometimes very hard to accurately say someone's Level or his combat prowess.
Even though I was Level 6, I would have a solid chance against even Level 7 Greenskins and many of the Omega Danger Beasts. Naturally, I wouldn't really dare to fight Daemon Princes because those were entirely different realms of power due to their connection with the Chaos Gods.
"I also plan in the future to expand the Silver Knights at least by two Legions... having additionally 20,000 Silver Knights patrolling the Lordran would do us only good and with a finished wall at the borders with the Orklands, we may as we need it."
Maria agreed with my words...
Now that we have finished building an enormous wall entirely severing the Orklands from the rest of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it would create hell. Yeah, the idea was to hold Greenskins from the lands of the Empire, but this would only motivate them to attack us even more.
But at least most of the residential areas would be safe from the raids and attacks by the Greenskins. The Greenskins were a plague to the territories of the Holy Arcadia Empire; they were the ones who ravaged our lands the most and thus, they were considered as one of the prime threats.
"That seems rational... the presence of Silver Knights is needed to complement the standardized Imperial Legions. And with the wall separating the lands of the Empire from the Orklands, the Ork Tribes and Klanz would launch frenzy attacks... probably even more than till now."
The raids of the Greenskins on the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire were the prime source of resources for the Greenskins. The Orks didn't build; they didn't farm or produce anything; they couldn't really create things; they could only wage wars, conquer and destroy things.
They were as simple as that.
"Even right now, they are attacking it, but not in great numbers; apparently, some of the greater Tribes got into conflict with each other, so right now, they are busy killing themselves."
I said one of the most typical Orkish things that could ever happen. The entire society of the Greenskins was separated into Warbands, Tribes, and Klanz. A Tribe consisted of multiple Warbands that consisted in turn of Orks and other species that were creating the Greenskins as a whole.
On the contrary, the Klanz were a more permanent thing because they were a permanent social grouping of like-minded fighters often marked out by the colors and crude Ork glyphs they displayed on their bodies and banners.
An Ork Klan is a massive group of Orks who share an enduring philosophical viewpoint on Greenskin's life. The great Greenskin thinker Orkimedes once postulated that "thinkin' iz for gitz, but everyone'z a git, so's ya might as well think like some other gitz" which has come, through the years, to mean the klanz.
While Ork tribes are constantly changing groups of Greenskins, breaking apart and reforming, Klan ties are more stable and enduring. Ork Klanz are the philosophical delineations representing the various aspects of the Orkish character.
Each klan has its own colors, markings, defining characteristics and ways of waging war.
"Stupid Greenskins... still, we need to reinforce the wall; when the Greenskins within the Orklands cease their conflicts, they will attack the fortifications with their full force."
Nobody exactly knew the size of the Orklands because it was almost night impossible to go around it with ships due to the Green Energy that was all around the Orklands. And nobody would really dare to wander into the Orklands because it was pure suicide.
While the forces of the Holy Arcadia Empire had some preliminary understanding of the Orklands, there were some minor expeditions into the Orklands done by the Empire or by the House Orleáns, so we knew some things about that dammed land.
"Should we retire to our chambers?"
Seeing Maria's stare at me, I nodded as we went to address some important "issues".
He was away for several weeks and now, Maria certainly had some tensions that she needed to release because her fianceé was away from her for a long time.
'Life is good... indeed...'
I thought, certainly a bit weirded by the statement inside my head, considering my past life on Earth.
***
3rd POV
Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo, several days later.
Days were passing relatively fast within the Anor Londo, the City of Gods.
Of course, they were for the Holy Imperator when he was spending the majority of his time with Maria as they were literarily fucking like rabbits, or he was helping Cersei to accommodate better to the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo was enormous, so it took a good few days for Karl Franz to show his newest fainceé everything around here. Yesterday, he also took her to the animal/danger beast zone...
If it could be called that way because it was more luxurious than the entire Red Keep of Westeros.
And it was a place for Griffon Deathclaw to live, though not only him but also his mate, who now laid a clutch of eggs, so soon enough, there would be small griffons flying around the Imperial Palace.
Aside from that, after lazying around for a few days, he knew that it was time to get back to work, so he was already sitting inside his office. On the contrary to his status, his own office was a relatively small, cozy place.
There were a few leather chairs and a leather sofa of dark black color made from the leather of powerful Dangers Beasts. At the same time, there were a few pieces of furniture around the room, as the Holy Imperator himself was sitting behind a huge wooden table with stacks of documents in front of him.
On the table was a huge Lacrima Crystal that served as a transmitter for messages that needed to be delivered directly to him. Since the morning, he was tending to his paperwork, and there was already a considerable amount of it for the three weeks that he was away.
It wasn't a lot; he would actually have it done in a few hours because of the sturdy bureaucratic system that he had created in the Holy Arcadia Empire. If not for that, then there would be much more paperwork than it is right now.
"What is the next thing... Report about Euron Greyjoy... I kinda forgot about him that he was still within the Imperial Dungeons."
Karl Franz stroked his chin as he thought over the matter; he then made a mental note to solve this later, but not to forget, he also signed the paper to transfer the prisoner into a different part of the Imperial Dungeons for the VIP Guests...
It seemed that the madman was making a problem in the prison and constantly provoking guards, and he even managed to attack one of the guards who let himself be provoked by him...
He would need soon to deal with him; his experiences with naval warfare would certainly be useful for the Navy of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Now, our Navy was in a rather pathetic state; the Holy Arcadia Empire never really invested a lot of resources into the Navy.
The Empire, in the first place, never really needed a powerful naval presence for because there was no need for it till now... Most, if not all, fights and battles that the Empire led were done on the ground or in the air.
The Navy was put on secondary priority, and it was used only for delivering supplies and nothing more. Yet, with the addition of the contacts with the Westeros and now with potential expansion to the Essos, Sothoryos and Ulthos, there was now a great need for the Navy and even strengthening the Air Force.
"Now... what is there now... Nation Wide Portal Network Act?"
This was something that was talked about for a long time already because many were proposing to interconnect all of the major Cities and points of interest within the Holy Arcadia Empire with the nationwide portal network.
Right now, only six places were connected, and those were Anor Londo, Yharnam, Cainhurst, Faust, Skycrown Gate, and Ironblood Fortress at the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was the main defensive point against the Greenskins.
"It indeed has a great merit... though it will cost a lot of Reichscrowns and the maintenance won't be cheap either... but I guess we can still commercialize it and let it make money on its own maintenance, maybe even make back the initial costs..."
Of course, using the Portal Network won't be free and would require some money to use; Karl Franz was already thinking of how to make money from it. And what new taxes he would get to create... but not many or too high, as that would be detrimental to the Empire.
As the time continued to flow, soon enough, Karl Franz noticed that it was time for the Landsraad meeting, or rather, the meeting of the Landsraad would take place in one hour, so it would be prudent to be there ahead of time.
***
MC POV
"Do you want to go with me to the Landsraad meeting?"
I asked Cersei and Maria, or more like, the question itself was directed more at the golden lioness than the Lady of the Vilebloods because Maria would never voluntarily go to something as boring as the meeting of the Landsraad.
"I would be naturally delighted to go."
Cersei answered first with glee in her eyes because she was curious about the politics of the Empire, but to my shock, even Maria agreed with it and would go with us. This was something that I wasn't really expecting.
"Maria, you wanna go? Are you okey?"
I asked with faux concern as her brown twitched in anger.
"Of course I am okey, you dolt!"
Nobody could blame me for this because it was indeed really weird for Maria to actually participate in the meeting of the Landsraad. So, I suspected that something interesting would be taking place today within the Landsraad.
Perhaps judgment of some unruly nobles? Or Kanly between some hours... who knew...
"Yeh, yeh... we should come to be there ahead of time; I want to avoid flooding in."
Maria nodded at my words while Cersei looked confused until Maria explained that "flooding in" was that, when the meeting of the Landsraad was starting, most people and representatives of the Noble Houses would typically arrive in the last half an hour before the meeting started.
***
The building that houses the Landsraad was located within the heart of the Administration Discritct of the Anor Londo and looked like an enormous dome with a much smaller building adjusted to the dome.
The dome of the Landsraad was to rise from a massive granite podium 315 by 315 meters and 74 meters high to a total inclusive height of 290 meters. The diameter of the dome was 250 meters.
Inside the building of the Landsraad was a massive apse covered with gold mosaics and enclosing a giant silver statue of the symbol of the Holy Arcadia Empire, depicted as a Griffon beneath which is situated a throne for the Emperor and seats for the High Council.
From the podium there, speakers would be able to address more than several thousand people altogether. The entire place could house a few thousand people seated in three tiers of seats enclosing a giant circular arena.
"It is huge..."
I heard Cersei say when we were seated in our seats, with Maria sitting next to me and not in the seat for the High Lord Magistrate of the Cainhurst, the City of Silver.
The Imperial Nobles were divided based on their rank and affiliated with the Lesser Noble Houses, Greater Noble Houses, or the Healing Church and also had voting rights with the Landsraad...
'Though soon their votes would even formally belong to the Imperial House.'
"Yes, it's actually the building of the Landsraad is one of the biggest administrative buildings within the entire Holy Arcadia Empire."
I said as the huge building started getting full of people, most of them belonging to the Lesser Houses of the Nobility, as the Greater Houses consisted only of the Elector Counts and Lords High Magistrates.
About the next twenty minutes, more and more people were arriving at the meeting of the Lnadsraad, and soon enough, the entire meeting would start. Even the members of the High Council of the Landsraad were in their places, sitting beneath chairs beneath us.
"Order!"
Soon enough, throughout the entire place, the voice of the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire was heard as he officially started this meeting.
"Now it seemed that everyone had arrived. I would like to ask for Elector Counts of Fenris and Khaz-Modan to maintain the civility of this fine institution and avoid any inappropriate behavior."
High Chancellor Luca Brewster said as he looked at the Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan, Magni Bronzebeard and Leman Star an Russ Elector Count of Grand Province of Fenris sternly because both of them made a mess in the past few meetings.
"Now that we have all calmed down, we can start with the program and first voting. The program shall be as follows. 1st theme would be the Judgement of the Viceroy House of Mussilon of the Grand Province of Brettonia for misconduct, poor administration, abuse of power and other things. 2nd thing on the program is Kanly between Houses Lothbrok and Rundstadt. 3rd point on the program is the situation with the Barbarians at the Grand Province of Stormwind and the proposal for the Crusade by Elector Countess Klauda Cross and the last thing would be a speech for the Landsraad by His Majesty, Holy Imperator. Now let's proceed to the vote for the program."
After the lengthy reading done by the High Chancellor Luca Brewster, the members of the Landsraad started voting and soon enough, the program for today's meeting passed with 0:1,000.
"Now let's start with the first topic on the program, the Judgement of the House Mussilon."
As he said, everyone turned their sight in great anticipation because the last situation like this happened more than four hundred years ago. Rarely did the Viceroy Houses mismanage their territories enough for the Landsraad to intervene.
Most things are solved just by written notice from the Ministry of Domestic Affairs and some warnings and fines.
"Why does everyone look like we are going to watch some mummers play or what?"
Cersei asked as both me and Maria chuckled in amusement hearing that question.
"Because, technically speaking, this is the show... last time Viceroy House was judged at the Landsraad was 512 years ago with the House Bergenrein, where entire lineage was executed, so everyone is rather excited to see the drama."
When I said that, I could feel her shock because things like this would almost never happen in Westeros. Even if in the Westeros, the noble killed a few peasants, nobody would care, but in the Lordran, the situation was different.
Mainly because it was required to enforce very strict order and due to how developed the society of the Holy Arcadia Empire was, I knew that common people needed some sort of security against the members of the Nobility or they would cause problems.
And this wasn't talking about the fact that it gave me a perfect reason to sort out the bad apples that were leeching on my nation and have them all killed.
Soon enough, members of the Imperial Legion, more precisely the 1st Imperial Legion, together with one Grail Knight, dragged there a refined middle-aged man, who looked rather fat and sweaty as he was dragged into the meeting in chains.
"Julius Mussilon of the Viceroy House Mussilon of the Grand Province of Brettonia, you stand before the judgment panel of the Landsraad for abuse of power, mismanagement of your territory, non-action against the Ork WAAAGH! that appeared within your Viceroyalty three months ago which led to the death of several hundred of commoners. Furthermore, members of your House are or already were convicted for the murder of several commoners, and your Heir has been convicted guilty and executed for disobeying military orders of the Provincial Army under the leadership of Commander du'Lac."
Hearing all of that made the Nobility murmur among themselves, as everyone's body whispered while the main star of the event was sweating even more. Hearing the accusation, he knew that if he managed to get swift death, it would be considered a good result.
"How do you plead?"
The High Chancellor asked, as all eyes were on Justin Mussilon, who looked like he was about to faint at any given moment.
***
3rd POV
"He looks like a pig seeing butcher."
Now, hearing and seeing this, Cersei understood why her finaceé told her that this was a show. Because it indeed was, the fat man who was previously very important and rather powerful nobleman of the Empire was now sweating like a pig and he was stuck at what to see.
She remembered that Viceroys were the highest rank of the Lesser Noble Houses and were, technically speaking, the highest nobility status that one could get elevated to within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
If she had to compare it with the standards of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, then Viceroys would be the most powerful Bannermen of the Wardens, though their military and economic power was far more powerful.
"Justin Mussilon, do you plead guilty or not?"
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked for the third time already, as the fat man in question was looking around, unsure of what to say, before his sight fell on the figures sitting on the highest parts of the Landsraad.
"Your Majesty! Please! I served well, paid taxes, and took care of the territory as it was ordered! Your Highnesses, please spare my life!"
So the only thing that he could do was, technically speaking, a rather crafty move because he planned to appeal to the youngest woman with golden hair and emerald green eyes who was sitting next to the Holy Imperator and plead for his life.
Considering the fact that she looked very young, probably around fourteen or fifteen years old, he thought that his plan might succeed. Unfortunately for him... If there was one thing that Cersei Lannister wasn't good at, it was forgiving people...
The golden lioness meanwhile looked at the Grail Knight standing behind Justin Mussilon and gave him a subtle nod, which made the Viceroy smile as he thought that he had succeeded, only to be met with an armored fist on his face as he fell on the ground groveling in pain.
Instantly afterward, one swift kick to the head knocked him unconscious.
"As it seemed that the Viceroy Mussilon refused to cooperate, it would be taken that he chose not to plead guilty. In regard to gathered evidence, the House Mussilon shall be stripped of their Title, their lands and wealth shall be confiscated by the state and all members of the House Mussilon connected with offenses shall be executed. Members of the House Mussilon who were not involved in any criminal activity but were aware of them were sentenced to a lifetime in the Death Battalions. The rest of the members of the House Mussilon shall lose all of their privileges and will return all possessions that they got from the House Mussilon."
With the judgment passed, the guards took the unconscious head of the former House of Mussilon to the chopping block. All people within the Landsraad understood the very moment when the accusations were read that the House Mussilon was done for.
"You did good for the first time... I knew that he would try to use you to get mercy for him or perhaps his House."
Karl Franz knew that the moment the accusations were read and he brought Cersei, that they would try to manipulate her for her to plead with him...
It could have probably worked with anyone else from Westeros because in Westeros, it was almost impossible to send entire Hosue to their death for something that most if not all, Nobles consider as something inconsequential.
With Cersei, who was a pretty ruthless and cruel person...
There was no chance, so for him, he was curious to see the situation develop.
Interestingly enough, the situation developed as Karl Franz predicted; she wasn't the person who was moved by something like this, not to mention in her head that all traitors deserved to die with their whole families.
"Now that the judgment of House Mousillon has been concluded, we can move on to the secondary topic. House Rundstedt has declared Kanly against the House Lothbrok."
As the High Chancellor proclaimed that, most of the people grinned hearing that; Maria looked amused by that, The High Chancellor was tired and Cersei looked confused as she leaned over to me.
"What is Kanly?"
She whispered and I proceeded to explain the fundamental nature of the word, term or even tradition at this point.
"Knaly is basically an enactment of formal feud or vendetta in a matter that complies with the Great Convention between Noble Houses, or even other subjects of the Empire; there is even a list of those who are entitled to declare Kanly. Basically, the act of Kanly is a way to allow bitter disputes to be resolved without a declaration of war and unnecessary destruction."
She looked genuinely surprised that the Empire had something like this.
In Westeros, one of the reasons why the Seven Kingdoms never really advanced beyond something other than what they already were was the fact that most of the Lords of Westeros were busy fighting with each other for petty reasons or scheming against one another.
Karl Franz created the concept of Kanly for this very own reason. Soon enough, two people walked up onto the podium. One of them was a gruff-looking man with blonde hair, a beard in the style of braid and electric blue eyes; basically, everything around him screamed the word viking.
Meanwhile, the other one looked like a refined gentleman and was much younger-looking than the blonde-haired man. He was also wearing a three-piece suit of the latest fashion within the Empire, contrary to the armor and wolf skins worn by his opponent.
"Now, please, Viceroy Berengar Rundstedt, to step forward with the reason for the Kanly and proposal."
Berengar Rundstedt was the son of General Rundstedt of the 6th Imperial Legion and certainly, he inherited some demeanor of his father.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. The reason for this Kanly is simple... this barbarian with a half-frozen brain has impregnated my sister and refused to take her as her wife and I demand satisfaction for his dishonor."
Karl Franz scoffed because this looked like a boring reason for a Kanly...
Though it was amusing to have two similar things taking place within the premises of the Landsraad.
Last time, it was Head of the Elector Count House Orleáns attacking Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark for sleeping with his daughter...
Within the Empire, the Landsraad was responsible for resolving conflicts or even hearing out the petitioners. In Westeros, the practice of hearing out the petitioners was up to the King, but Karl didn't really want to deal with this, so he delegated this responsibility to the Landsraad.
He dealt with only the most serious cases that required his attention.
"So, how would this be resolved?"
Cersei asked Karl from the side as she watched with interest.
"Depends... Fenrisians have a lot of rivalry with the Nobles of the Reikland and Brettonia to a certain degree, mainly due to differences with their cultures and traditions..."
The people of the Holy Arcadia Empire were gruff and hard people; considering the conditions they were living in, it wasn't anything that surprising as the danger was in every single corner.
So, the Imperial Nobility was much less focused on their petty squabbles with each other and rather focused on working for the "greater good" if it could be called such.
"They would probably shout at each other for some time, then fight in single combat to decide the conditions... Lothbrok certainly made a mistake, as he made the woman pregnant and if he didn't care for the child, then he would be viewed as a coward, especially among the Fenrisians; it would be a stain on their honor."
Maria said from the side, though hearing this was a rather great shock for the young Lannister from Westeros because Westerosi's practice of bastardy was completely opposite to the beliefs of the Empire.
"Ygnyrd Lothbrok, you have a podium."
Before the two of them started shouting at each other, High Chancellor Luca Brewster said with tired sight because this was the part that he hated when mediating meetings within the Landsraad.
Fortunately, most of the nobles, according to the Imperial Tradition, decided their own conflicts with single combat and only some more serious cases that would typically create scandals were brought to the Landsraad.
"Thank you, Your Excellency... It was not my fold that the woman spread her legs for me when she was so frustrated."
As expected from the Fenrisians... their tact was nowhere to be found, while most of the people here just chuckled hearing that, including the Emperor and Maria Vileblood, but Cersei gasped.
"You bastard! I will put your head on pike!"
Berengar Rundstedt lunged at the Fenrisian and threw him a punch directly in his face.
Unsurprisingly, the gruff-looking Ygnyrd Lothbrok dodged to the side, as his electric blue eyes narrowed his eyes and returned the punch and knocked the Berengar Rundstedt to the ground.
"Order! Order!"
Swiftly, both of them were separated by the soldiers of the Imperial Legion, separating the two brawling noblemen.
"For breaching the sanctity of the Landsraad, Berengar Rundstet, you are fined with a fine of 50,000 Golden Reichscrowns."
50,000 Golden Reichscrowns was a relatively high penalty.
"Now, as usual, we will proceed with the single combat to decide the outcome. Viceroy Rundstedt, what do you wish for as a form of satisfaction from the House Lothbrok and Ygnyrd Lothbrok?"
High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked tiredly as the Head of the House Rundstedt collected himself; whole he was enraged, he didn't really care about the fine, but he was more fearing the reaction of his father.
Old General Rundstedt would be actually delighted that his eldest daughter, Adelheid Rundstedt, would finally be married and even have a child. She was always pretty much unruly, and for the past decades, the only thing she was doing was dedicating her life to the Imperial Legion.
"I demand that he marries my sister or provides remuneration to the House Rundstedt..."
He said after some time of consideration because this was the best thing that he could get from the Lothbrok. He was also aware that the Kanly must be resolved to prevent any conflicts between the Nobility to prevent them from not working together.
"I never said that I won't marry her, though..."
Ygnyrd Lothbrok voiced his opinion from the side, which made the Berengar Rundstedt narrow his eyes at him. This one statement basically buried the hot-headed Berendar Rundstedt because it made the entire Kanly pointless, so the entire procedure went forward very quickly.
"Now that Ygnyrd Lothbrok said his piece, the Kanly of the House Rundstedt has been resolved before it could even start. Now for the last part of the program, which is a proposal of the Crusade against the Barbarian Tribes of Badlands by the Elector Countess Klauda Marian."
With each word, the situation was getting increasingly tense because the Barbarians in the Badlands became more and more powerful. Soon enough, they would represent a grave threat to the Empire.
Even right now, they were representing a significant threat, with their military potential, which was very strong and the Empire would need to take them seriously if they decided to launch the Crusade against the Barbarians.
***
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Chapter 14 - Landsraad and War
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"Let the gold flow; there is nothing better than feeling of the gold."
Minister of Finance of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Blackgold Savek Stormhammer of Clan Stormhammer
***
Codex: The Healing Church
The Healing Church is a primary religious organization of the Holy Arcadia Empire, founded in Yharnam by Laurence the First Vicar and the very first Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church, shortly after the Expeditions into the Ancient Tombs underneath the Yharnam.
After the special condition of the Old Blood was given to the first humans by the Great Ones and the primary God of the Pantheon, the Formless God of Blood Oedon, Laurence, who was already a famous occultist, established a Church to worship the Great Ones and created the process of Blood Ministration.
The Highest Authority of the Healing Church is the Grand Theogenist, whose presence is only second to the Holy Chosen of the Great Ones, the instrument of the Great Ones in the Mortal Realms.
The upper echelons of the Church are collectively known as The Choir, which consists of the Vicars. They are the highest-ranking members of the Healing Church tasked with running the Religion. The Choir members are also voting on the new Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church.
***
The situation with the Barbarians in the Stormwind was looking terrible, far more than that... half a million combat-ready Barbarians, with many of them being High-Level Professionals, and they would soon enough march on the rest of the Stormwind.
The children of the Bul-Kathos were dangerous, and for years and years, they were being ignored by the Holy Arcadia Empire. Now that the Empire pacified situations within their Homeland, the only thing that remained were the Barbarians.
"Honored Members of the Landsraad, the situation with the Bul-Khatos and Harrogath is grave, and their threat already exceeded what could one Grand Province handle on its own; according to the latest reports, their army is numbering over half a million and still increasing."
Soon enough, the Elector Countess Klaud Marian stepped on the podium to deliver her petition for the Landsraad.
She was a woman of average height with a slim, fit physique. She had blonde hair and lightly colored purple eyes, and a large scar marks the upper portion of her face in an "X" formation, meeting between her eyes.
She wore the uniform of the Exorcist Knights of the House Marian uniform, which consisted of tight black pants worn under a skin-tight, sleeveless top with tails on either side of her legs, all trimmed in gold.
She also had thick gauntlets on her arms that almost reached her shoulders, as well as several belts that bore pouches along the back.
One-half of her face was covered by hair, which was a bit longer to cover half of her face completely, and she wore round red earrings.
"If we do not act swiftly and they march on the Stormwind, then the Province could remain only on the defensive; even with the combined forces of the 10th Imperial Legion and Provincial Army, we don't have enough manpower to subjugate the Badlands completely. For that, I ask the honored members of the Landsraad to declare the Crusade on the Children of Bul-Khatos and annihilate them once and for all."
Klaud Marian was the wife of Cross Marian; both of them were professional Daemon Hunters, and they were actually not even members of the nobles in the first place. Both of them were just ordinary Daemon Hunters till a few decades ago.
Karl Franz once met the couple when they were hunting for a powerful Daemon Lord within the Dark Lands and somehow, they managed to get into the position of Nobility within the Grand Province of Stormwind, which didn't have an Elector Count House as it was directly under the Imperial Administration as it was most problematic region since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"And what of their Leader? The new Barbarian King Wokun?"
This question came from the Elector Count of Caladan, Atreus Atreides, who was also participating in the meeting of the Landsraad. While he was General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, Karl Franz didn't really forbid him from doing his duties to the House.
"Confirmed Level 6, at least at the peak of it according to the energy readings that our Wizards managed to get their hands on. They have a few Chieftains among them that are also at Level 6, and there are several at Level 5; they have been gathering a lot of strength at a later date."
This caused murmurs to run through the Landsraad because the Children of Bul-Khatos were stronger than they had thought. Still, unfortunately, the Barbarians were silent for a long time, and the Holy Arcadia Empire needed to deal with preventing Orks from intervening in this...
Without building the wall at the south of the Grand Province of Orleáns, they couldn't pick up the fight with the Barbarians and risk of Orks and Barbarians allying with each other to push the Empire on two fronts simultaneously.
Aside from that, there was also a constant threat of Powers of Ruination intervening in that so that it would become a three-way war against the Empire. But now that the Orks were technically speaking solved thanks to the wall, it was one-on-one.
"The Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder acknowledges that the Barbarians of the Badlands need to be purged. Is there anyone who wants to say something before we proceed to the Vote?"
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked as he scanned the entire Landsraad with his eyes, and seeing that nobody had anything to say, he then initiated the voting procedure.
Voting within the Landsraad always went very swiftly as most Noble Houses came have sent representatives to sit on their Seat within the Landsraad with clear instructions on how to vote, not to mention it was streamed through the Lacrimas or they came by themselves.
Karl Franz from his throne, who was overseeing the entire Landsraad, was pushed yes for the motion as soon as the entire voting procedure had ended, and now it was time to read the results of the Vote.
"The Landsraad has decided. The motion proposed by the has passed in the ratio of 0:1,000. The Children of Bul-Khatos have been declared the enemy of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and the Empire would launch a Crusade against them with one sole purpose of annihilation of the Barbarians of Bul-Khatos and conquer the Badlands of the Stormwind."
Soon enough, the entire Landsraad erupted in cheers as the Holy Arcadia Empire marched once again to war and expanded its territories. The Arcadians were always keen on expanding their territory, even though they rather focused on empty territories for pioneering.
"Now the Holy Imperator will officially declare the Crusade and also give a speech for the Empire with one important matter."
Instantly, the entire Landsraad quieted down as Karl Franz stood up from the podium and stepped on the speech desk to give the speech for the Landsraad as he would officially declare the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands.
This was the standard procedure as all of these acts were declared officially by the Holy Imperator; it was one of the few things that Karl Franz, as the head of state, was formally doing within the Landsraad.
"Honored Members of the Landsraad, according to the wishes of the Landsraad, it is time to deal with the threat that is endangering the sovereignty of the Holy Arcadia Empire. It is finally time to address the threat of the Children of Bul-Khatos and put an end to their existence for all eternity. In the name of the Holy Arcadia Empire, I declare a crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands. All other things would be left to the Imperial Bashar, who would devise the entire operation."
As Karl Franz declared the Crusade against the Badlands, the entire Landsraad stood up and clapped their hands in cheering thunderous applause upon the declaration of war. For Arcadians, the war was something that was welcomed by all because they could obtain a lot.
Commoners could have risen to the status of Nobility while existing Nobles could obtain merits and additional rewards for performing well in the War.
Not to mention, if they managed to pacify the last problematic territory within the Homeland, a lot of Imperial Forces would be available to be deployed at the other parts of the Empire.
"And as the final thing in the meeting, Landsraad, I have some serious thing to announce."
Suddenly, the whole Landraad quieted down as everyone waited for the further announcement.
"Due to the situation with the Skycrown Gate and the losses the Holy Arcadia Empire has suffered at the battle against the Daemon Horde led by the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, I have decided to call a Great Convention Council to discuss certain matters that would influence the Holy Arcadia Empire for the millennia to come..."
This came out as a great shock to all members of the Landsraad because the last Great Convention Council was during the time when the Holy Arcadia Empire was established, almost seven or eight centuries ago.
"Order! Order! Order within the halls of the Landsraad!"
High Chancellor Luca Brewster said as the entire halls of the Landsraad quieted down in mere minutes. When Karl Franz finished his speech, it meant that the meeting of the Landsraad has been ended.
"Now that all has been said, the meeting of the Landsraad has been concluded."
Karl Franz then went to Maria and Cersei, who were waiting for him, as they, then departed back to the premises of the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo.
"It was rather interesting?"
As they were sitting in the armored carriage and were heading toward the Imperial Palace, both women had heavier clothing on them, as it was getting cold at this time of year in the Reikland.
In truth, Lordran, in its entirety, was a rather cold place, even with the warmest provinces, which were Munn and Stormwind would be considered cold in Westeros. Most of the country was as cold as North in the Westeros most of the year.
Only a few weeks during the years, it was getting warmer, but only in certain areas of the Lordran.
"Then you didn't see anything; if there are territorial disputes or conflicts between merchants, those are far more interesting, or if the conflicts between Wizards are brought to the Landsraad. Such cases are exceedingly rare, but those are the most entertaining."
Lady Maria said with a chuckle that today's meeting of the Landsraad was relatively boring, and even Karl Franz agreed with her statement because it was mildly boring. He would rather prefer Wizards squabbling with each other; that one proved much more entertaining.
"Don't worry; in the future, you will need to participate in every meeting of the Landsraad, at least from the start, then you can ditch it on the representative."
Karl Franz scoffed hearing that because he didn't like Cersei getting Maria's bad habits and corrupting her. She certainly had a lot of bad habits that he didn't wish for Cersei to learn from her.
"Maria, stop corrupting her."
The Holy Imperator hugged Cersei and jokingly said as he looked at the Lady of the Vilebloods. In truth, from his side, it was a half-joke; he didn't like anyone else getting Maria's bad habits of not fulfilling her duties.
"I am not corrupting her, just giving her advice on what to do... you know... It's boring..."
Maria said with a frown, looking at Karl Franz and Cersei Lannister as she would much prefer fighting with Danger Beasts or anything than just doing some boring administration work and so on.
"Don't worry... Cersei would not be like you, who is constantly running for her duties; she would be a prime example of a splendid politician."
The Holy Imperator stated as he kissed Cersei's neck, causing the young girl to giggle as she felt Karl's hands roaming down to her body, as she was feeling increasingly horny.
Karl Franz hadn't slept with her yet because her body was still acclimatizing to the Old Blood, but he noticed that she had been seducing him for the past few days.
She grew increasingly bold during her stay at the Imperial Palace.
Karl Franz didn't know the reason for that, but he knew that it probably stemmed from her talking with Maria; they were constantly together and whispering something and giggling to each other.
"You are spending too much time with Maria lately... it has been turning you into little minx..."
Karl Franz said as he groped her breasts, causing the young woman to moan uncontrollably.
"Maybe... I have something that I want to have..."
She whispered into his ear with a seductive tone of voice as he shuddered slightly, hearing her tone of voice.
"Wait a few more weeks until your body completely assimilates the Old Blood, and I will fuck your soul out of your body."
Karl Franz whispered into her; as she visibly shuddered when she heard that because that was exactly his plan to do. While she was around fifteen years old, she already had a body worth of seductress, and her beauty would make others to kill for.
"I cannot wait for that already... my dear Emperor..."
She returned with a whisper as she bit his earlobe a bit.
***
After the end of the meeting of the Landsraad
As the meeting of the Landsraad ended, the entire Imperial Warmachine started working because the orders were set.
The speech of the Holy Imperator in the Landsraad and his declaration of Crusade against the Barbarians of Badlands soon enough resounded through every single Noble House of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and everyone started working.
The Imperial Bashar of the Holy Arcadia Empire had already started working on devising plans of invasion against the Barbarians of the Badlands.
These plans were already contained the usage of the Stormcast Eternals and also the plans of sabotage and subterfuge against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
The Holy Arcadia Empire needed more time to prepare their forces, and aside from that, they needed to create the Stormcast Eternals as they wished to deploy them in fight and test their capabilities.
They would also be immensely useful against foes that power as the Children of Bul-Khatos.
They would at first sabotage the Children of Bul-Khatos so they couldn't move against the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire sooner than they would be prepared. The Imperial Intelligence had already sent tens of agents into the Badlands to carry out countless sabotage missions.
Imperial Bashar Jacques Orleáns was more than eager to devise a plan to exterminate the whole species of Barbarians. When they would be done with them, there would be no single Barbarian remaining and they would become just pages in the history books.
Soon enough, the entire Imperial Machine would start moving towards the Grand Province, Duchy of Stormwind, with a great deal of eagerness and anticipation. Even right now, many of the high-ranking people of the Empire were setting their sights on the Stormwind.
"They are surely working fast..."
The Holy Imperator sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder as he was overlooking the panorama of the Anor Londo from a throne room, which was an enormous empty hall capable of fitting two or three thousand people easily.
Countless enormous pillars made of carefully crafted stone supported the roof, and beautifully crafted pieces of artwork decorated the entire throne room of the Imperial Palace.
At the same time, the most eye-catching thing within the Throne Room was the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cider. An enormous bright gold throne shone with a magnificent brilliance, slowly appearing from the gold-red ring of light.
The enormous throne was 33 meters high; on its back, countless precious stones were set and a man could faintly be seen floating behind this chair, spreading severity, dignity, and even terror out all around.
Countless gems were ostentatiously inlaid behind. In its faintest inner part, one could see a Buddha's silhouette. Mighty and dignified, it could even be said to emit a sense of pressure.
At the top of the back of the chair, there was a semicircular bright red gem that seemed like the sun looking over Mother Earth. But its brilliance was dark orange colored, giving the impression that it was bringing doom and terror.
At the height of the chest of this figure, also at the back of the chair, an intensely dazzling golden-red diamond gem could be spotted. Each crest line drawn on it seemed to try to show the man's formidableness; a huge part of it released a bright brilliance.
At the front of this wide chair, one Dragon and one Griffon were carved on the left and right sides, respectively, seeming as if they were roaring. Countless magnificent decorative patterns seemed to fill the back of the throne completely.
The radiant fluctuations of spiritual energy spreading out from it seemed to give all spectators an urge to bow down in front of it.
"Your Holy Majesty, Euron Greyjoy has been brought before the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder."
Karl Franz heard the voice of Grand Chamberlain as the Euron Greyjoy was brought in the sealing chains before the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He looked much worse than he looked when he was captured, but that was to be expected as he spent a lot of time in the Imperial Dungeons.
"So, what shall we do with you, Euron of the Crow's Eye?"
The Holy Imperator asked rhetorically as he looked at the chained Euron Greyjoy, who still managed to raise his head with a mocking smile as he looked at the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"I have a proposition for you... servitude to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder or death. Choose quickly; I don't have the whole day for this thing."
Karl Franz stated causally without anything else, and as he expected, Euron Greyjoy accepted everything that he proposed because, in the first place, the Crow's Eye was a survivalist and would do anything for his own survival...
"Begin the Soul Binding."
The Holy Imperator said neutrally as he tapped on the armchairs of his throne, which lit with a red crimson light that then shot towards the Euron Greyjoy, binding his soul and very own existence to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
The Soul Binding Ritual was a procedure that bound someone's soul to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and thus to the person of the Holy Imperator. It made it impossible for the person who was bound to the Divine Throne to betray the Holy Arcadia Empire or to damage the Empire with any other means.
Knowingly or unknowingly.
"Now, you will assume the position of Admiralty within the Empire and start reforming the Imperial Navy from scratch. Are we clear?"
Seeing the Euron Greyjoy nodding his head, Karl Franz continued with his instructions. The Soul Binding Ritual made it impossible for anyone to betray him, so he was more at ease...
"If you perform well, you will be reformed; if not, then you will be executed?"
Seeing him once again nodding his head, he ordered the Reiksgarde to bring him away from the Throne Room. Euron Greyjoy knew that his only option for his head to remain safely on his neck was to bow to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
"Is there anything else?"
Karl Franz asked the Grand Chamberlain as the man nodded. It was rare for Karl Franz to have more than one or two audiences even per week because most people knew not to bother Imperator with meaningless stuff.
And most of these things could be resolved through the stable Imperial Bureaucracy.
"Yes, Your Holy Majesty, there are several people asking for an audience today. The first one requesting the audience with Your Majesty is the Minister of Finance."
As he said that, as a Grey Dwarf stored in the room, he had a stocky and strong build like most of the dwarfs; his skin was though colored like that of a Gay Iron. His beard and hair were of striking ginger color.
Blackgold Savek Stormhammer was nenber if the Stormhammer Clan.
The Stormhammer Clan was a large Clan of the Grey Dwarves, so large that it had its own kingdom. Blackgold, in particular, was a very special one; his affinity lay not with alcohol but with appraising ore and gemstones.
He also had great talent in Magic, which, combined with his love for gold and unique appraisal abilities, netted him a position as the treasurer of the Elector Count of Khaz-Modan. He was very good with finances and making gold, which led to him being named as Minister of Finance.
"Greeting yer Majesty."
Karl Franz nodded at his greeting and greeted him back.
"It is always a pleasure to have you here, Minister; how what was that important which required your presence?"
The Minister of Finance nodded and passed him a huge stack of papers as he skimmed through them very fast before he turned back his attention to the Minister of Finance.
"And?"
The opening of trade routes to the Westeros and Essos presented an enormous opportunity to make gold out of them. There were already talks within the Imperial Court about expanding the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire into unclaimed territories of the Westeros and the continents of Sothoroys and Ulthos.
"As you can see, CHOAM is very interested in opening the trade with the trade with the Westeros and Free Cities of Essos; the potential there is enormous. We can make enormous amounts of gold for the Empire and also the Imperial House."
Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer answered that they would need to do something with this situation; without the Emperor's consent, it was impossible to move with the trade.
CHOAM was controlled mostly by the Imperial House, which controlled 51% of the CHOAM; another 29% was controlled by the Holy Arcadia Empire or the state itself and the remaining 20 was divided between the Elector Count Houses, Byrgenwerth and Vilebloods.
***
MC POV
I kept hearing about the situation with the trade with the Westeros and Free Cities of Essos; the CHOAM would be restless about it for sure. Sooner or later, we would need to officially establish trade with other parts of Westeros beyond the Westerlands.
And the topic of expansion of the Holy Arcadia Empire was another problem because I was swiftly against conquering something that already had natives. I wasn't keen on dealing with the problematic local population or so...
I would agree to the expansion, but only in case the territory was unpopulated or if the territory had a population that couldn't be integrated into the Holy Arcadia Empire and we could safely exterminate them.
Even right now, the Lordran was enormous and the Holy Arcadia Empire was big enough to fit the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros into its territory several times over.
"They can start, but for now target only Westerlands and North due to connections we have established or will establish. The rest of the Seven Kingdoms needs to wait, make the secondary targets for primary trade Dorne; they have a lot to offer even though they are not aware of it... or they would have a lot to offer."
In Westeros, I was interested only in Lannisters, Starks, Martels and Baratheons because they had the strongest magical lineages. When the Great Magic Resurgence happened in full force, the Houses that had weak magical blood would fall for sure.
Tyrells, Tullys and Arryns were living on borrowed time now that the Magic started returning to the world.
The Magic in their blood was almost none nonexistent or too little, and once their vassals who had more powerful magical bloodlines obtained tremendous power, it would change everything.
In the Lands of Ancients, this wasn't something new truth to be told.
Targaryens would fall sooner or later and they are related to the Valyria, which is a big no-no for the Holy Arcadia Empire; if anything else, there would be many zealots who would try to do everything in their power to annihilate anything even remotely connected to the Old Valyria.
"I will pass the word to the CHOAM, but there are more things to discuss... The most prominent is Dwarves are pestering us to start the research into the Valyrian Steel and are asking for an increase in budget for the Blacksmith Guild in this project."
That was only natural; once they all heard about the existence of the Valyrian Steel, the entire Blacksmith Guild wanted to figure out how to re-create it. The metal of Valyrian Steel wasn't the best magical metal, but it had something that others didn't...
It could be mass-produced exactly like the Valyrians did it.
"And why are they coming with this to me and not the Radcliffe or even Lady Annalise for something like this?"
I didn't really understand why the united petition of Blacksmith Guild, Engineer Guild and College of Engineers was going directly to me and not to the old Radcliffe, who was Minister of Development and Innovation, or even Lady Annalise Vileblood, who was Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management.
"Because they are asking a rather big sum of money and they are also asking for military intervention if needed. They want to obtain examples at any cost, and if they can't buy it, they want to take it by force, not to mention they want to send someone to Qohor to obtain information about reforging the Valyrian Steel and everything they could obtain from there."
This was a rather dangerous play they were playing.
Still, at least I can now understand why they brought it to me as a united petition, as it required authorization to conduct military operations on foreign soil.
"Valyrian Steel has been categorized as a Strategic Resource for the Imperial Military and will allow any operations to uncover its secrets. We need to obtain it to completely retrofit the standard armor and weapons of the Imperial Legion to that of the Valyrian Steel. With that, we would have better chances at facing Orks, Daemons, and other forces that are dangerous to the nation."
Ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Legion would get tremendous upgrades if they got weapons and armor from something like Valyrian Steel.
Their combat prowess against Daemons would increase more than ten times because right now they were depending on Runes and enchanted weapons to combat the powers of ruin.
"I will relay your words to the CHOAM, Your Holy Majesty. Now, if yar excuse me..."
Then the Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer excused himself and left the throne room while the other people requesting audiences were coming here and there; altogether, there were three more.
It was an unusually high number, but at least their requests were important, so they all needed to go through me, and all of them had something to do with either the Westeros and Essos or the domestic affairs with the dangers that were looming around Lordran that needed my immediate attention.
"Care to repeat that once more, High Scholar? What exactly do you want?"
The last person to request an audience with me was one of the High Scholars of the Byrgenwert, someone more precisely from the Order of Amethyst Order who was also, at the same time, Magister Patriarch of the Amethyst Order.
"Naturally... we have found residual traces of Higher Elder Lich within the North of Westeros... the aura is very powerful and strong, probably around Level 7?... Without further information, we are not sure, but right now, we are amidst gathering information, for that, we want to conduct an expedition into the Lands of Always Winter."
So we can rule out the Night King is not the Night King because that one wasn't that powerful, but in his place being the Lich King?
This was terrible news; many people still remembered the times of Negash, the greatest necromancer who was venerated as the God of Death, who was the terror of the Lands of Ancients for whole millenias until he was brought down.
Nobody wanted to see another Lich King rise somewhere because they were powerful creatures, far more than anyone could think and if they were given time to develop, then it would be even more fucked up.
"What the fuck..."
I touched my forehead as I couldn't help to curse as I looked at the Viggo Hexensohn, who was standing before the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and awaited for my response.
"I will allow it, but under the condition that you will coordinate with the House Stark an Russ and the Silver Knights in the Westeros who are doing some things there... and I don't want any mistakes, are we clear?"
As I asked that, Magister Patriarch of Amethyst Order and High Scholar of Byrgenwerth nodded his head as he immediately agreed to my conditions.
"Of course, Your Holy Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"
He asked me as I nodded.
"Yes, I have... Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ received an additional order to collect natural flora and fauna from the lands beyond the Wall and Lands of Always Winter and start transporting them to the Lordran."
In one move, we would obtain a lot of things for the Lordran, and at the same time, if the speculations about the Lich King are true, then it would indirectly weaken the Lich King because he would be deprived of creatures like Giants, Mommoths, Shadowcats, Ice Dragons and so on...
Not to mention, those Dangers Beasts were rare even in the Lands of Always WInter, where due to the harsh conditions, they couldn't flourish, but within the Lands of Lordran, they would be able to reproduce once more.
For example, the silk of Ice Spider was told to be even stronger than steel; it would be a great addition to the Empire. Clothes made from the Ice Spider Silk would not only be maximally comfortable but also protective and defensive.
"As you wish, Your Holy Majesty."
I gave the Magister Patriarch Viggo Hexensohn nodded his head before he left the place, leaving me with my thoughts.
Indeed, I was contemplating this situation because, sooner or later, it would need to be addressed more throughroughly.
Unfortunately, the Great Magic Resurgence didn't mean that only humans would get stronger, but also that beings like the Lich King would experience explosive growth of their strength.
"And the Orks as well... Deams would get stronger with stronger Magic. And the things that were in the continent of Sothoryos... fortunately, till now, they are only sleeping."
Not everything was looking good; the reports about investigations of the Sothoryos were still flooding in because the continent was almost as big as the territory under the control of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Preliminary investigations showed that it was mostly uninhabited, but there was something powerful and mighty slumbering within the Sothoryos. I was deeply unnerved about that, but hopefully, it won't wake sooner than we are ready.
***
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Minister of Finance of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Blackgold Savek Stormhammer of Clan Stormhammer
***
Codex: The Healing Church
The Healing Church is a primary religious organization of the Holy Arcadia Empire, founded in Yharnam by Laurence the First Vicar and the very first Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church, shortly after the Expeditions into the Ancient Tombs underneath the Yharnam.
After the special condition of the Old Blood was given to the first humans by the Great Ones and the primary God of the Pantheon, the Formless God of Blood Oedon, Laurence, who was already a famous occultist, established a Church to worship the Great Ones and created the process of Blood Ministration.
The Highest Authority of the Healing Church is the Grand Theogenist, whose presence is only second to the Holy Chosen of the Great Ones, the instrument of the Great Ones in the Mortal Realms.
The upper echelons of the Church are collectively known as The Choir, which consists of the Vicars. They are the highest-ranking members of the Healing Church tasked with running the Religion. The Choir members are also voting on the new Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church.
***
The situation with the Barbarians in the Stormwind was looking terrible, far more than that... half a million combat-ready Barbarians, with many of them being High-Level Professionals, and they would soon enough march on the rest of the Stormwind.
The children of the Bul-Kathos were dangerous, and for years and years, they were being ignored by the Holy Arcadia Empire. Now that the Empire pacified situations within their Homeland, the only thing that remained were the Barbarians.
"Honored Members of the Landsraad, the situation with the Bul-Khatos and Harrogath is grave, and their threat already exceeded what could one Grand Province handle on its own; according to the latest reports, their army is numbering over half a million and still increasing."
Soon enough, the Elector Countess Klaud Marian stepped on the podium to deliver her petition for the Landsraad.
She was a woman of average height with a slim, fit physique. She had blonde hair and lightly colored purple eyes, and a large scar marks the upper portion of her face in an "X" formation, meeting between her eyes.
She wore the uniform of the Exorcist Knights of the House Marian uniform, which consisted of tight black pants worn under a skin-tight, sleeveless top with tails on either side of her legs, all trimmed in gold.
She also had thick gauntlets on her arms that almost reached her shoulders, as well as several belts that bore pouches along the back.
One-half of her face was covered by hair, which was a bit longer to cover half of her face completely, and she wore round red earrings.
"If we do not act swiftly and they march on the Stormwind, then the Province could remain only on the defensive; even with the combined forces of the 10th Imperial Legion and Provincial Army, we don't have enough manpower to subjugate the Badlands completely. For that, I ask the honored members of the Landsraad to declare the Crusade on the Children of Bul-Khatos and annihilate them once and for all."
Klaud Marian was the wife of Cross Marian; both of them were professional Daemon Hunters, and they were actually not even members of the nobles in the first place. Both of them were just ordinary Daemon Hunters till a few decades ago.
Karl Franz once met the couple when they were hunting for a powerful Daemon Lord within the Dark Lands and somehow, they managed to get into the position of Nobility within the Grand Province of Stormwind, which didn't have an Elector Count House as it was directly under the Imperial Administration as it was most problematic region since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"And what of their Leader? The new Barbarian King Wokun?"
This question came from the Elector Count of Caladan, Atreus Atreides, who was also participating in the meeting of the Landsraad. While he was General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, Karl Franz didn't really forbid him from doing his duties to the House.
"Confirmed Level 6, at least at the peak of it according to the energy readings that our Wizards managed to get their hands on. They have a few Chieftains among them that are also at Level 6, and there are several at Level 5; they have been gathering a lot of strength at a later date."
This caused murmurs to run through the Landsraad because the Children of Bul-Khatos were stronger than they had thought. Still, unfortunately, the Barbarians were silent for a long time, and the Holy Arcadia Empire needed to deal with preventing Orks from intervening in this...
Without building the wall at the south of the Grand Province of Orleáns, they couldn't pick up the fight with the Barbarians and risk of Orks and Barbarians allying with each other to push the Empire on two fronts simultaneously.
Aside from that, there was also a constant threat of Powers of Ruination intervening in that so that it would become a three-way war against the Empire. But now that the Orks were technically speaking solved thanks to the wall, it was one-on-one.
"The Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder acknowledges that the Barbarians of the Badlands need to be purged. Is there anyone who wants to say something before we proceed to the Vote?"
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked as he scanned the entire Landsraad with his eyes, and seeing that nobody had anything to say, he then initiated the voting procedure.
Voting within the Landsraad always went very swiftly as most Noble Houses came have sent representatives to sit on their Seat within the Landsraad with clear instructions on how to vote, not to mention it was streamed through the Lacrimas or they came by themselves.
Karl Franz from his throne, who was overseeing the entire Landsraad, was pushed yes for the motion as soon as the entire voting procedure had ended, and now it was time to read the results of the Vote.
"The Landsraad has decided. The motion proposed by the has passed in the ratio of 0:1,000. The Children of Bul-Khatos have been declared the enemy of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and the Empire would launch a Crusade against them with one sole purpose of annihilation of the Barbarians of Bul-Khatos and conquer the Badlands of the Stormwind."
Soon enough, the entire Landsraad erupted in cheers as the Holy Arcadia Empire marched once again to war and expanded its territories. The Arcadians were always keen on expanding their territory, even though they rather focused on empty territories for pioneering.
"Now the Holy Imperator will officially declare the Crusade and also give a speech for the Empire with one important matter."
Instantly, the entire Landsraad quieted down as Karl Franz stood up from the podium and stepped on the speech desk to give the speech for the Landsraad as he would officially declare the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands.
This was the standard procedure as all of these acts were declared officially by the Holy Imperator; it was one of the few things that Karl Franz, as the head of state, was formally doing within the Landsraad.
"Honored Members of the Landsraad, according to the wishes of the Landsraad, it is time to deal with the threat that is endangering the sovereignty of the Holy Arcadia Empire. It is finally time to address the threat of the Children of Bul-Khatos and put an end to their existence for all eternity. In the name of the Holy Arcadia Empire, I declare a crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands. All other things would be left to the Imperial Bashar, who would devise the entire operation."
As Karl Franz declared the Crusade against the Badlands, the entire Landsraad stood up and clapped their hands in cheering thunderous applause upon the declaration of war. For Arcadians, the war was something that was welcomed by all because they could obtain a lot.
Commoners could have risen to the status of Nobility while existing Nobles could obtain merits and additional rewards for performing well in the War.
Not to mention, if they managed to pacify the last problematic territory within the Homeland, a lot of Imperial Forces would be available to be deployed at the other parts of the Empire.
"And as the final thing in the meeting, Landsraad, I have some serious thing to announce."
Suddenly, the whole Landraad quieted down as everyone waited for the further announcement.
"Due to the situation with the Skycrown Gate and the losses the Holy Arcadia Empire has suffered at the battle against the Daemon Horde led by the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand, I have decided to call a Great Convention Council to discuss certain matters that would influence the Holy Arcadia Empire for the millennia to come..."
This came out as a great shock to all members of the Landsraad because the last Great Convention Council was during the time when the Holy Arcadia Empire was established, almost seven or eight centuries ago.
"Order! Order! Order within the halls of the Landsraad!"
High Chancellor Luca Brewster said as the entire halls of the Landsraad quieted down in mere minutes. When Karl Franz finished his speech, it meant that the meeting of the Landsraad has been ended.
"Now that all has been said, the meeting of the Landsraad has been concluded."
Karl Franz then went to Maria and Cersei, who were waiting for him, as they, then departed back to the premises of the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo.
"It was rather interesting?"
As they were sitting in the armored carriage and were heading toward the Imperial Palace, both women had heavier clothing on them, as it was getting cold at this time of year in the Reikland.
In truth, Lordran, in its entirety, was a rather cold place, even with the warmest provinces, which were Munn and Stormwind would be considered cold in Westeros. Most of the country was as cold as North in the Westeros most of the year.
Only a few weeks during the years, it was getting warmer, but only in certain areas of the Lordran.
"Then you didn't see anything; if there are territorial disputes or conflicts between merchants, those are far more interesting, or if the conflicts between Wizards are brought to the Landsraad. Such cases are exceedingly rare, but those are the most entertaining."
Lady Maria said with a chuckle that today's meeting of the Landsraad was relatively boring, and even Karl Franz agreed with her statement because it was mildly boring. He would rather prefer Wizards squabbling with each other; that one proved much more entertaining.
"Don't worry; in the future, you will need to participate in every meeting of the Landsraad, at least from the start, then you can ditch it on the representative."
Karl Franz scoffed hearing that because he didn't like Cersei getting Maria's bad habits and corrupting her. She certainly had a lot of bad habits that he didn't wish for Cersei to learn from her.
"Maria, stop corrupting her."
The Holy Imperator hugged Cersei and jokingly said as he looked at the Lady of the Vilebloods. In truth, from his side, it was a half-joke; he didn't like anyone else getting Maria's bad habits of not fulfilling her duties.
"I am not corrupting her, just giving her advice on what to do... you know... It's boring..."
Maria said with a frown, looking at Karl Franz and Cersei Lannister as she would much prefer fighting with Danger Beasts or anything than just doing some boring administration work and so on.
"Don't worry... Cersei would not be like you, who is constantly running for her duties; she would be a prime example of a splendid politician."
The Holy Imperator stated as he kissed Cersei's neck, causing the young girl to giggle as she felt Karl's hands roaming down to her body, as she was feeling increasingly horny.
Karl Franz hadn't slept with her yet because her body was still acclimatizing to the Old Blood, but he noticed that she had been seducing him for the past few days.
She grew increasingly bold during her stay at the Imperial Palace.
Karl Franz didn't know the reason for that, but he knew that it probably stemmed from her talking with Maria; they were constantly together and whispering something and giggling to each other.
"You are spending too much time with Maria lately... it has been turning you into little minx..."
Karl Franz said as he groped her breasts, causing the young woman to moan uncontrollably.
"Maybe... I have something that I want to have..."
She whispered into his ear with a seductive tone of voice as he shuddered slightly, hearing her tone of voice.
"Wait a few more weeks until your body completely assimilates the Old Blood, and I will fuck your soul out of your body."
Karl Franz whispered into her; as she visibly shuddered when she heard that because that was exactly his plan to do. While she was around fifteen years old, she already had a body worth of seductress, and her beauty would make others to kill for.
"I cannot wait for that already... my dear Emperor..."
She returned with a whisper as she bit his earlobe a bit.
***
After the end of the meeting of the Landsraad
As the meeting of the Landsraad ended, the entire Imperial Warmachine started working because the orders were set.
The speech of the Holy Imperator in the Landsraad and his declaration of Crusade against the Barbarians of Badlands soon enough resounded through every single Noble House of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and everyone started working.
The Imperial Bashar of the Holy Arcadia Empire had already started working on devising plans of invasion against the Barbarians of the Badlands.
These plans were already contained the usage of the Stormcast Eternals and also the plans of sabotage and subterfuge against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
The Holy Arcadia Empire needed more time to prepare their forces, and aside from that, they needed to create the Stormcast Eternals as they wished to deploy them in fight and test their capabilities.
They would also be immensely useful against foes that power as the Children of Bul-Khatos.
They would at first sabotage the Children of Bul-Khatos so they couldn't move against the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire sooner than they would be prepared. The Imperial Intelligence had already sent tens of agents into the Badlands to carry out countless sabotage missions.
Imperial Bashar Jacques Orleáns was more than eager to devise a plan to exterminate the whole species of Barbarians. When they would be done with them, there would be no single Barbarian remaining and they would become just pages in the history books.
Soon enough, the entire Imperial Machine would start moving towards the Grand Province, Duchy of Stormwind, with a great deal of eagerness and anticipation. Even right now, many of the high-ranking people of the Empire were setting their sights on the Stormwind.
"They are surely working fast..."
The Holy Imperator sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder as he was overlooking the panorama of the Anor Londo from a throne room, which was an enormous empty hall capable of fitting two or three thousand people easily.
Countless enormous pillars made of carefully crafted stone supported the roof, and beautifully crafted pieces of artwork decorated the entire throne room of the Imperial Palace.
At the same time, the most eye-catching thing within the Throne Room was the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cider. An enormous bright gold throne shone with a magnificent brilliance, slowly appearing from the gold-red ring of light.
The enormous throne was 33 meters high; on its back, countless precious stones were set and a man could faintly be seen floating behind this chair, spreading severity, dignity, and even terror out all around.
Countless gems were ostentatiously inlaid behind. In its faintest inner part, one could see a Buddha's silhouette. Mighty and dignified, it could even be said to emit a sense of pressure.
At the top of the back of the chair, there was a semicircular bright red gem that seemed like the sun looking over Mother Earth. But its brilliance was dark orange colored, giving the impression that it was bringing doom and terror.
At the height of the chest of this figure, also at the back of the chair, an intensely dazzling golden-red diamond gem could be spotted. Each crest line drawn on it seemed to try to show the man's formidableness; a huge part of it released a bright brilliance.
At the front of this wide chair, one Dragon and one Griffon were carved on the left and right sides, respectively, seeming as if they were roaring. Countless magnificent decorative patterns seemed to fill the back of the throne completely.
The radiant fluctuations of spiritual energy spreading out from it seemed to give all spectators an urge to bow down in front of it.
"Your Holy Majesty, Euron Greyjoy has been brought before the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder."
Karl Franz heard the voice of Grand Chamberlain as the Euron Greyjoy was brought in the sealing chains before the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He looked much worse than he looked when he was captured, but that was to be expected as he spent a lot of time in the Imperial Dungeons.
"So, what shall we do with you, Euron of the Crow's Eye?"
The Holy Imperator asked rhetorically as he looked at the chained Euron Greyjoy, who still managed to raise his head with a mocking smile as he looked at the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"I have a proposition for you... servitude to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder or death. Choose quickly; I don't have the whole day for this thing."
Karl Franz stated causally without anything else, and as he expected, Euron Greyjoy accepted everything that he proposed because, in the first place, the Crow's Eye was a survivalist and would do anything for his own survival...
"Begin the Soul Binding."
The Holy Imperator said neutrally as he tapped on the armchairs of his throne, which lit with a red crimson light that then shot towards the Euron Greyjoy, binding his soul and very own existence to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
The Soul Binding Ritual was a procedure that bound someone's soul to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and thus to the person of the Holy Imperator. It made it impossible for the person who was bound to the Divine Throne to betray the Holy Arcadia Empire or to damage the Empire with any other means.
Knowingly or unknowingly.
"Now, you will assume the position of Admiralty within the Empire and start reforming the Imperial Navy from scratch. Are we clear?"
Seeing the Euron Greyjoy nodding his head, Karl Franz continued with his instructions. The Soul Binding Ritual made it impossible for anyone to betray him, so he was more at ease...
"If you perform well, you will be reformed; if not, then you will be executed?"
Seeing him once again nodding his head, he ordered the Reiksgarde to bring him away from the Throne Room. Euron Greyjoy knew that his only option for his head to remain safely on his neck was to bow to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
"Is there anything else?"
Karl Franz asked the Grand Chamberlain as the man nodded. It was rare for Karl Franz to have more than one or two audiences even per week because most people knew not to bother Imperator with meaningless stuff.
And most of these things could be resolved through the stable Imperial Bureaucracy.
"Yes, Your Holy Majesty, there are several people asking for an audience today. The first one requesting the audience with Your Majesty is the Minister of Finance."
As he said that, as a Grey Dwarf stored in the room, he had a stocky and strong build like most of the dwarfs; his skin was though colored like that of a Gay Iron. His beard and hair were of striking ginger color.
Blackgold Savek Stormhammer was nenber if the Stormhammer Clan.
The Stormhammer Clan was a large Clan of the Grey Dwarves, so large that it had its own kingdom. Blackgold, in particular, was a very special one; his affinity lay not with alcohol but with appraising ore and gemstones.
He also had great talent in Magic, which, combined with his love for gold and unique appraisal abilities, netted him a position as the treasurer of the Elector Count of Khaz-Modan. He was very good with finances and making gold, which led to him being named as Minister of Finance.
"Greeting yer Majesty."
Karl Franz nodded at his greeting and greeted him back.
"It is always a pleasure to have you here, Minister; how what was that important which required your presence?"
The Minister of Finance nodded and passed him a huge stack of papers as he skimmed through them very fast before he turned back his attention to the Minister of Finance.
"And?"
The opening of trade routes to the Westeros and Essos presented an enormous opportunity to make gold out of them. There were already talks within the Imperial Court about expanding the territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire into unclaimed territories of the Westeros and the continents of Sothoroys and Ulthos.
"As you can see, CHOAM is very interested in opening the trade with the trade with the Westeros and Free Cities of Essos; the potential there is enormous. We can make enormous amounts of gold for the Empire and also the Imperial House."
Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer answered that they would need to do something with this situation; without the Emperor's consent, it was impossible to move with the trade.
CHOAM was controlled mostly by the Imperial House, which controlled 51% of the CHOAM; another 29% was controlled by the Holy Arcadia Empire or the state itself and the remaining 20 was divided between the Elector Count Houses, Byrgenwerth and Vilebloods.
***
MC POV
I kept hearing about the situation with the trade with the Westeros and Free Cities of Essos; the CHOAM would be restless about it for sure. Sooner or later, we would need to officially establish trade with other parts of Westeros beyond the Westerlands.
And the topic of expansion of the Holy Arcadia Empire was another problem because I was swiftly against conquering something that already had natives. I wasn't keen on dealing with the problematic local population or so...
I would agree to the expansion, but only in case the territory was unpopulated or if the territory had a population that couldn't be integrated into the Holy Arcadia Empire and we could safely exterminate them.
Even right now, the Lordran was enormous and the Holy Arcadia Empire was big enough to fit the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros into its territory several times over.
"They can start, but for now target only Westerlands and North due to connections we have established or will establish. The rest of the Seven Kingdoms needs to wait, make the secondary targets for primary trade Dorne; they have a lot to offer even though they are not aware of it... or they would have a lot to offer."
In Westeros, I was interested only in Lannisters, Starks, Martels and Baratheons because they had the strongest magical lineages. When the Great Magic Resurgence happened in full force, the Houses that had weak magical blood would fall for sure.
Tyrells, Tullys and Arryns were living on borrowed time now that the Magic started returning to the world.
The Magic in their blood was almost none nonexistent or too little, and once their vassals who had more powerful magical bloodlines obtained tremendous power, it would change everything.
In the Lands of Ancients, this wasn't something new truth to be told.
Targaryens would fall sooner or later and they are related to the Valyria, which is a big no-no for the Holy Arcadia Empire; if anything else, there would be many zealots who would try to do everything in their power to annihilate anything even remotely connected to the Old Valyria.
"I will pass the word to the CHOAM, but there are more things to discuss... The most prominent is Dwarves are pestering us to start the research into the Valyrian Steel and are asking for an increase in budget for the Blacksmith Guild in this project."
That was only natural; once they all heard about the existence of the Valyrian Steel, the entire Blacksmith Guild wanted to figure out how to re-create it. The metal of Valyrian Steel wasn't the best magical metal, but it had something that others didn't...
It could be mass-produced exactly like the Valyrians did it.
"And why are they coming with this to me and not the Radcliffe or even Lady Annalise for something like this?"
I didn't really understand why the united petition of Blacksmith Guild, Engineer Guild and College of Engineers was going directly to me and not to the old Radcliffe, who was Minister of Development and Innovation, or even Lady Annalise Vileblood, who was Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management.
"Because they are asking a rather big sum of money and they are also asking for military intervention if needed. They want to obtain examples at any cost, and if they can't buy it, they want to take it by force, not to mention they want to send someone to Qohor to obtain information about reforging the Valyrian Steel and everything they could obtain from there."
This was a rather dangerous play they were playing.
Still, at least I can now understand why they brought it to me as a united petition, as it required authorization to conduct military operations on foreign soil.
"Valyrian Steel has been categorized as a Strategic Resource for the Imperial Military and will allow any operations to uncover its secrets. We need to obtain it to completely retrofit the standard armor and weapons of the Imperial Legion to that of the Valyrian Steel. With that, we would have better chances at facing Orks, Daemons, and other forces that are dangerous to the nation."
Ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Legion would get tremendous upgrades if they got weapons and armor from something like Valyrian Steel.
Their combat prowess against Daemons would increase more than ten times because right now they were depending on Runes and enchanted weapons to combat the powers of ruin.
"I will relay your words to the CHOAM, Your Holy Majesty. Now, if yar excuse me..."
Then the Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer excused himself and left the throne room while the other people requesting audiences were coming here and there; altogether, there were three more.
It was an unusually high number, but at least their requests were important, so they all needed to go through me, and all of them had something to do with either the Westeros and Essos or the domestic affairs with the dangers that were looming around Lordran that needed my immediate attention.
"Care to repeat that once more, High Scholar? What exactly do you want?"
The last person to request an audience with me was one of the High Scholars of the Byrgenwert, someone more precisely from the Order of Amethyst Order who was also, at the same time, Magister Patriarch of the Amethyst Order.
"Naturally... we have found residual traces of Higher Elder Lich within the North of Westeros... the aura is very powerful and strong, probably around Level 7?... Without further information, we are not sure, but right now, we are amidst gathering information, for that, we want to conduct an expedition into the Lands of Always Winter."
So we can rule out the Night King is not the Night King because that one wasn't that powerful, but in his place being the Lich King?
This was terrible news; many people still remembered the times of Negash, the greatest necromancer who was venerated as the God of Death, who was the terror of the Lands of Ancients for whole millenias until he was brought down.
Nobody wanted to see another Lich King rise somewhere because they were powerful creatures, far more than anyone could think and if they were given time to develop, then it would be even more fucked up.
"What the fuck..."
I touched my forehead as I couldn't help to curse as I looked at the Viggo Hexensohn, who was standing before the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and awaited for my response.
"I will allow it, but under the condition that you will coordinate with the House Stark an Russ and the Silver Knights in the Westeros who are doing some things there... and I don't want any mistakes, are we clear?"
As I asked that, Magister Patriarch of Amethyst Order and High Scholar of Byrgenwerth nodded his head as he immediately agreed to my conditions.
"Of course, Your Holy Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"
He asked me as I nodded.
"Yes, I have... Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ received an additional order to collect natural flora and fauna from the lands beyond the Wall and Lands of Always Winter and start transporting them to the Lordran."
In one move, we would obtain a lot of things for the Lordran, and at the same time, if the speculations about the Lich King are true, then it would indirectly weaken the Lich King because he would be deprived of creatures like Giants, Mommoths, Shadowcats, Ice Dragons and so on...
Not to mention, those Dangers Beasts were rare even in the Lands of Always WInter, where due to the harsh conditions, they couldn't flourish, but within the Lands of Lordran, they would be able to reproduce once more.
For example, the silk of Ice Spider was told to be even stronger than steel; it would be a great addition to the Empire. Clothes made from the Ice Spider Silk would not only be maximally comfortable but also protective and defensive.
"As you wish, Your Holy Majesty."
I gave the Magister Patriarch Viggo Hexensohn nodded his head before he left the place, leaving me with my thoughts.
Indeed, I was contemplating this situation because, sooner or later, it would need to be addressed more throughroughly.
Unfortunately, the Great Magic Resurgence didn't mean that only humans would get stronger, but also that beings like the Lich King would experience explosive growth of their strength.
"And the Orks as well... Deams would get stronger with stronger Magic. And the things that were in the continent of Sothoryos... fortunately, till now, they are only sleeping."
Not everything was looking good; the reports about investigations of the Sothoryos were still flooding in because the continent was almost as big as the territory under the control of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Preliminary investigations showed that it was mostly uninhabited, but there was something powerful and mighty slumbering within the Sothoryos. I was deeply unnerved about that, but hopefully, it won't wake sooner than we are ready.
***
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Chapter 15 - Westeros and Undercurrents
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"There are the enemies on our borders, Lord Tywin."
"Enemies? I don't see any enemies... I only see walking corpses that are still living..."
- Famous dialogue from the times of Robert's Rebellion between Lord Tywin Lannister and General Reban Greiss
***
Codex: The Holy Knights of Golden Lion of Corrin
The Holy Knights of the Golden Lion of Corrin is a militaristic religious Knight Order that was created in the Westerlands of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, in the capital city of Westerlands, Corrin.
The history of the Holy Knights of the Golden Lion of Corrin is very short, but they managed to gather countless military achievements, mainly against the Orks, Heretics, followers of Faith of Seven, Danger Beasts or enemies of the Westerlands.
The Knight Order was created in the worship of the Pantheon of the Great Ones by a man known only as Shaddam. All members of the Holy Knights of the Golden Lion of Corrin are the Runes Knights and are empowered by the Divine Grace of the Great Ones.
***
Around the same time, Westeros, Westerlands, Lannisport.
Tywin Lannister was spending probably his last months as the Hand of the King for King Aerys II., due to many reasons. As the old lion expected, the diplomatic ties with the foreign nation beyond the Sunset Sea indeed created even a greater rift between the King and the Hand.
Now the Mad King was looking at him as a traitor and it was sure that sooner or later he would be either stripped of his position as Hand or he would give up the position on his own, that remained to be seen.
On the positive matter, this allowed him to spend most of his time within the Westerlands, personally overseeing the developments there. With the addition of the Silver Knights, he was begging to build the standing military; it was swiftly proceeding.
Another reason why Aerys was looking at him like a traitor, no one of the Seven Kingdoms had a standing military aside from the Household Guards of the various lords.
Though one positive thing about the messy and problematic state of the Seven Kingdoms was that every King couldn't intervene in how the Lord Paramount ran his Kingdom.
So, when Tywin Lannister decided to strip his bannerman of the right to raise the banner and establish the standing military, nobody dared to protest against his decision.
Either from the fear they had for him and the swarming Arcadians were also making anyone think twice before doing anything. This made all other Lords Paramounts look at Tywin Lannister with a great deal of wariness because the Westerlands were growing too fast...
Surprisingly, the Lord Paramount and Warden of the North, Lord Rickard Stark copied this and started creating his own standing military. Contrary to the Westerlands, nobody really cared about the Northmen and mostly ignored it.
'Foolish idiots... when the Starks establish ties with the Stark an Russ, they would become much more powerful and only second to the House Lannister that had the support of the Imperial House and the Healing Church which would play a crucial role...'
Tywin thought as he was striding through the halls of the Casterly Rock as he had scheduled a meeting with the Lion Council that was established by the model of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Though today, there would be a new addition to the Council, who was Reban Greiss, someone whom he recruited from the Empire to act as the future General of the Westerlandese Armies.
Reban Greiss was a graduate of the Schola Progenium, and after graduating, he served in the Imperial Army for several decades before he established his own Mercanry Company and then fought for another twenty years until he was recruited by Tywin Lannister through the Imperial House.
***
Casterly Rock
"Everyone present?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock looked around as he sat with several people; among them most notable were his brothers Kevan Lannister and Gerion Lannister, his sister Genna Lannister, and a few of the most important vassals of the House Lannister.
"We can then start... how is the army training faring?"
The old lion asked as he looked at General Reban Greiss.
Normally, Tywin would never give someone such an important position like this without any care, but he signed Geass with the man, which was facilitated by the Wizards and also, the man took an Oath in front of the Great Ones.
"It's going slowly but steadily... With the Red Guards combined with the mercenaries from the company, consisting of the core, we have managed to bring together 15,000 Soldiers stylized after the structure of the Imperial Legions."
It could have been better, but unfortunately, Westeros didn't have a tradition of standing militaries and armies. Not even battle strategies were common when waging wars, as most of their methods of waging war consisted mainly of charging towards the enemy.
"And the officers?"
Tywin Lannister already invested a lot of gold into the recruitment of officers from the Schola Progenium, Diesdorf Military Academy and Aquila Academy to become officers within the fledgling Lannister Army.
"They are acclimatizing well and working on cultivating their own Junior Officers, but we need time. The most problematic thing, as usual, is teaching the common soldiers battle tactics, and then getting them into the shape is only a secondary problem."
Due to the illiteracy level of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, they were experiencing some problems when teaching the common soldiers battle tactics.
In the Holy Arcadia Empire, this wasn't much of a problem because even commoners could read and write, thus making it much easier for them to undergo specialized military training which also consisted of basics of military strategy and battle tactics.
"How long till we have a coherent fighting force that could even remotely be called a professional army?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock questions the newly inaugurated General of the Westerland Army.
"At least a few months, due to problems with literacy... without basic strategies or tactics, we cannot proceed to more advanced training."
As much as disheartening it was, it was still rather good results; teaching uneducated peasants required a lot of manpower and time. He wanted to train his army to be at least on a similar level to the of the Imperial Legions, but that required time.
"Then continue with it... on the other note, has the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Holy Arcadia Empire arrived?"
He asked as he looked at his brother Kevan Lannister, who nodded his head.
"Arrange meetings as soon as possible... has the other thing been taken care of?"
Looking at the hooded man who nodded to his question, Tywin revealed a very satisfied grin.
"Splendid... he was just a waste of space and a grave mistake of our late father... Marrying Lannister to a worm like a Frey, foolish idiot."
One of the greatest mistakes and remains of the rule of the Tytos Lannister the Laughing Lion was the marriage between Genna Lannister and Emmon Frey.
Something that had been addressed already because Tywin Lannister hated the fact that such an insignificant and pathetic house of cowardly weasels was allowed to marry the daughter of House Lannister.
At least the sole good thing is that no children came from their marriage as of yet, so he could now marry his sister to someone of better standing, which would actually bring more benefits fo to the Westerlands.
"My spies have told me that King has grown increasingly paranoid after the Arcadians landed on the shores of the Westerlands... and now he sees enemies right and left; nobody is no longer safe from his anger; I think it should be most appropriate to remain here My Lord."
Tywin contemplated about the words of his spymaster, he new that Aerys was looking at him like he was a traitor, but at the same time, it wasn't easy to just give up the position because, if handled incorrectly, it would create even bigger problems with the Crown.
Nevertheless, if it came to the worst, he had plants just to close off the Westerlands and ask the Empire for intervention. Due to the Westerlands being encompassed by a huge mountain range, it gave the region a very good defensive position and could be easily defended.
Even though the Imperials wouldn't be thrilled at the idea, he knew he could essentially bribe them to get it with Lacrimas and magical ores that were right now being mined in the mines of the Westerlands.
"I have already decided to do so... but it needs to be done in a way that it doesn't create suspicions. Now tell more about the situation in the North; what exactly is happening there?"
This was the most interesting question for the day because the North was the most reclusive part of the Seven Kingdom, generally ignoring everything that was happening in the south of the Neck.
And yet, despite all of this, even the Northmen were sensing the changes that were coming up to them. But it made sense; the Starks didn't rule the North for ten thousand years for nothing and were not Kings of Winter without a reason.
Tywin guessed that their Bloodline was the strongest and most potent in the entirety of Westeros; it was strong enough to have risen to the position of one of the Elector Counts of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"After the representative of the Empire met with Lord Stark, they had a very, very, very lengthy conversation and after that, Lord Stark ordered the borders be closed and started doing the same things as your Lordship within the Westerlands."
After the Arcadians landed at Westeros, Imperator sent a messenger to the House Stark with several letters and even communication with Lacrima; it seemed that everything was done on their end as well.
"Right now, they are in the process of training an army, repairing old forts and castles and even the Moat Cailin is being repaired by the Imperials that arrived from the Empire several days ago; we can conclude that they got into touch with their brethren from the Lordran."
That would be certainly concerning, considering that the North held immense military potential and they had one certain thing that all other regions lacked. Internal unity, though, aside from the House Bolton, but may meet its end sooner than anyone could think of.
In the North, aside from the rebellions done by the House Bolton two times or so during the past ten thousand years, the entire Kingdom was extremely stable, with everyone doing their part.
The reason for that?
Like in the Holy Arcadia Empire...
There were bigger problems to solve than to focus on power plays between nobles and petty squabbles.
"Send a representative to the Winterfell to establish ties; both of us have connections to the Lordran, meaning the power balance would soon shift towards House Lannister and House Stark. Those upstarts in Riverrun and Highgarden would be for sure scheming something."
He held great disdain for the opportunistic Houses of Tully and Tyrell, but if everything that he heard about the return of Magic to Westeros, he knew that sooner or later, they would fall.
In the Lordran, it was a rather common occurrence of Noble Houses falling into obscurity, even from the ruling positions, if they were not maritally and magically strong enough. And certainly, the Trouts of Riverlands or Roses of the Reach were not strong enough for what was to come.
Among their vassals that were many houses with much older lineages and more potent Magical Blood that the investigations of the Wizards showed, and once they got power into their hands...
Then, the result would be questionable at best.
"Brother, we are right now finishing the additional fortifications of the Casterly Rock and adding Anti-Air elements into the Castle. According to the Wizards and Engineers from the Empire, it should not be enough to take down True Dragons, but it would be enough to take down Valyrian Wyrms with a few shots."
Kevan Lannister was in charge of the Casterly Rock and one of the things that Tywin ordered as the first ones to do was fortify the Casterly Rock as much as possible, according to the standards of the Empire.
They even hired some of the Imperial Engineers that helped them to pinpoint weak points in the Casterly Rock that were already addressed, and many defenses were installed on the Rock, with other places being remade into more sturdier and stronger versions.
"Excellent. Is there anything more to report?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock asked before one person stepped forward with a message to be read.
"There is a message from the Castellan Atreides that the Silver Knights under his command have encountered something that seems to be... Greenskins."
While some people in the room were confused about what it meant, some were pale beyond reason because the Greenskins were spotted on the Westeros.
This was terrible news, but it wasn't something that was that shocking, as they had been warned by the Wizards that the Magic Resurgence wouldn't be just through the pink garden.
"And? Have they been rooted?"
The Greenskins were a menace even to a mighty nation like the Holy Arcadia Empire; even they couldn't entirely deal with the green scourge that existed since immemorial times within the Lordran.
And here in Westeros?
It would be beyond terrible because they were much weaker than the Lordran.
"Yes, they were surprisingly weak... mostly consisting of Gretchen, Goblins and ordinary Ork Boyz... they have probably managed to arrive only due to the resurgence of Magic and it would get only worse."
The Greenskins in the Westeros presented a grave threat and yet, at the same time, if they were this weak, they also presented an opportunity.
"Immediately start hunting them down alongside the Silver Knights; we will have to temper for the soldiers with blood and iron. Inform all Lords within the Westerlands about the situation and we will use it to strengthen our grip on the Kingdom and to ensure there is no opposition to the incoming reforms."
While the Greenskins presented a grave danger, they were also an opportunity to achieve greater control over his vassals, to have a common threat against what everyone could unite and also as a means to train his future army.
Bandits and brigands were rare within the Westerlands because even before this, Tywin Lannister would often order his Household Guard to search and kill all bandits and brigands to ensure that his lands were safe and to have real training for his Guards.
"It shall be done..."
Now the last thing at the meeting was the restoration of the Castamere.
Castamere was a ruined castle located south of the Crag and west of Ashemark in the northwestern Westerlands; also nearby is Tarbeck Hall. The former seat of House Reyne, Castamere contains gold and silver mines.
Named after a nearby pool of blue water, Castamere began as a mine like Casterly Rock.
After building curtain walls to guard the entrance with two stout towers, the Reynes constructed keeps and halls. As the gold and silver dried up, the mine below was widened and converted into halls, galleries, bedchambers, and a vast underground ballroom.
While the surface fortifications resembled those of a minor lord or landed knight, nine-tenths of the castle was subterranean. The fortress of Castamere was still a formidable fort that could be used as headquarters for the future standing military.
For that reason, he ordered the Castemere to be repaired and also scouted for potential usage as mine once again. Now that the Magic has started returning to the world, it also means new veins of ores were appearing in the ground...
"As you ordered we sent the request to the Dwarves because they would be the most suitable to repair the Castamere, and there are a few Dwarven Clans that have answered and are interested in restoration... though..."
He decided to hire Dwarves for the reconstruction of the Castamere because the Atreides Heir told him that none would do it better like the Dwarves and for what is to come, there was no time to be reserved.
"What do they want?"
Agamemnon Atreides already warned him that Dwarves were problematic to negotiate because they were too proud and strong-headed about their creations.
"The Longbeard Clan has agreed already to the request, but they want access to some Adamantite..."
His brows twitched a bit hearing that, but he found the conditions of the Longbeard more doable as he looked a them over the conditions put on by the rest of the Dwarven Clans; others wanted far more things than some metals and ores.
"Why do the Longbeards want so little compared to the rest of the Clans that we addressed?"
Tywin Lannister knew that there was something much more behind this; from what he heard about Dwarves and Gnomes, he knew that they were greedy and masterful merchants. So if they were not making a profit in this, Tywin knew that they were making it in some other way.
"Because soon enough from what we were told, the Conclave of Forge would be assembled to vote on the new Council of Three Hammers and thus new Elector Count. Longbeards are vying for a position on the Council right now, and they want to gather achievement. Castamere would be another achievement for them that they could present at the elections."
Now it made sense why they were so eager...
"Then we need to use maximum of it, they will probably make the Castamere to the fortress on the same level as Harrenhall if possible, which would greatly benefit the Westerlands, but for that, we need more gold."
Money was key to everything and everywhere.
"We are already discussing the possible cooperation with CHOAM, House Gausser and surprisingly even your daughter has written to us about her intent of creating a Chamber of Commerce that would be selling perfumes, soaps and things in Westeros and Essos so that this aspect would be covered very swiftly."
This was a good solution, but it would need more time and while the House Lannister was rich, in truth what was known only to Tywin was that, before the Great Resurgence of Magic, several of their mines were showing signs of depletion.
Now it was being solved with abundant magic, reforming the environment, but that would take time,e so he has been thinking about borrowing money.
"That would take a long time; we need to borrow some substantial sum."
This would be the fastest way to get their hands on the amount of gold they needed for construction projects, like the reparations of castles and forts, manning the army, building fortifications around the Westerlands or building proper roads.
"Should we ask the Iron Bank of Braavos?"
His brother Kevan asked, as most had the same thought, but within Westeros, the number of Banks was zero, and in the Essos, there were a few. Naturally, there was the most famous bank, the Iron Bank of Braavos, followed by Rogare Bank in Volantis.
And in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, there was the Celestial Bank, which mainly dealt with the Eastern Essos and the area of the Jade Sea.
"No... they would once again rip us off like they are doing it constantly due to lack of competition; we shall ask for a loan from the Black Monolith Bank. My future good son told me we would get the first loan interest-free; for sure he wants us to propagate the Imperial interests, but the gold is gold."
That is not true entirely, as the Golden Reichscorwns were much purer than the Westerosi Gold Dragons and had three times higher purity, so one Golden Reichscrown was equal to three Westerosi Gold Dragons.
"For how much?"
Black Monolith Bank was another entity on the level of CHOAM within the Holy Arcadia Empire and was directly controlled by the Imperial House solely as it was established by the Holy Imperator himself.
"How much do we actually need to finish everything up?"
The final sum should be in several million, and truthfully, it wasn't that terrible for the House Lannister, which was obscenely rich.
"At least 1 million of Gold Dragons and another million and half of Golden Reichscrowns for the Dwarves, Weapons, Armors and other things that we are ordering from the forges of Khaz-Modan. In Westerosi currency, it should be 5,5 million Gold Dragons altogether."
That was indeed an extremely high number of Gold, but Tywin Lannister knew that it was necessary. For centuries, maybe even for millennia, nobody made some structural changes to the Westerlands and invested a lot of money into the Kingdom.
Not like the situation was different in other Kingdoms of the Seven Kingdoms, and now the time has come to finally do it all in on go; that was the reason why it was hurting so much.
"Then do it... we can get the gold back at a later date, but the investments must be done at all costs. We will pay half directly from out coffers right now and borrow the 1 million Golden Reichscrowns from the Black Monolith Bank."
While everyone had their hearts bleeding, they were also aware that change was needed and they needed a lot of money to cover the costs of all projects that were in active state.
***
Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Anor Londo, Imperial Place - Imperator's Chambers
"Yes! Yes! Harder! Hardeeeerrr!!!"
In the Imperator's chambers, Lady Maria Vileblood in all of her naked glory was screaming into the pillow as her lover was drilling his enormous meatpole, stretching her folds apart and bringing her to ecstasy with each thrust as her asscheeks jiggled.
"Com... ing..."
With one swift powerful thrust, he released his hot seed directly to her deepest parts as they were having sex for several hours straight already.
"Pause?"
He asked then, as Maria barely had any energy to reply to him, from the intense lovemaking that they both were practicing right now.
For the past few days, they have been fucking like rabbits because the Imperator was rather pent up from the trip and Maria was also equally horny, maybe even more than him.
"Yes..."
She muttered quietly as he hugged her closely and they just laid on the enormous king-sized bed and stared at the ceiling of the room.
"Why didn't fucked her yet? She has been seducing you every day that little minx... so young and already behaving like a whore for her fianceé."
In fact, Maria was rather fond of Cersei, so she was curious why the young girl wasn't here together with them.
"You know why... and at the same time, I think some time will do her only good; she is too used to getting everything she wants."
Karl answered, but at the same time, he too was eager to tame the young lioness in bed and turn her into a blabbering mess in their bed that she wouldn't even know her name.
"I want to know if her tongue is as skilled at other things aside from sarcastic remarks..."
Indeed it was very tempting for him... such a haughty lion squirming underneath him and sucking him off eagerly... Just thinking about it was making him go hard once more and ready for action.
"Are you prepared for the Great Convention Council?"
Lady Maria asked her finaceé / lover as she turned over in bed.
"Yes, everyone is already aware of their roles. The Healing Church won't be a problem because as the Chosen One of the Great Ones my authority with the Religion is much higher than even that of the Grand Theogonist within the Church..."
Everything was prepared, everything was long ago decided and even the Great Ones supported the choice through the Tattoo on my back that was signifying the status of the ultimate leader of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
The creation of the Stormcast Eternals would be more problematic because several of the Grand Provinces would, technically speaking, lose their elite units. Chief among them were the Brettonians with their Grail Knights and the Healing Church lost their Holy Knight Executioners.
"Caladan wouldn't be thrilled to lose their fabled Sardaukar to the Stormcast Eternals..."
Maria muttered several of the Grand Provinces would be losing their signature units to fuse all of their specialized aspects into one superior greater warrior.
"No, I predict that even Brettonians would raise a fuss about that, but they will have no real choice in this just to accept the reality. The situation is fucked up and right now, we don't have enough manpower to compete with the Daemons at full force and that is not even speaking with the other threats."
Karl Franz knew that Brettonia, Caladan, Healing Church and Byrgenwerth would be bitching around that they lost their elite military units.
"Naturally, Cainhurst has no problems with the creation of Stormcast Eternals."
The Holy Imperator nodded his head hearing that because he knew that Cainhurstians didn't care about politics, the only thing they cared about was the creation of a perfect warrior, a perfect Knight that was the embodiment of the Cainhurst.
Even the fabled Aquila Academy was training and educating young knights was located at Cainhurst. The Holy City of Silver was famous and fabled for their generations of knights for whole millennia...
"I know..."
The creation of the Stormcast Eternals would greatly change the military capabilities of the Holy Arcadia Empire in this new age. It would allow the Empire to combat against the Daemons and Ruinious Powers far more effectively and not depend on other factors to achieve victory.
One Level 4 Stormcast Eternal, clad in the best armor that Empire could produce, bearing the best weapons the Empire could give them, engraved with the most powerful Runes the Empire had in their disposition and learning all ways of wars and combat they had developed.
In times of turmoil, they would be the frontline against the forces of Chaos and no longer the tragedy of the Stormcown Gate be repeated if they had something like Stormcast Eternals in their arsenal.
"Troubled times are coming for the Lordran and the latest reports from the Westeros are also not very good."
Karl Franz muttered as he hugged his lover close to him, with Maria laying down her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"But where is a risk, there is also an opportunity..."
He subconsciously nodded when he heard Maria say that...
"Yes... an opportunity to either go to annals of history or raise to the greater heights."
***
Headquarters of the Office of Imperial Military Intelligence, unspecified location with the Holy Arcadia Empire
The Headquarters of the Imperial Intelligence was located deep under the ground in a location that was known only to the Holy Imperator and a few selected people. Even the members of the Imperial Intelligence didn't know where their headquarters was located.
When the Agents were called to the Headquarters of Imperial Intelligence a special magical portal was opened for them through specialized crafted Lacrima Crystal for one-use only.
In a certain room of the Headquarters a tall man who looked to be in his late twenties or perhaps in his early thirties was sitting on a simple leather chair and surrounded by the paperwork.
Despite his youngish appearance, he was much older, and his real age was around three hundred years or so already.
His most distinguishing features are his long, vibrant red hair and a Phantom of the Opera-esque mask on the right side of his face. He had a goatee and eyes the same shade of red as his hair and wore wire-framed glasses.
"Is the information confirmed?"
He asked as a report landed on his table, and after reading it, he was unsure if it was good news or bad news, probably The Imperator himself would decide on what to do with it and what stance they should take.
"Yes, only right now the news of what has happened in the Yi Ti has reached the Western Essos and crossed the Bone Mountains and to verify the information we even sent several agents there through teleportation. It is truth; they indeed descended down from the Celestial Mountain and a new hegemon has risen to the East."
The Eastern Essos was in as much mess as the Western counterpart, but at the same time,e the concept of unified nations was more prevalent within the Eastern Essos than the Western Essos.
One of the biggest nations that even maintained contact with the Western Essos and Westeros was the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, but it seemed that the Golden Empire of Yi Ti was no more as they were speaking.
The Golden Empire of Yi Ti is a realm located in the eponymous region of the Further East of Essos.
It is the supposed successor to the mythic Great Empire of the Dawn, which, according to legend, fell during the Long Night. It is ruled by a God-Emperor, who is worshiped as divine, though in the present day, the God-Emperor has little actual power beyond the limits of the capital city.
The Golden Empire of Yi Ti was weak...
Emperor Bu Gai was a weakling with no real power, which was stealthily usurped by his Minister, Grand Nobles, Generals that were still loyal to him or Imperial Eunuchs who were playing their own game.
Approximately a year ago, a man and woman appeared within the Yi Ti, the Dragon Emperor Xen Yan and Moon Empress Quai Yin, a pair of Immortal Cathayan Dragons and they essentially overthrew what was known as the Golden Empire of Yi Ti.
The result was...
Golden Empire of Yi Ti is no more, with an entire former Imperial Line, all Nobles, Eunuchs, Imperial Ministers and others have been executed and all of their families have been purged to the last descendant.
The Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay was born in its place led by the Celestial Dragon Emperor Xen Yan and his wife Moon Empress Quai Yin.
"With ongoing Magic Resurgence and the power they have at their disposal, with a decade or two, they should be able to get together considerable fighting force and unify the entire region... this could influence our interests within the Sothoryos and Ulthos, perhaps even more surely the Shadow Lands."
Cross Marian was Elector Count of the Duchy of Stormwind, even though he left the position to his wife Klad Marian and assumed the mantle as Director of the Imperial Military Intelligence.
"Good work... increase the monitoring of the Eastern Essos and monitor further progress. Now the only things that are standing in their way are Jogod N'hai and cannibals of the Thousand Islands, should they unify that..."
That would be territory on par with the entire Grand Province... but that wasn't really important; the important was that their population was even right now bigger than that of the Holy Arcadia Empire as a whole.
That was the reason why the Imperial Intelligence was taking them so seriously; even though most of the nations of the Westeros and Essos were not big, but they had a much bigger population and as the Magic was returning to the Azyr, they would gain power.
'If the Grand Cathay could be made into an ally, we would get a powerful ally against the forces of Chaos.'
The Director of the Imperial Military Intelligence then passed the report further, as it needed to be delivered to the Holy Imperator as soon as possible.
***
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"Enemies? I don't see any enemies... I only see walking corpses that are still living..."
- Famous dialogue from the times of Robert's Rebellion between Lord Tywin Lannister and General Reban Greiss
***
Codex: The Holy Knights of Golden Lion of Corrin
The Holy Knights of the Golden Lion of Corrin is a militaristic religious Knight Order that was created in the Westerlands of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, in the capital city of Westerlands, Corrin.
The history of the Holy Knights of the Golden Lion of Corrin is very short, but they managed to gather countless military achievements, mainly against the Orks, Heretics, followers of Faith of Seven, Danger Beasts or enemies of the Westerlands.
The Knight Order was created in the worship of the Pantheon of the Great Ones by a man known only as Shaddam. All members of the Holy Knights of the Golden Lion of Corrin are the Runes Knights and are empowered by the Divine Grace of the Great Ones.
***
Around the same time, Westeros, Westerlands, Lannisport.
Tywin Lannister was spending probably his last months as the Hand of the King for King Aerys II., due to many reasons. As the old lion expected, the diplomatic ties with the foreign nation beyond the Sunset Sea indeed created even a greater rift between the King and the Hand.
Now the Mad King was looking at him as a traitor and it was sure that sooner or later he would be either stripped of his position as Hand or he would give up the position on his own, that remained to be seen.
On the positive matter, this allowed him to spend most of his time within the Westerlands, personally overseeing the developments there. With the addition of the Silver Knights, he was begging to build the standing military; it was swiftly proceeding.
Another reason why Aerys was looking at him like a traitor, no one of the Seven Kingdoms had a standing military aside from the Household Guards of the various lords.
Though one positive thing about the messy and problematic state of the Seven Kingdoms was that every King couldn't intervene in how the Lord Paramount ran his Kingdom.
So, when Tywin Lannister decided to strip his bannerman of the right to raise the banner and establish the standing military, nobody dared to protest against his decision.
Either from the fear they had for him and the swarming Arcadians were also making anyone think twice before doing anything. This made all other Lords Paramounts look at Tywin Lannister with a great deal of wariness because the Westerlands were growing too fast...
Surprisingly, the Lord Paramount and Warden of the North, Lord Rickard Stark copied this and started creating his own standing military. Contrary to the Westerlands, nobody really cared about the Northmen and mostly ignored it.
'Foolish idiots... when the Starks establish ties with the Stark an Russ, they would become much more powerful and only second to the House Lannister that had the support of the Imperial House and the Healing Church which would play a crucial role...'
Tywin thought as he was striding through the halls of the Casterly Rock as he had scheduled a meeting with the Lion Council that was established by the model of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Though today, there would be a new addition to the Council, who was Reban Greiss, someone whom he recruited from the Empire to act as the future General of the Westerlandese Armies.
Reban Greiss was a graduate of the Schola Progenium, and after graduating, he served in the Imperial Army for several decades before he established his own Mercanry Company and then fought for another twenty years until he was recruited by Tywin Lannister through the Imperial House.
***
Casterly Rock
"Everyone present?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock looked around as he sat with several people; among them most notable were his brothers Kevan Lannister and Gerion Lannister, his sister Genna Lannister, and a few of the most important vassals of the House Lannister.
"We can then start... how is the army training faring?"
The old lion asked as he looked at General Reban Greiss.
Normally, Tywin would never give someone such an important position like this without any care, but he signed Geass with the man, which was facilitated by the Wizards and also, the man took an Oath in front of the Great Ones.
"It's going slowly but steadily... With the Red Guards combined with the mercenaries from the company, consisting of the core, we have managed to bring together 15,000 Soldiers stylized after the structure of the Imperial Legions."
It could have been better, but unfortunately, Westeros didn't have a tradition of standing militaries and armies. Not even battle strategies were common when waging wars, as most of their methods of waging war consisted mainly of charging towards the enemy.
"And the officers?"
Tywin Lannister already invested a lot of gold into the recruitment of officers from the Schola Progenium, Diesdorf Military Academy and Aquila Academy to become officers within the fledgling Lannister Army.
"They are acclimatizing well and working on cultivating their own Junior Officers, but we need time. The most problematic thing, as usual, is teaching the common soldiers battle tactics, and then getting them into the shape is only a secondary problem."
Due to the illiteracy level of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, they were experiencing some problems when teaching the common soldiers battle tactics.
In the Holy Arcadia Empire, this wasn't much of a problem because even commoners could read and write, thus making it much easier for them to undergo specialized military training which also consisted of basics of military strategy and battle tactics.
"How long till we have a coherent fighting force that could even remotely be called a professional army?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock questions the newly inaugurated General of the Westerland Army.
"At least a few months, due to problems with literacy... without basic strategies or tactics, we cannot proceed to more advanced training."
As much as disheartening it was, it was still rather good results; teaching uneducated peasants required a lot of manpower and time. He wanted to train his army to be at least on a similar level to the of the Imperial Legions, but that required time.
"Then continue with it... on the other note, has the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Holy Arcadia Empire arrived?"
He asked as he looked at his brother Kevan Lannister, who nodded his head.
"Arrange meetings as soon as possible... has the other thing been taken care of?"
Looking at the hooded man who nodded to his question, Tywin revealed a very satisfied grin.
"Splendid... he was just a waste of space and a grave mistake of our late father... Marrying Lannister to a worm like a Frey, foolish idiot."
One of the greatest mistakes and remains of the rule of the Tytos Lannister the Laughing Lion was the marriage between Genna Lannister and Emmon Frey.
Something that had been addressed already because Tywin Lannister hated the fact that such an insignificant and pathetic house of cowardly weasels was allowed to marry the daughter of House Lannister.
At least the sole good thing is that no children came from their marriage as of yet, so he could now marry his sister to someone of better standing, which would actually bring more benefits fo to the Westerlands.
"My spies have told me that King has grown increasingly paranoid after the Arcadians landed on the shores of the Westerlands... and now he sees enemies right and left; nobody is no longer safe from his anger; I think it should be most appropriate to remain here My Lord."
Tywin contemplated about the words of his spymaster, he new that Aerys was looking at him like he was a traitor, but at the same time, it wasn't easy to just give up the position because, if handled incorrectly, it would create even bigger problems with the Crown.
Nevertheless, if it came to the worst, he had plants just to close off the Westerlands and ask the Empire for intervention. Due to the Westerlands being encompassed by a huge mountain range, it gave the region a very good defensive position and could be easily defended.
Even though the Imperials wouldn't be thrilled at the idea, he knew he could essentially bribe them to get it with Lacrimas and magical ores that were right now being mined in the mines of the Westerlands.
"I have already decided to do so... but it needs to be done in a way that it doesn't create suspicions. Now tell more about the situation in the North; what exactly is happening there?"
This was the most interesting question for the day because the North was the most reclusive part of the Seven Kingdom, generally ignoring everything that was happening in the south of the Neck.
And yet, despite all of this, even the Northmen were sensing the changes that were coming up to them. But it made sense; the Starks didn't rule the North for ten thousand years for nothing and were not Kings of Winter without a reason.
Tywin guessed that their Bloodline was the strongest and most potent in the entirety of Westeros; it was strong enough to have risen to the position of one of the Elector Counts of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"After the representative of the Empire met with Lord Stark, they had a very, very, very lengthy conversation and after that, Lord Stark ordered the borders be closed and started doing the same things as your Lordship within the Westerlands."
After the Arcadians landed at Westeros, Imperator sent a messenger to the House Stark with several letters and even communication with Lacrima; it seemed that everything was done on their end as well.
"Right now, they are in the process of training an army, repairing old forts and castles and even the Moat Cailin is being repaired by the Imperials that arrived from the Empire several days ago; we can conclude that they got into touch with their brethren from the Lordran."
That would be certainly concerning, considering that the North held immense military potential and they had one certain thing that all other regions lacked. Internal unity, though, aside from the House Bolton, but may meet its end sooner than anyone could think of.
In the North, aside from the rebellions done by the House Bolton two times or so during the past ten thousand years, the entire Kingdom was extremely stable, with everyone doing their part.
The reason for that?
Like in the Holy Arcadia Empire...
There were bigger problems to solve than to focus on power plays between nobles and petty squabbles.
"Send a representative to the Winterfell to establish ties; both of us have connections to the Lordran, meaning the power balance would soon shift towards House Lannister and House Stark. Those upstarts in Riverrun and Highgarden would be for sure scheming something."
He held great disdain for the opportunistic Houses of Tully and Tyrell, but if everything that he heard about the return of Magic to Westeros, he knew that sooner or later, they would fall.
In the Lordran, it was a rather common occurrence of Noble Houses falling into obscurity, even from the ruling positions, if they were not maritally and magically strong enough. And certainly, the Trouts of Riverlands or Roses of the Reach were not strong enough for what was to come.
Among their vassals that were many houses with much older lineages and more potent Magical Blood that the investigations of the Wizards showed, and once they got power into their hands...
Then, the result would be questionable at best.
"Brother, we are right now finishing the additional fortifications of the Casterly Rock and adding Anti-Air elements into the Castle. According to the Wizards and Engineers from the Empire, it should not be enough to take down True Dragons, but it would be enough to take down Valyrian Wyrms with a few shots."
Kevan Lannister was in charge of the Casterly Rock and one of the things that Tywin ordered as the first ones to do was fortify the Casterly Rock as much as possible, according to the standards of the Empire.
They even hired some of the Imperial Engineers that helped them to pinpoint weak points in the Casterly Rock that were already addressed, and many defenses were installed on the Rock, with other places being remade into more sturdier and stronger versions.
"Excellent. Is there anything more to report?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock asked before one person stepped forward with a message to be read.
"There is a message from the Castellan Atreides that the Silver Knights under his command have encountered something that seems to be... Greenskins."
While some people in the room were confused about what it meant, some were pale beyond reason because the Greenskins were spotted on the Westeros.
This was terrible news, but it wasn't something that was that shocking, as they had been warned by the Wizards that the Magic Resurgence wouldn't be just through the pink garden.
"And? Have they been rooted?"
The Greenskins were a menace even to a mighty nation like the Holy Arcadia Empire; even they couldn't entirely deal with the green scourge that existed since immemorial times within the Lordran.
And here in Westeros?
It would be beyond terrible because they were much weaker than the Lordran.
"Yes, they were surprisingly weak... mostly consisting of Gretchen, Goblins and ordinary Ork Boyz... they have probably managed to arrive only due to the resurgence of Magic and it would get only worse."
The Greenskins in the Westeros presented a grave threat and yet, at the same time, if they were this weak, they also presented an opportunity.
"Immediately start hunting them down alongside the Silver Knights; we will have to temper for the soldiers with blood and iron. Inform all Lords within the Westerlands about the situation and we will use it to strengthen our grip on the Kingdom and to ensure there is no opposition to the incoming reforms."
While the Greenskins presented a grave danger, they were also an opportunity to achieve greater control over his vassals, to have a common threat against what everyone could unite and also as a means to train his future army.
Bandits and brigands were rare within the Westerlands because even before this, Tywin Lannister would often order his Household Guard to search and kill all bandits and brigands to ensure that his lands were safe and to have real training for his Guards.
"It shall be done..."
Now the last thing at the meeting was the restoration of the Castamere.
Castamere was a ruined castle located south of the Crag and west of Ashemark in the northwestern Westerlands; also nearby is Tarbeck Hall. The former seat of House Reyne, Castamere contains gold and silver mines.
Named after a nearby pool of blue water, Castamere began as a mine like Casterly Rock.
After building curtain walls to guard the entrance with two stout towers, the Reynes constructed keeps and halls. As the gold and silver dried up, the mine below was widened and converted into halls, galleries, bedchambers, and a vast underground ballroom.
While the surface fortifications resembled those of a minor lord or landed knight, nine-tenths of the castle was subterranean. The fortress of Castamere was still a formidable fort that could be used as headquarters for the future standing military.
For that reason, he ordered the Castemere to be repaired and also scouted for potential usage as mine once again. Now that the Magic has started returning to the world, it also means new veins of ores were appearing in the ground...
"As you ordered we sent the request to the Dwarves because they would be the most suitable to repair the Castamere, and there are a few Dwarven Clans that have answered and are interested in restoration... though..."
He decided to hire Dwarves for the reconstruction of the Castamere because the Atreides Heir told him that none would do it better like the Dwarves and for what is to come, there was no time to be reserved.
"What do they want?"
Agamemnon Atreides already warned him that Dwarves were problematic to negotiate because they were too proud and strong-headed about their creations.
"The Longbeard Clan has agreed already to the request, but they want access to some Adamantite..."
His brows twitched a bit hearing that, but he found the conditions of the Longbeard more doable as he looked a them over the conditions put on by the rest of the Dwarven Clans; others wanted far more things than some metals and ores.
"Why do the Longbeards want so little compared to the rest of the Clans that we addressed?"
Tywin Lannister knew that there was something much more behind this; from what he heard about Dwarves and Gnomes, he knew that they were greedy and masterful merchants. So if they were not making a profit in this, Tywin knew that they were making it in some other way.
"Because soon enough from what we were told, the Conclave of Forge would be assembled to vote on the new Council of Three Hammers and thus new Elector Count. Longbeards are vying for a position on the Council right now, and they want to gather achievement. Castamere would be another achievement for them that they could present at the elections."
Now it made sense why they were so eager...
"Then we need to use maximum of it, they will probably make the Castamere to the fortress on the same level as Harrenhall if possible, which would greatly benefit the Westerlands, but for that, we need more gold."
Money was key to everything and everywhere.
"We are already discussing the possible cooperation with CHOAM, House Gausser and surprisingly even your daughter has written to us about her intent of creating a Chamber of Commerce that would be selling perfumes, soaps and things in Westeros and Essos so that this aspect would be covered very swiftly."
This was a good solution, but it would need more time and while the House Lannister was rich, in truth what was known only to Tywin was that, before the Great Resurgence of Magic, several of their mines were showing signs of depletion.
Now it was being solved with abundant magic, reforming the environment, but that would take time,e so he has been thinking about borrowing money.
"That would take a long time; we need to borrow some substantial sum."
This would be the fastest way to get their hands on the amount of gold they needed for construction projects, like the reparations of castles and forts, manning the army, building fortifications around the Westerlands or building proper roads.
"Should we ask the Iron Bank of Braavos?"
His brother Kevan asked, as most had the same thought, but within Westeros, the number of Banks was zero, and in the Essos, there were a few. Naturally, there was the most famous bank, the Iron Bank of Braavos, followed by Rogare Bank in Volantis.
And in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, there was the Celestial Bank, which mainly dealt with the Eastern Essos and the area of the Jade Sea.
"No... they would once again rip us off like they are doing it constantly due to lack of competition; we shall ask for a loan from the Black Monolith Bank. My future good son told me we would get the first loan interest-free; for sure he wants us to propagate the Imperial interests, but the gold is gold."
That is not true entirely, as the Golden Reichscorwns were much purer than the Westerosi Gold Dragons and had three times higher purity, so one Golden Reichscrown was equal to three Westerosi Gold Dragons.
"For how much?"
Black Monolith Bank was another entity on the level of CHOAM within the Holy Arcadia Empire and was directly controlled by the Imperial House solely as it was established by the Holy Imperator himself.
"How much do we actually need to finish everything up?"
The final sum should be in several million, and truthfully, it wasn't that terrible for the House Lannister, which was obscenely rich.
"At least 1 million of Gold Dragons and another million and half of Golden Reichscrowns for the Dwarves, Weapons, Armors and other things that we are ordering from the forges of Khaz-Modan. In Westerosi currency, it should be 5,5 million Gold Dragons altogether."
That was indeed an extremely high number of Gold, but Tywin Lannister knew that it was necessary. For centuries, maybe even for millennia, nobody made some structural changes to the Westerlands and invested a lot of money into the Kingdom.
Not like the situation was different in other Kingdoms of the Seven Kingdoms, and now the time has come to finally do it all in on go; that was the reason why it was hurting so much.
"Then do it... we can get the gold back at a later date, but the investments must be done at all costs. We will pay half directly from out coffers right now and borrow the 1 million Golden Reichscrowns from the Black Monolith Bank."
While everyone had their hearts bleeding, they were also aware that change was needed and they needed a lot of money to cover the costs of all projects that were in active state.
***
Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Anor Londo, Imperial Place - Imperator's Chambers
"Yes! Yes! Harder! Hardeeeerrr!!!"
In the Imperator's chambers, Lady Maria Vileblood in all of her naked glory was screaming into the pillow as her lover was drilling his enormous meatpole, stretching her folds apart and bringing her to ecstasy with each thrust as her asscheeks jiggled.
"Com... ing..."
With one swift powerful thrust, he released his hot seed directly to her deepest parts as they were having sex for several hours straight already.
"Pause?"
He asked then, as Maria barely had any energy to reply to him, from the intense lovemaking that they both were practicing right now.
For the past few days, they have been fucking like rabbits because the Imperator was rather pent up from the trip and Maria was also equally horny, maybe even more than him.
"Yes..."
She muttered quietly as he hugged her closely and they just laid on the enormous king-sized bed and stared at the ceiling of the room.
"Why didn't fucked her yet? She has been seducing you every day that little minx... so young and already behaving like a whore for her fianceé."
In fact, Maria was rather fond of Cersei, so she was curious why the young girl wasn't here together with them.
"You know why... and at the same time, I think some time will do her only good; she is too used to getting everything she wants."
Karl answered, but at the same time, he too was eager to tame the young lioness in bed and turn her into a blabbering mess in their bed that she wouldn't even know her name.
"I want to know if her tongue is as skilled at other things aside from sarcastic remarks..."
Indeed it was very tempting for him... such a haughty lion squirming underneath him and sucking him off eagerly... Just thinking about it was making him go hard once more and ready for action.
"Are you prepared for the Great Convention Council?"
Lady Maria asked her finaceé / lover as she turned over in bed.
"Yes, everyone is already aware of their roles. The Healing Church won't be a problem because as the Chosen One of the Great Ones my authority with the Religion is much higher than even that of the Grand Theogonist within the Church..."
Everything was prepared, everything was long ago decided and even the Great Ones supported the choice through the Tattoo on my back that was signifying the status of the ultimate leader of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
The creation of the Stormcast Eternals would be more problematic because several of the Grand Provinces would, technically speaking, lose their elite units. Chief among them were the Brettonians with their Grail Knights and the Healing Church lost their Holy Knight Executioners.
"Caladan wouldn't be thrilled to lose their fabled Sardaukar to the Stormcast Eternals..."
Maria muttered several of the Grand Provinces would be losing their signature units to fuse all of their specialized aspects into one superior greater warrior.
"No, I predict that even Brettonians would raise a fuss about that, but they will have no real choice in this just to accept the reality. The situation is fucked up and right now, we don't have enough manpower to compete with the Daemons at full force and that is not even speaking with the other threats."
Karl Franz knew that Brettonia, Caladan, Healing Church and Byrgenwerth would be bitching around that they lost their elite military units.
"Naturally, Cainhurst has no problems with the creation of Stormcast Eternals."
The Holy Imperator nodded his head hearing that because he knew that Cainhurstians didn't care about politics, the only thing they cared about was the creation of a perfect warrior, a perfect Knight that was the embodiment of the Cainhurst.
Even the fabled Aquila Academy was training and educating young knights was located at Cainhurst. The Holy City of Silver was famous and fabled for their generations of knights for whole millennia...
"I know..."
The creation of the Stormcast Eternals would greatly change the military capabilities of the Holy Arcadia Empire in this new age. It would allow the Empire to combat against the Daemons and Ruinious Powers far more effectively and not depend on other factors to achieve victory.
One Level 4 Stormcast Eternal, clad in the best armor that Empire could produce, bearing the best weapons the Empire could give them, engraved with the most powerful Runes the Empire had in their disposition and learning all ways of wars and combat they had developed.
In times of turmoil, they would be the frontline against the forces of Chaos and no longer the tragedy of the Stormcown Gate be repeated if they had something like Stormcast Eternals in their arsenal.
"Troubled times are coming for the Lordran and the latest reports from the Westeros are also not very good."
Karl Franz muttered as he hugged his lover close to him, with Maria laying down her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"But where is a risk, there is also an opportunity..."
He subconsciously nodded when he heard Maria say that...
"Yes... an opportunity to either go to annals of history or raise to the greater heights."
***
Headquarters of the Office of Imperial Military Intelligence, unspecified location with the Holy Arcadia Empire
The Headquarters of the Imperial Intelligence was located deep under the ground in a location that was known only to the Holy Imperator and a few selected people. Even the members of the Imperial Intelligence didn't know where their headquarters was located.
When the Agents were called to the Headquarters of Imperial Intelligence a special magical portal was opened for them through specialized crafted Lacrima Crystal for one-use only.
In a certain room of the Headquarters a tall man who looked to be in his late twenties or perhaps in his early thirties was sitting on a simple leather chair and surrounded by the paperwork.
Despite his youngish appearance, he was much older, and his real age was around three hundred years or so already.
His most distinguishing features are his long, vibrant red hair and a Phantom of the Opera-esque mask on the right side of his face. He had a goatee and eyes the same shade of red as his hair and wore wire-framed glasses.
"Is the information confirmed?"
He asked as a report landed on his table, and after reading it, he was unsure if it was good news or bad news, probably The Imperator himself would decide on what to do with it and what stance they should take.
"Yes, only right now the news of what has happened in the Yi Ti has reached the Western Essos and crossed the Bone Mountains and to verify the information we even sent several agents there through teleportation. It is truth; they indeed descended down from the Celestial Mountain and a new hegemon has risen to the East."
The Eastern Essos was in as much mess as the Western counterpart, but at the same time,e the concept of unified nations was more prevalent within the Eastern Essos than the Western Essos.
One of the biggest nations that even maintained contact with the Western Essos and Westeros was the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, but it seemed that the Golden Empire of Yi Ti was no more as they were speaking.
The Golden Empire of Yi Ti is a realm located in the eponymous region of the Further East of Essos.
It is the supposed successor to the mythic Great Empire of the Dawn, which, according to legend, fell during the Long Night. It is ruled by a God-Emperor, who is worshiped as divine, though in the present day, the God-Emperor has little actual power beyond the limits of the capital city.
The Golden Empire of Yi Ti was weak...
Emperor Bu Gai was a weakling with no real power, which was stealthily usurped by his Minister, Grand Nobles, Generals that were still loyal to him or Imperial Eunuchs who were playing their own game.
Approximately a year ago, a man and woman appeared within the Yi Ti, the Dragon Emperor Xen Yan and Moon Empress Quai Yin, a pair of Immortal Cathayan Dragons and they essentially overthrew what was known as the Golden Empire of Yi Ti.
The result was...
Golden Empire of Yi Ti is no more, with an entire former Imperial Line, all Nobles, Eunuchs, Imperial Ministers and others have been executed and all of their families have been purged to the last descendant.
The Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay was born in its place led by the Celestial Dragon Emperor Xen Yan and his wife Moon Empress Quai Yin.
"With ongoing Magic Resurgence and the power they have at their disposal, with a decade or two, they should be able to get together considerable fighting force and unify the entire region... this could influence our interests within the Sothoryos and Ulthos, perhaps even more surely the Shadow Lands."
Cross Marian was Elector Count of the Duchy of Stormwind, even though he left the position to his wife Klad Marian and assumed the mantle as Director of the Imperial Military Intelligence.
"Good work... increase the monitoring of the Eastern Essos and monitor further progress. Now the only things that are standing in their way are Jogod N'hai and cannibals of the Thousand Islands, should they unify that..."
That would be territory on par with the entire Grand Province... but that wasn't really important; the important was that their population was even right now bigger than that of the Holy Arcadia Empire as a whole.
That was the reason why the Imperial Intelligence was taking them so seriously; even though most of the nations of the Westeros and Essos were not big, but they had a much bigger population and as the Magic was returning to the Azyr, they would gain power.
'If the Grand Cathay could be made into an ally, we would get a powerful ally against the forces of Chaos.'
The Director of the Imperial Military Intelligence then passed the report further, as it needed to be delivered to the Holy Imperator as soon as possible.
***
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Chapter 16 – Great Convention Council
Trafford
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"All Hail Arcadia!"
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***
Codex: Altdorf
Altdorf, also known as the City of Spires, is the Capital of the Grand Principality of Reikland and the historical seat of the House Holswig-Schliestein. Altodorf is home to some of the most prestigious educational institutions within the entire Lordran, aside from Faust, hosting the branches of the Eight Colleges of Magic.
It also housed another great institution, which was the Imperial Engineer School, founded by famed genius Leonardo da Miragliano, where some of the greatest inventions in the history of science have been made.
***
Several Days Later, Throne Room of the Imperial Palace, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lordran.
MC POV
"How should we proceed with the information, Your Holy Majesty."
A few days ago, information about what has happened within the Eastern Essos found its way into my ears. It was a very dangerous piece of news because it meant that a new player appeared on the board.
Cathayan Dragons were actually well known within the Lands of Ancient, but they were a species that was long believed to perished; the Everlasting Dragons were considered as a mere Legend, a Myth of no considerable significance in the modern age.
And yet, two of them apparently appeared; it was no mistaking it, those Banners and names; there was no mistake that the Dragon Emperor Xen Yan Moon Empress Quai Yin were a couple of Cathayn Celestial Dragons.
A very powerful ones and very dangerous ones.
They could either become the greatest ally of the Holy Arcadia Empire or its greatest foes, depending on whether they have some kind of expansionist tendencies, but that was for the future to see; for now, we can only wait.
Like a pair of proper fence-sitters.
"Nothing... a living pair of Cathayan Dragons... so fascinating..."
I muttered while thinking over the matter of the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay that rose in the ashes of the Golden Empire of Yi Ti... it was almost a wondrous thing to see, but at the same time, I wondered how this would influence the state of the Known World.
"We will do nothing in regard to the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay because that is all we can do... nothing. Sooner or later, depending on how the situation develops, we will meet either as allies or as foes, and for that, we need to be prepared."
Even right now, as we were speaking, the regions of Yi Ti were probably the most populous throughout the entire Essos. Lordran has a lot of things to do to increase its population, but soon enough, the population growth of Westeros and Essos will slowly go down to a certain degree.
Another thing was that the Magic never really died in the Eastern Essos; it just got weakened, and one of the reasons why the Magic actually got so weakened were the dammed fucking Valyrians.
If not for their dammed greed and foolishness, then the Magic wouldn't be in such a crippled state within the Essos, but at the same time, this also raised the question of who the hell repaired the damaged Leylines?
"As the Imperator commands."
The Imperial Bashar Jacques Orleáns spoke to the Holy Imperator who was sitting on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. Imperial Bashar was the title for the supreme leader of the Imperial Military and thus, he was basically my second in command.
And there was no one better for the position than the Iron-Blood Lord, Jacques Orleáns, who has held bay against the endless hordes of the Greenskins that constantly wanted to destroy the Empire and conducted expeditions from the Orklands.
"Is everything prepared for the Great Convention Council?"
I tasked the Imperial Bashar with the preparations of the Great Convention Council together with Lady Annalise Vileblood.
One of them was responsible for putting all things together, while the other was responsible for the safety of the Great Convention Council, considering the sheer number of people that would be attending.
The Great Convention Council would take place within the premises of the Landsraad and compared to the normal meeting of the Landsraad, there would be much more people attending.
Aside from the members of the Imperial Nobility, which included all Lesser Houses that held the title of Viceroy, Baron and Grand Paladin that were required to participate without exceptions, there were also Generals of all Imperial Legions.
Representatives of all military units and beaurecrats of the Imperial Administration, also, all Vicars of the Healing Church would be present with a very long list of Professionals, as every single one classified as Level 5 and higher was obligatory required to be present.
There would be at least a few thousand people attending the Great Convention Council because everyone who meant something within the Holy Arcadia Empire was needed to be present at the place.
"There is also something more to report..."
Before I could dismiss him, the Imperial Bashar stated that he apparently had another thing to report.
"What is it?"
For sure, it would be another related to the Westeros or Essos; those were the most commonly talked about topics within the Imperial Court.
"Reports from the Westerlands of Westeros indicate that Greenskins were spotted within the Westerlands; it is possible that a Warband has found its way there."
Fucking green menace... the moment Magic started appearing in the Westeros, the Orks Greenskins were also appearing. Not like it was unexpected; the Greenskins were always drawn to the place with Magic.
They fed on it passively; it was their preferred environment, which they liked the best and needed to thrive.
"And, did they deal with them?"
I left there enough Silver Knights to deal with some weaker Warbands if they had enough support of ordinary soldiery... If the Warband wasn't very big, then the Silver Knight there, under the leadership of Chapter Master Agamennon Atreides, were more than enough to deal with them.
"They are assembling an army to deal with them, as it seems that there are only ordinary Orks together with Gretchen and Goblins among the Warband and even the Boss isn't a very powerful one, so they should be able to solve that problem rather quickly."
I nodded, hearing the report about the situation within the Westerlands, as the Orks presented a great danger to the denizens of the Westeros. Still, with some help from the Empire, they would obtain the knowledge of how to combat the Greenskins.
"Send them some information about the Greenskins and a book on how to combat them. The knowledge is power, and without the right procedures, they would only create a doom for them."
Combating Greenskins was, technically speaking, more problematic than it sounded. It was not enough to simply kill them; but they needed to be exterminated specifically to prevent them from re-appearing in the land.
As their entire species was half-organic and half-fungus, they could reproduce through the spores that were released upon their death. And once the spores were released, the new Orks would be created within a short time.
"It shall be done; we shall send them a complete copy of the bibliography on the basic combat against the Greenskins and methods of dealing with the Spores."
I nodded at that, but that wouldn't be enough; they would need some more Battle Wizards because the Magical methods are the most efficient when dealing with the Greenskin Spores.
"It would be disastrous if the Greenskins gain a stable foothold on the Westeros; they need to be pushed out from there."
Indeed it would be...
***
3rd POV
Soon enough, the Great Convention Council, as practically everyone was already present at the Anor Londo, was bustling with people. There were never so many people within the Anor Londo, but now, as the Great Convention Council was called, everyone was obliged to attend.
Though the situation soon returned to normal because most of the people would leave the Anor Londo the very moment the entire Great Convention Council had ended, most people that came to the Capital were from the outside of the City and had duties in their own territories or posts.
Holy Imperator Karl Franz donned his clothes, which consisted of a relatively simple yet luxurious-looking black outfit with wave patterns and golden trimmings. He also wore a black leather trenchcoat that was crimson red inside with a huge symbol of the Holy Arcadia Empire on the back of the trenchcoat.
The Landsraad was full; everyone was there ahead of time and waiting for the Holy Imperator. People were sitting in their places, everyone starting from the Imperial Nobility to the Professionals who reached high levels of power and were the backbones of the Imperium.
Even some of the living legends of the Imperium were present, like the Gehrman, the First Hunter, Big Hat Logan, Master Willem, Villem, the First Vicar of the Healing Church and many, many others were present.
"Presenting, his Holy Imperial Majesty, The Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, Elector Count of the Reikland, the Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, Royarch of the Lordran, Heir of the Old Blood, Lord of the Ancients and the Chosen One of the Great Ones, his Holy Imperial Majesty of The Empire, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor."
As soon as the booming voice of the Chamberlain of the Landsraad sounded through the premises of the enormous building, everyone stood up from their seats as the national anthem of the Holy Arcadia Empire "All Hail the Empire" sounded.
"Truth and hope in our Fatherland!
And death to every foe!
Our soldiers shall not pause to rest
We vow our loyalty
*
Old traditions they will abide
Arise young heroes!
Our past inspires noble deeds
All Hail Arcadia!
*
Immortal beacon shows the way
Step forth and seek glory!
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!
*
Our Emperor stands astride this world
He'll vanquish every foe!
His truth and justice shine so bright
All hail his brilliant light!
*
Never will he be overthrown
Like mountains and sea
His bloodline immortal and pure
All Hail Arcadia!
*
So let his wisdom guide our way
Go forth and seek glory
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!"
As the national anthem finished playing and people stopped singing, everyone remained standing and waited for the Holy Imperator.
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
The Holy Imperator Karl Franz saluted, which was met with thunderous applause, with the entirety of the council mimicking this statement.
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
Karl Franz observed the subjects of the Holy Arcadia Empire as he stepped forward to the speaker's desk.
"Sons and Daughters of the Holy Arcadia Empire... you have been gathered here in the Great Convention Council, which has been called for the second time since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire at the end of the Age of Strife."
Everyone remained standing as they listened to the speech of the Holy Imperator. People knew that it wouldn't take long for the Great Convention Council to end, as the people of the Empire were rather simplistic and efficient in their approach.
"The times have been changing; the old order which we have lived in for more than six hundred years is coming to an end. As many of you are aware, Forces of Ruin, the powers of Chaos, are becoming more and more active, and the situation at the Skycrown Gate has shown us that the situation is far more grave than we initially anticipated."
Everyone from the people present has already heard that there were two consecutive appearances of Daemon Lords after one another. One of them was at the new continent with which they made contact.
Westeros and Daemon Lord Demogorgon and then subsequently, at the Skycrown Gate, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
This was very disturbing, especially at the Skycrown Gate, where there was an entire group of Daemon Nobles and Greater Daemons following the horde, which, if not for the timely intervention of the Holy Imperator together with the elite forces of their military, would result in the disastrous ending.
"And as you have certainly heard during the last siege of the Skycrown Gate, the Reiksgarde and Church's Holy Knight Executioners suffered the gravest losses since their establishment and the unification wars. This has shown us that the change is needed within the Empire and that our old rules need to be adjusted for the newer and bigger threat."
Everyone shuddered when they considered that both Reiksgarde and Church's Holy Knight Executionrs suffered losses of around 8% of their overall number each.
Considering the standard equipment, power, skills and training of each individual member, such number was staggeringly high.
Very, very high...
"We need to address this danger correctly and this is not all..."
Karl Franz skimmed everyone with his eyes as he presented other pieces of information that was right now available only to him and selected a few...
"Since we have made contact with the other continents of the Azyr, we found a few more threats that are categorized as Apollyon-Class threats to the Empire."
When I said that, everyone started whispering to each other because this was completely changing the playing ground. The Holy Arcadia Empire categorized threats into several classes based on how much destruction they could cause.
There were five Classes of threats as they follows:
Euclid-Class Threat
Keter-Class Threat
Thaumiel-Class Threat
Apollyon-Class Threat
and finally, the Empyrean-Class Threat.
The Euclid-Class Threat were the local ones that could endanger some minor cities and towns or even, in some cases, the entire Barony of the Empire. The Keter-Class Threats had the power to endanger the entire Viceroyalty or major cities within the Empire.
Thaumiel-Class Threats were capable of endangering the entire Grand Province and Apollyon-Class Threats presented a danger to the entire Continents.
Empyrean-Class Threat was World-Ending Danger.
A good example would be, Clerical Beasts were normally categorized as Euclid-Class Threats, while weak Orkish Tribes were at the Keter-Class Threats and powerful Ork Warbands were at the Thaumiel-Class Threats.
The entire Greenskin population was put on the Apollyon-Class Threat.
The Empyrean-Class had only one subject...
Forces of Chaos.
Only the Forces of Chaos could be classified as such because only they really presented a world-ending threat to the entirety of the Azyr.
"One Apollyon-Class Threat is found on the continent of Westeros and one has been noted on the continent of Sothoryos... and the continent of Essos is still in the process of gathering information. Aside from that, just a few days ago, we got news about the re-appearance of the last of the kinds of Everlasting Dragons, the Cathayan Dragons in the Eastern Essos, where they established the Empire of Grand Cathay..."
The Apollyon-Class Threat in Westeros was the Lich or whatever was living in the Lands of the Always Winter, while the Threat in the Sothoryos was largely unknown, aside from the fact that it was extremely powerful.
Now that everyone heard it, people grew tenser because none of these things were good for the Empire. Most of the Apollyon-Class Threats would get tremendously stronger if they managed to destroy the entire continent and then they would represent a grave danger to the Empire as well.
"So in regard to these situations, The Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder has decided to make into power several reforms that would be addressing the situation that our Homeland is and would be facing."
Karl Franz stated as he looked around him and everyone now grew tenser about what was to come.
"The first decision that has been made and blessed personally by the Great Ones is the immediate fusion of the State and Religious Power into the one. From today, the Holy Imperator would also be the supreme leader of the Healing Church."
The Holy Imperator said with an almost divine-like voice; as a symbol of the Oedon, the Formless God of Blood appeared in its full glory in Karl Franz's brows, signifying the blessing the Great Ones, as more and more runes of the Great Ones were appearing around the Holy Imperator.
Upon seeing this the members of the Healing Church that were present at the Great Convention Council kneeled in worship as they turned their eyes to the Holy Imperator, full of veneration and worship, as they looked at the representative of the Great Ones at the material plane.
Though there were some who were surprised at the sudden course of events, there were some who had already waited for something like this to happen, especially the Elector Counts and those who were more politically apt.
The Healing Church was a very, very powerful entity within the Holy Arcadia Empire and the fundamental existence of the Empire was tied to that of the Healing Church and Faith in the Great Ones.
Only thanks to the Old Blood did the Empire stand strong for centuries; thus, the significance of the Healing Church and its power within the Empire was great.
And even though many knew that the Imperator had a great deal of authority within the Church itself, it was not enough for the man who was Emperor of such a mighty Empire.
He wanted to obtain complete and total dominion over the Healing Church because even though the Healing Church was loyal to the Chosen One of the Great Ones; it didn't change anything about the fact that they were a separate entity from the state.
And that one thing was changed today on the Great Convention Council.
"And subsequently, it has been decided that a new unit of the army is needed... They shall be my finest warriors, these men and women who give of themselves to me. Like clay, I shall mold them, and in the furnace of war, I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armor, I shall clad them, and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. No Magic shall oppose them as they shall be born of it. The Blood will protect them and aid them in their grand quest. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Ruin, Heretics and Terrors of the Old Night. They are the Defenders of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its people. They are Stormcast Eternals, the embodiment of storm and rage...and they shall know no fear."
Everyone could see where this was heading...
"From today, all special military units of the Holy Arcadia Empire shall be reformed and reforged into the Stormcast Eternals and their first deployment shall be the Crusade against the Children of the Bul-Khatos."
Silence, utter silence took over the premises of the Landsraad as everyone was trying to process what had happened. It was clear that the situation was grave and that the Imperial House managed to increase its power countless times over and over.
The situation has changed too much everybody was certainly nervous about the ever increasingly rising power of the Imperial House, but unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it, aside from letting it happen.
While the Brettonnians were conflicted about the loss of their Grail Knights, Caladans about the loss of their Sardaukar, Stormwindians about the loss of the Exorcists and other Grand Provinces that had some native specialized units were upset about that, there was nothing they could do about it.
Soon enough, the Stormcast Eternals would be created, and once that came to truth, everyone could see that the standard of the Stormcast Eternals would be around Level 4, which would give the Imperial House tremendous power, even far bigger than it was right now.
And even right now, it was far bigger than all other Elector Counts...
However, at the same time, many of the Elector Counts already anticipated a day like this because it was clear that the Holy Imperator wouldn't be satisfied with less than absolute control of the Imperium.
It wasn't really secret that the Imperator wasn't really pleased about the existence of many specialized units that existed with their respective Grand Provinces and it was also no secret that he would be sooner or later move against them and disband them.
Or merge them into one coherent organization directly bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder like it was done today. Simultaneously, everyone could see that the Holy Arcadia Empire as a whole would get countless times stronger with the addition of something like the Stormcast Eternals.
Such an organization would elevate the combat prowess of the Imperium to new heights, far higher than anyone could dream because, with the soldiers so strong like the Stormcast Eternals, they would have immense war potential.
With the addition of the Stormcast Eternals, the ability of the Holy Arcadia Empire to fight against powerful foes, higher Class Threats would be much higher and they could even start thinking of even expanding into the unknown.
When Karl Franz finished his speech and announcement, after several minutes of silence, everyone started cheering and clapping their hands or saluting to the honor of the Holy Imperator of the Empire.
"Truth and hope in our Fatherland!
And death to every foe!
Our soldiers shall not pause to rest
We vow our loyalty
*
Old traditions they will abide
Arise young heroes!
Our past inspires noble deeds
All Hail Arcadia!
*
Immortal beacon shows the way
Step forth and seek glory!
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!
*
Our Emperor stands astride this world
He'll vanquish every foe!
His truth and justice shine so bright
All hail his brilliant light!
*
Never will he be overthrown
Like mountains and sea
His bloodline immortal and pure
All Hail Arcadia!
*
So let his wisdom guide our way
Go forth and seek glory
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!"
After his speech ended, the national anthem of the Holy Arcadia Empire started being played once more, after which end, Karl Franz saluted to the glory of the Imperium.
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
***
Imperial Palace, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lordran.
Karl Franz was in his study, reading the reports about the progress since the Great Convention Council. Even though only a few days had passed since that moment, the entire Imperium was already working on making his words to a reality.
The easiest was actually the Healing Church because the only thing that was needed to do was for the members of the Choir to pledge their loyalty to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and for the Great Ones to bless the Divine Throne once more, tying the fate of the Healing Church and its very own fundamental existence with that of the Imperial Dynasty.
Still, the Holy Imperator didn't intervene in the runnings or daily matters of the Healing Church but only dealt with the most important matters of the Church. Other things, as were now, were left to deal with by the Grand Theogonist as he was doing a good job even before.
With the Healing Church spearheading the reforms, everyone else soon enough followed after without much resistance. About the second thing, which was the establishment and creation of the Stormcast Eternals...
For that purpose, the greatest minds of the Holy Arcadia Empire were called together to figure out the process of the Forging of the Stormcast Eternals, as that would require a lot of resources and skills.
They would need a perfect way to combine the various methods of getting stronger and increasing the physical parameters so that they won't clash against each other. Still, with the knowledge and capabilities of the brightest minds of the Imperium, Karl Franz didn't doubt that it would be solved as soon as possible.
"And that is all, Your Holy Majesty."
Another stack of paper found its way to the Imperator's table, one by one, the reports were arriving as many things were taking place within the territory of the Imperium within such a short time.
But the Arcadians were very efficient folk who valued efficiency and a fast approach.
"You can excuse yourself... I will take a look over it as soon as possible."
The Holy Imperator stated as the papers landed on his table and started looking over them; they were reports from the Stormcast Research Group consisting of Scholars, Wizards, Knights, Priests, Hunters and practically everyone who was working on the Stormcast Eternals.
They were right now starting to create the layout for the various augmentations of the Stormcast Eternals. That would take some time because it wasn't easy to merge so many augmentations together, but fortunately, the Old Blood has proved itself to be a splendid binder.
***
POV Maria Vileblood
The Imperial Palace was always pretty empty and sometimes due to this emptiness of these halls, it was also pretty creepy. Especially at night, it could be even terrifying, considering the enormous size of the buildings themselves that were in this place.
Still, it also had some weird calming feeling on my nerves as I was walking to the study of Imperator, or in other words, my lover slash fianceé. He made a quite mess with his announcements at the Great Convention Council and practically scared to shit several of the Noble Houses.
The creation of something like the Stormcast Eternals and its merger with the Healing Church meant that the Imperial House would exert even greater control over the Imperial Nobles.
Even my mother was a bit upset about the loss of the majority of the Cainhurstian Guard, but at the same time, if it meant that the Empire got stronger, so be it. In the end, sooner or later, the House Vileblood would become part of the Imperial House.
Perhaps some Cadet Branch or whatever, it was also highly possible that a future Imperator would emerge from the House Vileblood of the Cainhurst.
When I arrived at Karl's study, it was full of papers and reports about the developments across the Empire. Most of the reports about ongoing reforms were directly going to him, so I don't doubt that he must be pissed beyond belief.
He hated this part of being ruler because it meant that he had a lot of administrative work to do that he was rightfully abhorred actually to do. There were a lot of documents on his desk waiting for his signature and unfortunately, no matter how he wished for that, not everything could be pushed to the High Chancellor.
"So, how is the work treating you?"
I asked, seeing him jerk in his seat because I appeared like a ghost next to him, or perhaps he was too engrossed in his own work.
"Just wait... once it will await even you if Lady Annalise will get enough of the job and will proclaim you as the new Lord High Magistrate and your time of playing around will end faster than straw could burn."
When I saw his grin, I got irritated almost instantly because there had been talks in the Cainhurst of my mother wanting to abdicate from her post of Lord High Magistrate. Hopefully, these rumors would remain only as rumors because I have no wish to be inaugurated as one.
There are more problems with it than they are worth; if possible, with a bit of skill and manipulation, I could get rid of it and pass the title to my children. Yes, that, would be splendid and I could continue Hunting...
"Did you come to gloat or do something productive?"
It seems that he got irritated from such a high amount of paperwork...
"I came to visit you and this is how you treat the love of your love?"
I asked with faux anger as I sat down at the leather chair opposite to his desk and observed him while he was working. Truthfully, I was doing this rather often; there was something wonderful when I was watching Karl working, his conviction, and his dedication to the work.
"Maria, while I love you with all of my heart and soul, sometimes you are really insufferable pain in the ass. Just because you are skipping all of your duties and even right now, you are probably scheming to skip the generation; not everyone has that luxury..."
I smiled a little as he said that we had been together for centuries, though a long time it took for us to make the final step. For me, there were not many courageous to even approach me, especially considering my personal power and the fame or infamy of the House Vileblood...
That certainly made most of the potential suitors to piss their pants, and another thing was that not many men would stomach of women being far stronger than them. For Karl, the reasons were obvious after he told me of his past life, which was another shocking revelation in itself.
"I love you too... don't you want to take a break?"
I asked as I made myself comfortable in the leather chair, batting my eyes at my lover who was writing some papers.
"No, I have a lot of work to do..."
Guts of that man he didn't even look at me when I was in the mood for some steamy sex in his office... wasn't this what men never should deny?
Though sometimes I forget that Karl is indeed not an ordinary man, but his conviction and focus were unbreakable as Titatine. But I am also not an ordinary woman and it would be a shame on me If I didn't catch the attention of my man.
Sitting on the leather hair, I bit my finger as I slowly spread my legs, trailing down to my sacred cavern while looking at Karl who was working. Slowly revealing my assets to the light of the world, as a moan escaped from my mouth...
When he heard that with his accurate senses, his sight turned to me, completely ignoring his paperwork and other things, as I grinned...
I batted my eyes at him, playing with my nipples with my left hand as my right hand started rubbing my pussy.
I knew very well that in front of such divine sight as me, he wouldn't be able to say no, which soon became a reality, as stopped his work and slowly came to me with a predatory grin.
'This would be a long fight...'
***
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***
Codex: Altdorf
Altdorf, also known as the City of Spires, is the Capital of the Grand Principality of Reikland and the historical seat of the House Holswig-Schliestein. Altodorf is home to some of the most prestigious educational institutions within the entire Lordran, aside from Faust, hosting the branches of the Eight Colleges of Magic.
It also housed another great institution, which was the Imperial Engineer School, founded by famed genius Leonardo da Miragliano, where some of the greatest inventions in the history of science have been made.
***
Several Days Later, Throne Room of the Imperial Palace, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lordran.
MC POV
"How should we proceed with the information, Your Holy Majesty."
A few days ago, information about what has happened within the Eastern Essos found its way into my ears. It was a very dangerous piece of news because it meant that a new player appeared on the board.
Cathayan Dragons were actually well known within the Lands of Ancient, but they were a species that was long believed to perished; the Everlasting Dragons were considered as a mere Legend, a Myth of no considerable significance in the modern age.
And yet, two of them apparently appeared; it was no mistaking it, those Banners and names; there was no mistake that the Dragon Emperor Xen Yan Moon Empress Quai Yin were a couple of Cathayn Celestial Dragons.
A very powerful ones and very dangerous ones.
They could either become the greatest ally of the Holy Arcadia Empire or its greatest foes, depending on whether they have some kind of expansionist tendencies, but that was for the future to see; for now, we can only wait.
Like a pair of proper fence-sitters.
"Nothing... a living pair of Cathayan Dragons... so fascinating..."
I muttered while thinking over the matter of the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay that rose in the ashes of the Golden Empire of Yi Ti... it was almost a wondrous thing to see, but at the same time, I wondered how this would influence the state of the Known World.
"We will do nothing in regard to the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay because that is all we can do... nothing. Sooner or later, depending on how the situation develops, we will meet either as allies or as foes, and for that, we need to be prepared."
Even right now, as we were speaking, the regions of Yi Ti were probably the most populous throughout the entire Essos. Lordran has a lot of things to do to increase its population, but soon enough, the population growth of Westeros and Essos will slowly go down to a certain degree.
Another thing was that the Magic never really died in the Eastern Essos; it just got weakened, and one of the reasons why the Magic actually got so weakened were the dammed fucking Valyrians.
If not for their dammed greed and foolishness, then the Magic wouldn't be in such a crippled state within the Essos, but at the same time, this also raised the question of who the hell repaired the damaged Leylines?
"As the Imperator commands."
The Imperial Bashar Jacques Orleáns spoke to the Holy Imperator who was sitting on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. Imperial Bashar was the title for the supreme leader of the Imperial Military and thus, he was basically my second in command.
And there was no one better for the position than the Iron-Blood Lord, Jacques Orleáns, who has held bay against the endless hordes of the Greenskins that constantly wanted to destroy the Empire and conducted expeditions from the Orklands.
"Is everything prepared for the Great Convention Council?"
I tasked the Imperial Bashar with the preparations of the Great Convention Council together with Lady Annalise Vileblood.
One of them was responsible for putting all things together, while the other was responsible for the safety of the Great Convention Council, considering the sheer number of people that would be attending.
The Great Convention Council would take place within the premises of the Landsraad and compared to the normal meeting of the Landsraad, there would be much more people attending.
Aside from the members of the Imperial Nobility, which included all Lesser Houses that held the title of Viceroy, Baron and Grand Paladin that were required to participate without exceptions, there were also Generals of all Imperial Legions.
Representatives of all military units and beaurecrats of the Imperial Administration, also, all Vicars of the Healing Church would be present with a very long list of Professionals, as every single one classified as Level 5 and higher was obligatory required to be present.
There would be at least a few thousand people attending the Great Convention Council because everyone who meant something within the Holy Arcadia Empire was needed to be present at the place.
"There is also something more to report..."
Before I could dismiss him, the Imperial Bashar stated that he apparently had another thing to report.
"What is it?"
For sure, it would be another related to the Westeros or Essos; those were the most commonly talked about topics within the Imperial Court.
"Reports from the Westerlands of Westeros indicate that Greenskins were spotted within the Westerlands; it is possible that a Warband has found its way there."
Fucking green menace... the moment Magic started appearing in the Westeros, the Orks Greenskins were also appearing. Not like it was unexpected; the Greenskins were always drawn to the place with Magic.
They fed on it passively; it was their preferred environment, which they liked the best and needed to thrive.
"And, did they deal with them?"
I left there enough Silver Knights to deal with some weaker Warbands if they had enough support of ordinary soldiery... If the Warband wasn't very big, then the Silver Knight there, under the leadership of Chapter Master Agamennon Atreides, were more than enough to deal with them.
"They are assembling an army to deal with them, as it seems that there are only ordinary Orks together with Gretchen and Goblins among the Warband and even the Boss isn't a very powerful one, so they should be able to solve that problem rather quickly."
I nodded, hearing the report about the situation within the Westerlands, as the Orks presented a great danger to the denizens of the Westeros. Still, with some help from the Empire, they would obtain the knowledge of how to combat the Greenskins.
"Send them some information about the Greenskins and a book on how to combat them. The knowledge is power, and without the right procedures, they would only create a doom for them."
Combating Greenskins was, technically speaking, more problematic than it sounded. It was not enough to simply kill them; but they needed to be exterminated specifically to prevent them from re-appearing in the land.
As their entire species was half-organic and half-fungus, they could reproduce through the spores that were released upon their death. And once the spores were released, the new Orks would be created within a short time.
"It shall be done; we shall send them a complete copy of the bibliography on the basic combat against the Greenskins and methods of dealing with the Spores."
I nodded at that, but that wouldn't be enough; they would need some more Battle Wizards because the Magical methods are the most efficient when dealing with the Greenskin Spores.
"It would be disastrous if the Greenskins gain a stable foothold on the Westeros; they need to be pushed out from there."
Indeed it would be...
***
3rd POV
Soon enough, the Great Convention Council, as practically everyone was already present at the Anor Londo, was bustling with people. There were never so many people within the Anor Londo, but now, as the Great Convention Council was called, everyone was obliged to attend.
Though the situation soon returned to normal because most of the people would leave the Anor Londo the very moment the entire Great Convention Council had ended, most people that came to the Capital were from the outside of the City and had duties in their own territories or posts.
Holy Imperator Karl Franz donned his clothes, which consisted of a relatively simple yet luxurious-looking black outfit with wave patterns and golden trimmings. He also wore a black leather trenchcoat that was crimson red inside with a huge symbol of the Holy Arcadia Empire on the back of the trenchcoat.
The Landsraad was full; everyone was there ahead of time and waiting for the Holy Imperator. People were sitting in their places, everyone starting from the Imperial Nobility to the Professionals who reached high levels of power and were the backbones of the Imperium.
Even some of the living legends of the Imperium were present, like the Gehrman, the First Hunter, Big Hat Logan, Master Willem, Villem, the First Vicar of the Healing Church and many, many others were present.
"Presenting, his Holy Imperial Majesty, The Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, Elector Count of the Reikland, the Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, Royarch of the Lordran, Heir of the Old Blood, Lord of the Ancients and the Chosen One of the Great Ones, his Holy Imperial Majesty of The Empire, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor."
As soon as the booming voice of the Chamberlain of the Landsraad sounded through the premises of the enormous building, everyone stood up from their seats as the national anthem of the Holy Arcadia Empire "All Hail the Empire" sounded.
"Truth and hope in our Fatherland!
And death to every foe!
Our soldiers shall not pause to rest
We vow our loyalty
*
Old traditions they will abide
Arise young heroes!
Our past inspires noble deeds
All Hail Arcadia!
*
Immortal beacon shows the way
Step forth and seek glory!
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!
*
Our Emperor stands astride this world
He'll vanquish every foe!
His truth and justice shine so bright
All hail his brilliant light!
*
Never will he be overthrown
Like mountains and sea
His bloodline immortal and pure
All Hail Arcadia!
*
So let his wisdom guide our way
Go forth and seek glory
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!"
As the national anthem finished playing and people stopped singing, everyone remained standing and waited for the Holy Imperator.
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
The Holy Imperator Karl Franz saluted, which was met with thunderous applause, with the entirety of the council mimicking this statement.
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
Karl Franz observed the subjects of the Holy Arcadia Empire as he stepped forward to the speaker's desk.
"Sons and Daughters of the Holy Arcadia Empire... you have been gathered here in the Great Convention Council, which has been called for the second time since the establishment of the Holy Arcadia Empire at the end of the Age of Strife."
Everyone remained standing as they listened to the speech of the Holy Imperator. People knew that it wouldn't take long for the Great Convention Council to end, as the people of the Empire were rather simplistic and efficient in their approach.
"The times have been changing; the old order which we have lived in for more than six hundred years is coming to an end. As many of you are aware, Forces of Ruin, the powers of Chaos, are becoming more and more active, and the situation at the Skycrown Gate has shown us that the situation is far more grave than we initially anticipated."
Everyone from the people present has already heard that there were two consecutive appearances of Daemon Lords after one another. One of them was at the new continent with which they made contact.
Westeros and Daemon Lord Demogorgon and then subsequently, at the Skycrown Gate, the Daemon Lord Azgith The Stormbrand.
This was very disturbing, especially at the Skycrown Gate, where there was an entire group of Daemon Nobles and Greater Daemons following the horde, which, if not for the timely intervention of the Holy Imperator together with the elite forces of their military, would result in the disastrous ending.
"And as you have certainly heard during the last siege of the Skycrown Gate, the Reiksgarde and Church's Holy Knight Executioners suffered the gravest losses since their establishment and the unification wars. This has shown us that the change is needed within the Empire and that our old rules need to be adjusted for the newer and bigger threat."
Everyone shuddered when they considered that both Reiksgarde and Church's Holy Knight Executionrs suffered losses of around 8% of their overall number each.
Considering the standard equipment, power, skills and training of each individual member, such number was staggeringly high.
Very, very high...
"We need to address this danger correctly and this is not all..."
Karl Franz skimmed everyone with his eyes as he presented other pieces of information that was right now available only to him and selected a few...
"Since we have made contact with the other continents of the Azyr, we found a few more threats that are categorized as Apollyon-Class threats to the Empire."
When I said that, everyone started whispering to each other because this was completely changing the playing ground. The Holy Arcadia Empire categorized threats into several classes based on how much destruction they could cause.
There were five Classes of threats as they follows:
Euclid-Class Threat
Keter-Class Threat
Thaumiel-Class Threat
Apollyon-Class Threat
and finally, the Empyrean-Class Threat.
The Euclid-Class Threat were the local ones that could endanger some minor cities and towns or even, in some cases, the entire Barony of the Empire. The Keter-Class Threats had the power to endanger the entire Viceroyalty or major cities within the Empire.
Thaumiel-Class Threats were capable of endangering the entire Grand Province and Apollyon-Class Threats presented a danger to the entire Continents.
Empyrean-Class Threat was World-Ending Danger.
A good example would be, Clerical Beasts were normally categorized as Euclid-Class Threats, while weak Orkish Tribes were at the Keter-Class Threats and powerful Ork Warbands were at the Thaumiel-Class Threats.
The entire Greenskin population was put on the Apollyon-Class Threat.
The Empyrean-Class had only one subject...
Forces of Chaos.
Only the Forces of Chaos could be classified as such because only they really presented a world-ending threat to the entirety of the Azyr.
"One Apollyon-Class Threat is found on the continent of Westeros and one has been noted on the continent of Sothoryos... and the continent of Essos is still in the process of gathering information. Aside from that, just a few days ago, we got news about the re-appearance of the last of the kinds of Everlasting Dragons, the Cathayan Dragons in the Eastern Essos, where they established the Empire of Grand Cathay..."
The Apollyon-Class Threat in Westeros was the Lich or whatever was living in the Lands of the Always Winter, while the Threat in the Sothoryos was largely unknown, aside from the fact that it was extremely powerful.
Now that everyone heard it, people grew tenser because none of these things were good for the Empire. Most of the Apollyon-Class Threats would get tremendously stronger if they managed to destroy the entire continent and then they would represent a grave danger to the Empire as well.
"So in regard to these situations, The Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder has decided to make into power several reforms that would be addressing the situation that our Homeland is and would be facing."
Karl Franz stated as he looked around him and everyone now grew tenser about what was to come.
"The first decision that has been made and blessed personally by the Great Ones is the immediate fusion of the State and Religious Power into the one. From today, the Holy Imperator would also be the supreme leader of the Healing Church."
The Holy Imperator said with an almost divine-like voice; as a symbol of the Oedon, the Formless God of Blood appeared in its full glory in Karl Franz's brows, signifying the blessing the Great Ones, as more and more runes of the Great Ones were appearing around the Holy Imperator.
Upon seeing this the members of the Healing Church that were present at the Great Convention Council kneeled in worship as they turned their eyes to the Holy Imperator, full of veneration and worship, as they looked at the representative of the Great Ones at the material plane.
Though there were some who were surprised at the sudden course of events, there were some who had already waited for something like this to happen, especially the Elector Counts and those who were more politically apt.
The Healing Church was a very, very powerful entity within the Holy Arcadia Empire and the fundamental existence of the Empire was tied to that of the Healing Church and Faith in the Great Ones.
Only thanks to the Old Blood did the Empire stand strong for centuries; thus, the significance of the Healing Church and its power within the Empire was great.
And even though many knew that the Imperator had a great deal of authority within the Church itself, it was not enough for the man who was Emperor of such a mighty Empire.
He wanted to obtain complete and total dominion over the Healing Church because even though the Healing Church was loyal to the Chosen One of the Great Ones; it didn't change anything about the fact that they were a separate entity from the state.
And that one thing was changed today on the Great Convention Council.
"And subsequently, it has been decided that a new unit of the army is needed... They shall be my finest warriors, these men and women who give of themselves to me. Like clay, I shall mold them, and in the furnace of war, I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armor, I shall clad them, and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. No Magic shall oppose them as they shall be born of it. The Blood will protect them and aid them in their grand quest. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Ruin, Heretics and Terrors of the Old Night. They are the Defenders of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its people. They are Stormcast Eternals, the embodiment of storm and rage...and they shall know no fear."
Everyone could see where this was heading...
"From today, all special military units of the Holy Arcadia Empire shall be reformed and reforged into the Stormcast Eternals and their first deployment shall be the Crusade against the Children of the Bul-Khatos."
Silence, utter silence took over the premises of the Landsraad as everyone was trying to process what had happened. It was clear that the situation was grave and that the Imperial House managed to increase its power countless times over and over.
The situation has changed too much everybody was certainly nervous about the ever increasingly rising power of the Imperial House, but unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it, aside from letting it happen.
While the Brettonnians were conflicted about the loss of their Grail Knights, Caladans about the loss of their Sardaukar, Stormwindians about the loss of the Exorcists and other Grand Provinces that had some native specialized units were upset about that, there was nothing they could do about it.
Soon enough, the Stormcast Eternals would be created, and once that came to truth, everyone could see that the standard of the Stormcast Eternals would be around Level 4, which would give the Imperial House tremendous power, even far bigger than it was right now.
And even right now, it was far bigger than all other Elector Counts...
However, at the same time, many of the Elector Counts already anticipated a day like this because it was clear that the Holy Imperator wouldn't be satisfied with less than absolute control of the Imperium.
It wasn't really secret that the Imperator wasn't really pleased about the existence of many specialized units that existed with their respective Grand Provinces and it was also no secret that he would be sooner or later move against them and disband them.
Or merge them into one coherent organization directly bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder like it was done today. Simultaneously, everyone could see that the Holy Arcadia Empire as a whole would get countless times stronger with the addition of something like the Stormcast Eternals.
Such an organization would elevate the combat prowess of the Imperium to new heights, far higher than anyone could dream because, with the soldiers so strong like the Stormcast Eternals, they would have immense war potential.
With the addition of the Stormcast Eternals, the ability of the Holy Arcadia Empire to fight against powerful foes, higher Class Threats would be much higher and they could even start thinking of even expanding into the unknown.
When Karl Franz finished his speech and announcement, after several minutes of silence, everyone started cheering and clapping their hands or saluting to the honor of the Holy Imperator of the Empire.
"Truth and hope in our Fatherland!
And death to every foe!
Our soldiers shall not pause to rest
We vow our loyalty
*
Old traditions they will abide
Arise young heroes!
Our past inspires noble deeds
All Hail Arcadia!
*
Immortal beacon shows the way
Step forth and seek glory!
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!
*
Our Emperor stands astride this world
He'll vanquish every foe!
His truth and justice shine so bright
All hail his brilliant light!
*
Never will he be overthrown
Like mountains and sea
His bloodline immortal and pure
All Hail Arcadia!
*
So let his wisdom guide our way
Go forth and seek glory
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Arcadia!"
After his speech ended, the national anthem of the Holy Arcadia Empire started being played once more, after which end, Karl Franz saluted to the glory of the Imperium.
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
"All Hail the Arcadia!"
***
Imperial Palace, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lordran.
Karl Franz was in his study, reading the reports about the progress since the Great Convention Council. Even though only a few days had passed since that moment, the entire Imperium was already working on making his words to a reality.
The easiest was actually the Healing Church because the only thing that was needed to do was for the members of the Choir to pledge their loyalty to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and for the Great Ones to bless the Divine Throne once more, tying the fate of the Healing Church and its very own fundamental existence with that of the Imperial Dynasty.
Still, the Holy Imperator didn't intervene in the runnings or daily matters of the Healing Church but only dealt with the most important matters of the Church. Other things, as were now, were left to deal with by the Grand Theogonist as he was doing a good job even before.
With the Healing Church spearheading the reforms, everyone else soon enough followed after without much resistance. About the second thing, which was the establishment and creation of the Stormcast Eternals...
For that purpose, the greatest minds of the Holy Arcadia Empire were called together to figure out the process of the Forging of the Stormcast Eternals, as that would require a lot of resources and skills.
They would need a perfect way to combine the various methods of getting stronger and increasing the physical parameters so that they won't clash against each other. Still, with the knowledge and capabilities of the brightest minds of the Imperium, Karl Franz didn't doubt that it would be solved as soon as possible.
"And that is all, Your Holy Majesty."
Another stack of paper found its way to the Imperator's table, one by one, the reports were arriving as many things were taking place within the territory of the Imperium within such a short time.
But the Arcadians were very efficient folk who valued efficiency and a fast approach.
"You can excuse yourself... I will take a look over it as soon as possible."
The Holy Imperator stated as the papers landed on his table and started looking over them; they were reports from the Stormcast Research Group consisting of Scholars, Wizards, Knights, Priests, Hunters and practically everyone who was working on the Stormcast Eternals.
They were right now starting to create the layout for the various augmentations of the Stormcast Eternals. That would take some time because it wasn't easy to merge so many augmentations together, but fortunately, the Old Blood has proved itself to be a splendid binder.
***
POV Maria Vileblood
The Imperial Palace was always pretty empty and sometimes due to this emptiness of these halls, it was also pretty creepy. Especially at night, it could be even terrifying, considering the enormous size of the buildings themselves that were in this place.
Still, it also had some weird calming feeling on my nerves as I was walking to the study of Imperator, or in other words, my lover slash fianceé. He made a quite mess with his announcements at the Great Convention Council and practically scared to shit several of the Noble Houses.
The creation of something like the Stormcast Eternals and its merger with the Healing Church meant that the Imperial House would exert even greater control over the Imperial Nobles.
Even my mother was a bit upset about the loss of the majority of the Cainhurstian Guard, but at the same time, if it meant that the Empire got stronger, so be it. In the end, sooner or later, the House Vileblood would become part of the Imperial House.
Perhaps some Cadet Branch or whatever, it was also highly possible that a future Imperator would emerge from the House Vileblood of the Cainhurst.
When I arrived at Karl's study, it was full of papers and reports about the developments across the Empire. Most of the reports about ongoing reforms were directly going to him, so I don't doubt that he must be pissed beyond belief.
He hated this part of being ruler because it meant that he had a lot of administrative work to do that he was rightfully abhorred actually to do. There were a lot of documents on his desk waiting for his signature and unfortunately, no matter how he wished for that, not everything could be pushed to the High Chancellor.
"So, how is the work treating you?"
I asked, seeing him jerk in his seat because I appeared like a ghost next to him, or perhaps he was too engrossed in his own work.
"Just wait... once it will await even you if Lady Annalise will get enough of the job and will proclaim you as the new Lord High Magistrate and your time of playing around will end faster than straw could burn."
When I saw his grin, I got irritated almost instantly because there had been talks in the Cainhurst of my mother wanting to abdicate from her post of Lord High Magistrate. Hopefully, these rumors would remain only as rumors because I have no wish to be inaugurated as one.
There are more problems with it than they are worth; if possible, with a bit of skill and manipulation, I could get rid of it and pass the title to my children. Yes, that, would be splendid and I could continue Hunting...
"Did you come to gloat or do something productive?"
It seems that he got irritated from such a high amount of paperwork...
"I came to visit you and this is how you treat the love of your love?"
I asked with faux anger as I sat down at the leather chair opposite to his desk and observed him while he was working. Truthfully, I was doing this rather often; there was something wonderful when I was watching Karl working, his conviction, and his dedication to the work.
"Maria, while I love you with all of my heart and soul, sometimes you are really insufferable pain in the ass. Just because you are skipping all of your duties and even right now, you are probably scheming to skip the generation; not everyone has that luxury..."
I smiled a little as he said that we had been together for centuries, though a long time it took for us to make the final step. For me, there were not many courageous to even approach me, especially considering my personal power and the fame or infamy of the House Vileblood...
That certainly made most of the potential suitors to piss their pants, and another thing was that not many men would stomach of women being far stronger than them. For Karl, the reasons were obvious after he told me of his past life, which was another shocking revelation in itself.
"I love you too... don't you want to take a break?"
I asked as I made myself comfortable in the leather chair, batting my eyes at my lover who was writing some papers.
"No, I have a lot of work to do..."
Guts of that man he didn't even look at me when I was in the mood for some steamy sex in his office... wasn't this what men never should deny?
Though sometimes I forget that Karl is indeed not an ordinary man, but his conviction and focus were unbreakable as Titatine. But I am also not an ordinary woman and it would be a shame on me If I didn't catch the attention of my man.
Sitting on the leather hair, I bit my finger as I slowly spread my legs, trailing down to my sacred cavern while looking at Karl who was working. Slowly revealing my assets to the light of the world, as a moan escaped from my mouth...
When he heard that with his accurate senses, his sight turned to me, completely ignoring his paperwork and other things, as I grinned...
I batted my eyes at him, playing with my nipples with my left hand as my right hand started rubbing my pussy.
I knew very well that in front of such divine sight as me, he wouldn't be able to say no, which soon became a reality, as stopped his work and slowly came to me with a predatory grin.
'This would be a long fight...'
***
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Chapter 17 - Slice of Life and Wink...
Trafford
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MC POV
Resisting Maria when she was playing with herself like that was mission impossible, truth to be told... her piercing silver eyes were directly staring at me. For several minutes, I was trying to resist because I had really a lot of work to do, but hearing those obscene sounds coming from the chair...
When my fianceé / lover started pleasuring herself, it started to become unbearable, as my lust was slowly overcoming my other senses. In the end, it was very hard to resist such a beautiful and lustful sight; slowly, I stopped working entirely...
I went to Maria, who was pleasuring herself on the chair...
"You are really keen on distracting me, right?"
I kneeled down in front of her chair, ripping apart her leather pants, as her panties were already entirely soaked from all of the teasing she had done before... I took them down in one swift movement, revealing her gushing cunt that was in desperate need of attention.
"Yes!!!"
I heard her moan as I gave her cunt a long sensual lick while she was playing with her nipples, revealing her pair of beautiful breasts to me, but right now, I was focusing on her twat that needed some care.
And care, I would give it to her.
Using my hands, I spread her legs even more as I continued licking her, occasionally biting on her clitoris, causing her to moan.
She tasted best, and the more she moaned, the more she was around, the more aggressive in my attack on her drenching cunt I became as I was lucking her folds, biting her cunt.
"OH! I-I-A-M--COMMING!!!"
Suddenly, I felt a hot liquid pouring down my throat as her hands were pushing my head deeper into my folds as I drank everything that she released.
'Gulp. Gulp.'
I drank her golden liquid; this wasn't my first golden shower, and I must say that it tasted heavenly... when I stopped her shower, I continued eating her out as she put her right leg over my shoulder and pushed my head deeper into her folds.
Maria was a squirter, and when she was overwhelmed by pleasure, she even often gave a golden shower.
Though, even after she came, I didn't stop eating her out, and despite her vocal protests... it was a bit of punishment for seducing me from my work...
"No... mm--more..."
She was slowly turning to the blabbering mess that was barely able to talk. Though this decision of mine was slowly coming back at me because I started feeling pain in my pants, as my cock was asking for freedom and some action.
I then stood up from my kneeling position and put down my pants, revealing my throbbing 25 cm long cock, which was almost wider than my forearm as it was throbbing in anticipation of the action.
I nodded at her, took Maria by her chin, and gave her one sloppy kiss; as he invaded her mouth with his tongue, completely dominating her as she submitted to him while he pinched her erect nipples.
When they separated, only a trace of saliva was connecting them as he looked directly into her eyes before he commanded her.
"Suck."
I commanded with an authoritative voice, to which she shuddered a bit before she lowered her head to my cock and started worshipping my meat shaft by giving it several kisses on its head, causing my dick to twitch upon contact with her pouty red lips.
Second after, she took my cock into her mouth.
At the same time, I grabbed her head and her hair, violently forcing her to take me deep to the rook as she gagged for the air. But I didn't have anything of that and just continued to use her as I wished, which caused Maria to climax after I used her mouth as an onahole.
Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower was the perfect embodiment of the saying: "Princess by day, slut by night".
It couldn't get more accurate in regard to the Heir of the Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst because, after their first night, I found out that she was as depraved and perverted as I was.
Just like I had enjoyed dominating and sadism, she too greatly enjoyed submitting to me, just judging how many times she climaxed during their first time when I was treating her roughly and she constantly begged for more and more.
She couldn't get enough of it when I was treating her like my toy, using her holes as I wished, and being rough with her like no tomorrow.
Behind her cold mask of nobility and aloofness that she put on when they weren't alone, she turned into a being of passion and emotions when we were alone, just two of them.
She explained to me that it was part of the training that she should never show her emotions or anything when she was in public, only behind closed doors.
I gripped her ponytail as he was forcing her head down and up on my shaft as he was soon close to cumming, while his entire crotch was a mess of Maria's saliva from the sloppy deepthroat she was giving him.
"Close..."
I moaned as he sensed that it was coming; my shaft started twitching as he pressed her head as deep as possible while he started releasing my spunk into her throat.
To which Maria gagged for air, but I didn't do anything and continued holding her head in place, choking her on my spunk as she was drinking every single drop and the penetrating smell of saliva and cum getting into her nostrils.
After two minutes of gagging and cumming, I finally let go of her head as my dick popped out of her mouth and she breathed for air.
Naturally, as she was a powerful Professional, such treatment was actually not even far from what could be considered harmful.
However, I suspected that it wouldn't take long before she would suggest more and more kinky things to do in the bedroom...
Something I was pretty eager.
"Did you enjoy the taste of my cum?"
I asked as she licked the remains of cum from my twitching cock and her face with great eagerness as she enjoyed the taste of his semen as she then showed me that she gulped down everything.
Showing that she was a good girl...
***
3rd POV
Karl looked at his lover, Lady Maria Vileblood, who opened her mouth and showed her tongue that she drank every single drop of his spunk, not leaving even a drop of it. Aside from that, she licked his twitching cock clean; not a bit remained on his cock or her mouth.
"So, what do you say, giving this lordly pussy some attention?"
Spreading her legs, showing him her dripping wet cunt, Karl gulped a bit as he didn't waste a second; jumping from his position, he instantly took her by her hips, and without any warning, he penetrated her entirely, knocking on her womb with his shaft, as he started drilling her violently, enjoying her moans.
"Oh! Yes! Give this cunt the attention!"
Maria screamed as she felt her fold beating torn apart by his monster-like cock that was drilling into her deepest parts. For Karl, her moans were like music to his ears as he continued pushing into her pussy and pulling out.
"Comming! Comming! Coming!!!!"
She screamed as he felt something warm shooting on his chest as she just now squirted on his abs. For several seconds, he stopped moving, still remaining in her, seeing the small bulge on her stomach, even through her clothes, as he tore them apart, revealing her relatively muscular physique.
After several moments he started moving once again, penetrating deep into her as he smacked her tits, leaving there a red imprint of his hand as she climaxed around his huge cock that was splitting her in half; that was already the third time she came during their season.
"We have not ended, my dear..."
Karl muttered silently as he was increasing the tempo of his thrusts into her gushing pussy, while his left hand went to her cunt as he started teasing her there while with his right hand, he was pinching up her nipples.
Suddenly he got a strange gleam in his eyes as he stopped thrusting into her, causing Maria to whimper as he took out his cock out of her.
Before she could realize what was going on, he positioned his throbbing monster a bit lower and mercilessly penetrated her asshole.
"OHHHHH!"
Karl immediately felt her tightness as this was on an entirely new level; her perfect ass was on a whole new level, as her fold almost crushed her shaft with how tight she was, while immediately upon the penetration, she squirted onto his chest, dirtying everything around them with her love juices.
"What a naughty Huntress... who loves being fucked into the ass."
He whispered to her ear as he continued ramming into her asshole, stretching it beyond the limits before he increased the speed, and simultaneously, his tongue invaded her mouth as they engaged in one sloppy kiss as a trace of saliva connected them when they separated.
The feeling of having his monster of cock in her pussy was one thing, but in her ass, it was different, as she screamed and shouted from a mixture of ecstasy, pleasure, and pain as he was drilling her ass.
Fortunately, his cock was well lubricated from the mixture of her love juices, saliva, and precum when he fucked her cunt, as she watched how his thick shaft was going in and out of her asshole.
After several minutes of ramming into her ass, he took out his cock, as her gaping ass twitched in well fucked mess, drained in their own juices and her wet pussy that was dripping, as he then inserted his cock into her cunt for the next.
"Prepare to take it all..."
She was biting her lips, as her breasts were jiggling up and down, mimicking the thrusts into her deepest folds, as her lover wasn't showing any mercy, and Maria was greatly enjoying his treatment of her.
Her moans were penetrating the entire study, as it only fueled Karl's lust even more and more as he continued spreading her apart while occasionally kissing her.
"Yes! I will take it all! Paint me white!"
She screamed at him as he nodded his head and increased his tempo whole, hugging her body which was already half-limp from either tiredness or pleasure and brought fucking as he was nearing his release and then, with one powerful thrust, he reached the deepest parts of her pussy as he released his spunk into her depths while he breathed for air.
Karl tightly hugged her body as he released everything he had stored into her depths for two or three minutes as they ended their rather intense and passionate sex season.
After he finished cumming, he french kissed her passionately as she lay down in the chair, as they were still connected as one.
"I want to taste you..."
Maria muttered as she stood up from the chair, and they switched places. Karl sat on the leather chair that was soaked with her sweat as he spread his legs, with her dropping to her knees.
His length was already fully erect in its full glory of 25cm of throbbing hot flesh and desperate need of attention, to which his lover greatly took the role, as he was taking his entire length down to her throat with ease like an experienced whore.
While it was painful for her because she could breathe properly, Maria was just getting more and more aroused as she was deepthroating his meat pole.
He just continued to sit down on the armchair while enjoying the attention that his lover was giving him while listening to the sloppy sounds that her blowjob was creating.
Slurping sounds were heard across the entire room as Maria was bobbing her head up and down, her tongue was massaging his testicles, and she was sucking him with almost unnatural vigor like she wanted to obtain all the cum from his balls.
"Gonna cum?"
She asked after he heard a 'pop' sound as she took his cock out of her mouth; his entire meatpole was dripping with saliva and desperately twitching for release, but the Lady of the Astral Clocktower, enveloped her slender fingers around it, or at least attempted to do so, due to its thickness it wasn't really possible.
She maintained eye contact with Karl, giving the tip of his cock worshipping kiss as she traced down with her tongue, licking the monster that was previously splitting her in half to the root.
Maria then started jerking off his dick with both of her hands, as he felt sucking force on his balls, as she turned her attention to them, licking and sucking them, occasionally blowing up his cock when it was twitching too much, but not giving him the release as she kept him on edge...
While she was usually pretty masochistic, she was also a switch and had a relatively strong dominant side, and one thing that she loved entirely was keeping him on edge.
After several more minutes of her ministration, he pressed her head on his meatpole as he released another wave of his spunk into her mouth.
After he stopped cumming, Maria took out his cock from her mouth, without wasting a single drop of his cum, and showed it to him, as her mouth was full of white gooish liquid. Then, she started playing with it in her mouth and enjoying the taste before she gulped it down.
She showed him that she drank it all as she climbed onto his lap and inserted his meatpole into her drenched cunt that was ready for more action because he could go literarily for entire hours without much problems.
"Yes!"
She moaned as she gave her lover a passionate kiss, with Karl's hands trailing down to her perky ass as he started slowly moving his hips. Compared to their sex before, this time, it was more passionate and slower.
***
Unbeknownst to them, through the small Lacrima, one person was observing everything that was happening within the study room of the Imperator from the start. The golden-haired young girl with emerald green eyes was laying on her bed, furiously rubbing herself between her legs as she felt wet and horny from the sight before her.
"Oh! My Gods... amazing! It's too big, almost as big as a horse... he is going to split her apart... oh!"
Cersei was given Lacrima crystal by Maria several hours ago, unaware of its purpose, but when she arrived at the room, it started projecting these scenes... and she certainly couldn't put away her sight from the animalistic and primal fucking that was taking place there.
She saw how the ever-dignified Lady Maria was manhandled and behaved like the cheapest whore in the red-light district of her future lord husband.
While the golden lioness would never say it out of loud, she had always desired powerful men, and she was immediately attracted to Karl Franz from the first moment she saw him.
And she would be lying if she said that she was attracted only to his power because she was also attracted to his personality and character, and she was also pretty much horny for the past weeks...
She wanted for him to bend her over the table and take her from back, pressing her powerful form over her petite body, and now that she saw his cock... she shuddered and climaxed at the same time when she thought how he would take her and fuck her as he wished.
Her back arched up from the intense climax that was immensely pleasurable as she laid down on the bed and continued rubbing her folds. She then turned her sight to the Lacrima that was playing, imagining how Maria was taking that freakishly long and thick cock in her petite ass.
'He would break me... he would break my poor ass...'
"Break me!!!"
She creamed as she inserted three fingers into her drenching cunt that was already made a mess on the bed several times during her masturbation season as she bit her lip and, with her left hand, played with her nipples for further stimulation.
Her imagination was already running wild as she imagined Karl breaking apart her poor arsehole with his meatpole and with Maria kneeling in front of them and eager licking her pussy with her tongue.
Just the imagination of such a hot and steamy threesome was making her come harder and harder. That was one reason why she wasn't really opposed to sharing a bed with another woman because it could be another pleasurable experience.
"Am cumming! Cumming! Cumming!!!"
She screamed as she squirted several meters into the distance...
'Soon that cock will conquer me too...'
After she came so hard, she was lying on her bed and still continued teasing her after the latest and biggest orgasm that she experienced. She also made a mental note to thank Maria for his sight...
***
"Harder! Harder! Harder!"
Lady Maria screamed in pleasure as Karl pounded her cunt very hard, pushing in his dick, as Maria was screaming in pleasure, completely lost in the ecstasy of carnal lust and pleasure that she was experiencing.
Their tongues were battling for supremacy in one huge, sloppy kiss; when they separated, he bit her right nipple as she moaned into her ear.
"Yes, pound that cunt! Punish me! Fuck me harder!"
She screamed, and Karl as a responsible lover, naturally obliged a lot and continued exactly what his lady demanded as he was pounding her drenching wet cunt a good. Soon enough, he felt that he was close to the release as he kissed her on her neck, hugging her slender body.
"Cumming!"
With one powerful thrust into the deepest parts of her womb, he released his final load, painting her insides white. Both of them panted for breath after he came for the last time, as they had been fucking for several hours, and he came countless times, with Maria coming even more times than him.
"That... was... splendid..."
He heard her say as she remained on his, still connected as they just were there in embrace of one another, enjoying each other's warmth and presence that was so comforting to them...
"Yes... it was..."
Karl muttered as they continued resting and just enjoying each other's presence.
***
In the chambers far away within the premises of the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo, Cersei Lannister has finished the "live feed" that was projecting itself within the Lacrima that Maria Vileblood gave her.
She also came a few more times when she was masturbating...
She knew that it would be soon her turn on... she just needed to wait a bit...
***
Sometime later, within the study of the Holy Imperator.
Karl Franz and his fainceé and lover were both lying on the leather sofa, covered by blankets, and drinking a hot chocolate, something that he wanted to have after their passionate lovemaking...
Within the Anor Londo, there was constant cold truth; the entire Grand Province of Reikland was rather cold together with the entire Lordran because of the position of the continent within the Known World.
Lordran was located more to the north, where it was innately colder due to gatherings of the Winds of Winter that were congregating in that place.
"This one is better than the one we had last time..."
Maria remarked as she snuggled close to Karl and sipped from her cup of hot chocolate.
"Yes, the chocolate for this one has been brought from the deserts of Kuo Mena within the Grand Province of Munn..."
Kuo Mena was a desert within the Grand Province of Munn; it was the sole place within the entire Lordran that was actually hot, and the temperatures within the deserts were reaching such staggering heights that even high-level Professionals would find it very hard to survive in such a place.
It was also one of the places where the chocolate and coffee beans of the highest quality could be found, but to enter the Kuo Mena was courting death if one was unprepared for such a trip...
"No wonder that the taste is much more delicious..."
Maria had a stronger sweet tooth than him; he only ate sweets occasionally, while Maria would often search for something like this... So if he wanted to appease her or make her happy, he would always order something special made for her like this.
"Do you truly want to expand the borders of the Empire?"
She asked him as they were resting, to which Karl Franz had a thoughtful expression on his face...
"Yes, but only to the regions of the Known World that are not inhabited by anyone... I don't want to deal with the natives and the problems that will follow after that... it is not worth the trouble, and from what we have found out till now, most of the biggest regions of the Azyr are uninhabited."
Karl Franz knew that sooner or later, the expansion of the Holy Arcadia Empire would become a necessity due to the lifestyle of the people. Because the Holy Arcadia Empire had a tremendously huge territory and a very low population, as the population grew, they would need more land...
There was a question... why they would need more land?
Simple...
People were used to a certain lifestyle; even commoners were used to having a large plot of land if they lived outside of the cities, while those living in the cities were also used to living above certain living standards when it came to living space.
So he predicted that once in the far, far future, this would become a problem... fortunately, when it came to the Holy Arcadia Empire and its population, it would probably take a few thousand years...
"So, that is the reason why the House Stark an Russ is right now leading the expedition into the Westeros as we are speaking?"
Indeed, that was why... one of many reasons why I allowed the House Stark an Russ to conduct a visit to Westeros and reconnect with their very distant brethren, the House Stark of the North.
I was aware that the Rebellion against the Targaryens was coming as it was only a matter of time... they did a shitty job at ruling because they never addressed the one thing that was basically making their rule impossibly fragile...
They never truly unified the Westeros... while the Aegon the Conqueror conquered the Seven Kingdoms or rather the Six Kingdoms, Dorne not included, he nor the Hosue Targaryen never unified the continent.
The Seven Kingdoms were as fractured as they were before the Conquest, though just after the Conquest, they started playing by specific rules... but that never stopped them from fighting with each other, scheming, and so many other things...
The House Targaryen, in their arrogance, allowed such upstarts as Tullys and Tyrells to rule important Kigndosm, especially the Tyrells in the Reach, which was, in Karl's viewpoint, utter foolishness and madness.
"Yes... Westeros is on the verge of civil war... after the Targaryens lost their Wyverns because they were caging them like dogs and were arrogant about that pitiful accursed lineage of theirs, they are right now weak. They never strived to create a powerbase for themselves; the sole area that could be truly considered loyal to them would be the Crownlands, which is one of the smallest regions of the Westeros..."
Karl knew that the civil war against the House Targaryen was a matter of time and he predicted that even without Robert's Rebellion in the canon, something similar would have happened sooner or later.
With or without a justified reason for rebelling.
That didn't really matter.
The weakness of the Monarchical House was something that was unforgivable; weakness was sin, and that weakness would be exploited by power-hungry nobility where everyone wanted to put their useless ass on that spiky iron chair.
Laughable...
"Valyrians... as long as they had control over the Wyverns with the three members of Triarchy being bound to True Dragons, their arrogance didn't know boundaries, and the moment they lost them, their rule crumbled..."
It wasn't true that the Valyrians tamed only Wyverns... not entirely, because from the information that were brought to them by the Starks when their king landed at the Lordran several thousands of years ago, the Triarchy...
Their Triarchy had a method of taming and binding themselves to the True Dragons; only three Houses stood above the Forty Dragonlord Families who lost the connection.
When the Valyrian Freehold was first established, there were forty families that had connections to the True Dragons. Still, as time passed, that connection was getting weaker and weaker until only three of them remained.
And the distinction between the Forty Families and members of the Triarchy was created.
"Yes, but their civilization gave birth to some things that even we would pay anything to obtain... but let's talk about something more lighthearted for now... these heavy topics are not suitable to the post-sex talks..."
Maria just giggled hearing that because it was truly funny to hear something like that... it was indeed weird to talk about such a topic just after they were having some cuddly time alone together after sex.
"Okey... soon enough, our little resident lioness would start the Schola Progenium... how long do you think would take it her to finish the curriculum?"
While the standard curriculum of the Schola Progenium took four years, he predicted and not only that, he wanted for his fianceé to finish it far sooner. That was another requirement he put on her so that she could pursue her studies further in different areas...
"Three years so that she could be then put into posts of the Imperial Administration under the personal tutelage of the High Chancellor Luca Brewster; maybe in the future she would be taking over his post if she shows enough talent, dedication and merits..."
Karl Franz stated that because he planned to make Cersei the next High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire in the future.
Just as he had plans for Maria in the future, though he would need to work on her a bit longer and harder to convince her to take up some kind of office in the future.
Certain positions within the Imperium could be held only by members of the Imperial House, which was entirely non-negotiable for the Holy Imperator that ruled the civilized world of the Lordran and the strongest nation in the Known World.
"That is a rather big expectation that you have from her..."
Maria remarked because the post of the High Chancellor was one of the most important and essential positions within the Holy Arcadia Empire and held immense political power.
"Yes, though for that, she needs to work very hard on that... right now, I have no one as a substitute for High Chancellor Luca Brewster, and I want to have one of ours on that seat. Not to mention she has talent and eagerness for politics contrary to someone..."
The Heir of the Holy City Cainhurst, the City of Silver, frowned slightly as she heard that but didn't say anything to refute his claim, fully knowing that it was truth.
"She would do splendidly in that job position..."
Even the Imperator couldn't but to agree with her statement... and he couldn't help but think that sooner the Robert's Rebellion, according to the canon, would be starting as right now it was already May 280 AC of the Westerosi Callendar.
While he vaguely remembered the details of the canonical events, he decided not to do anything... he would give the things a free hand and let them flow... he had already put enough pawns into Westeros and manipulated enough things to obtain as many benefits as possible.
"How do you feel about going on the trip to the Fenrisian Mountains in December? There should be a season this time and the place should be especially beautiful..."
Karl Franz planned to make a trip to the Fenrisian Mountains, as he had there a very nice small castle that served as his mansion for the Winter because he loved the sight of the snowy mountains.
For him, it was one of the most beautiful and peaceful sights within the all existence.
"We could go... though the journey during the Deep Winter within the Fenris would be very dangerous..."
At the Lordran, there was Winter all the year, with the exception of two or three months that was warmer and would be considered Summer. Aside from this, the coldest months were considered a Deep Winter, so the conditions of the land were not very good.
Sometimes, it was even hard to produce food, and without the specifically crafted greenhouses that were inscribed with warming Runes and weather-controlling runes, it wouldn't have been possible to make enough food for the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"That is true... we will take some of the newly forged Stormcast Eternals within the six months they should be created."
Within the Deep Winter, which was the period of November, December and January in which it was the coldest within the Lands of Lordran, the entire Grand Province of Fenris and Khaz-Modan and even that of the Klandor became extremely dangerous.
Countless of the most powerful Danger Beasts that thrived in such cold weather would leave their lairs to hunt. For three months, the danger of the Khaz-Modan and Fenris was increased more than ten times, while some of the lost ones would find their way to the Klandor.
Typically, even some of the Senior Hunters of the Old Workshop were dispatched to these three Grand Provinces to deal with the Super Danger Beasts that were terrorizing the territories of the Imperium.
And there were also three cases when Omega Danger Beast appeared, and even Gehrman the First Hunter needed to move.
***
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Resisting Maria when she was playing with herself like that was mission impossible, truth to be told... her piercing silver eyes were directly staring at me. For several minutes, I was trying to resist because I had really a lot of work to do, but hearing those obscene sounds coming from the chair...
When my fianceé / lover started pleasuring herself, it started to become unbearable, as my lust was slowly overcoming my other senses. In the end, it was very hard to resist such a beautiful and lustful sight; slowly, I stopped working entirely...
I went to Maria, who was pleasuring herself on the chair...
"You are really keen on distracting me, right?"
I kneeled down in front of her chair, ripping apart her leather pants, as her panties were already entirely soaked from all of the teasing she had done before... I took them down in one swift movement, revealing her gushing cunt that was in desperate need of attention.
"Yes!!!"
I heard her moan as I gave her cunt a long sensual lick while she was playing with her nipples, revealing her pair of beautiful breasts to me, but right now, I was focusing on her twat that needed some care.
And care, I would give it to her.
Using my hands, I spread her legs even more as I continued licking her, occasionally biting on her clitoris, causing her to moan.
She tasted best, and the more she moaned, the more she was around, the more aggressive in my attack on her drenching cunt I became as I was lucking her folds, biting her cunt.
"OH! I-I-A-M--COMMING!!!"
Suddenly, I felt a hot liquid pouring down my throat as her hands were pushing my head deeper into my folds as I drank everything that she released.
'Gulp. Gulp.'
I drank her golden liquid; this wasn't my first golden shower, and I must say that it tasted heavenly... when I stopped her shower, I continued eating her out as she put her right leg over my shoulder and pushed my head deeper into her folds.
Maria was a squirter, and when she was overwhelmed by pleasure, she even often gave a golden shower.
Though, even after she came, I didn't stop eating her out, and despite her vocal protests... it was a bit of punishment for seducing me from my work...
"No... mm--more..."
She was slowly turning to the blabbering mess that was barely able to talk. Though this decision of mine was slowly coming back at me because I started feeling pain in my pants, as my cock was asking for freedom and some action.
I then stood up from my kneeling position and put down my pants, revealing my throbbing 25 cm long cock, which was almost wider than my forearm as it was throbbing in anticipation of the action.
I nodded at her, took Maria by her chin, and gave her one sloppy kiss; as he invaded her mouth with his tongue, completely dominating her as she submitted to him while he pinched her erect nipples.
When they separated, only a trace of saliva was connecting them as he looked directly into her eyes before he commanded her.
"Suck."
I commanded with an authoritative voice, to which she shuddered a bit before she lowered her head to my cock and started worshipping my meat shaft by giving it several kisses on its head, causing my dick to twitch upon contact with her pouty red lips.
Second after, she took my cock into her mouth.
At the same time, I grabbed her head and her hair, violently forcing her to take me deep to the rook as she gagged for the air. But I didn't have anything of that and just continued to use her as I wished, which caused Maria to climax after I used her mouth as an onahole.
Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower was the perfect embodiment of the saying: "Princess by day, slut by night".
It couldn't get more accurate in regard to the Heir of the Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst because, after their first night, I found out that she was as depraved and perverted as I was.
Just like I had enjoyed dominating and sadism, she too greatly enjoyed submitting to me, just judging how many times she climaxed during their first time when I was treating her roughly and she constantly begged for more and more.
She couldn't get enough of it when I was treating her like my toy, using her holes as I wished, and being rough with her like no tomorrow.
Behind her cold mask of nobility and aloofness that she put on when they weren't alone, she turned into a being of passion and emotions when we were alone, just two of them.
She explained to me that it was part of the training that she should never show her emotions or anything when she was in public, only behind closed doors.
I gripped her ponytail as he was forcing her head down and up on my shaft as he was soon close to cumming, while his entire crotch was a mess of Maria's saliva from the sloppy deepthroat she was giving him.
"Close..."
I moaned as he sensed that it was coming; my shaft started twitching as he pressed her head as deep as possible while he started releasing my spunk into her throat.
To which Maria gagged for air, but I didn't do anything and continued holding her head in place, choking her on my spunk as she was drinking every single drop and the penetrating smell of saliva and cum getting into her nostrils.
After two minutes of gagging and cumming, I finally let go of her head as my dick popped out of her mouth and she breathed for air.
Naturally, as she was a powerful Professional, such treatment was actually not even far from what could be considered harmful.
However, I suspected that it wouldn't take long before she would suggest more and more kinky things to do in the bedroom...
Something I was pretty eager.
"Did you enjoy the taste of my cum?"
I asked as she licked the remains of cum from my twitching cock and her face with great eagerness as she enjoyed the taste of his semen as she then showed me that she gulped down everything.
Showing that she was a good girl...
***
3rd POV
Karl looked at his lover, Lady Maria Vileblood, who opened her mouth and showed her tongue that she drank every single drop of his spunk, not leaving even a drop of it. Aside from that, she licked his twitching cock clean; not a bit remained on his cock or her mouth.
"So, what do you say, giving this lordly pussy some attention?"
Spreading her legs, showing him her dripping wet cunt, Karl gulped a bit as he didn't waste a second; jumping from his position, he instantly took her by her hips, and without any warning, he penetrated her entirely, knocking on her womb with his shaft, as he started drilling her violently, enjoying her moans.
"Oh! Yes! Give this cunt the attention!"
Maria screamed as she felt her fold beating torn apart by his monster-like cock that was drilling into her deepest parts. For Karl, her moans were like music to his ears as he continued pushing into her pussy and pulling out.
"Comming! Comming! Coming!!!!"
She screamed as he felt something warm shooting on his chest as she just now squirted on his abs. For several seconds, he stopped moving, still remaining in her, seeing the small bulge on her stomach, even through her clothes, as he tore them apart, revealing her relatively muscular physique.
After several moments he started moving once again, penetrating deep into her as he smacked her tits, leaving there a red imprint of his hand as she climaxed around his huge cock that was splitting her in half; that was already the third time she came during their season.
"We have not ended, my dear..."
Karl muttered silently as he was increasing the tempo of his thrusts into her gushing pussy, while his left hand went to her cunt as he started teasing her there while with his right hand, he was pinching up her nipples.
Suddenly he got a strange gleam in his eyes as he stopped thrusting into her, causing Maria to whimper as he took out his cock out of her.
Before she could realize what was going on, he positioned his throbbing monster a bit lower and mercilessly penetrated her asshole.
"OHHHHH!"
Karl immediately felt her tightness as this was on an entirely new level; her perfect ass was on a whole new level, as her fold almost crushed her shaft with how tight she was, while immediately upon the penetration, she squirted onto his chest, dirtying everything around them with her love juices.
"What a naughty Huntress... who loves being fucked into the ass."
He whispered to her ear as he continued ramming into her asshole, stretching it beyond the limits before he increased the speed, and simultaneously, his tongue invaded her mouth as they engaged in one sloppy kiss as a trace of saliva connected them when they separated.
The feeling of having his monster of cock in her pussy was one thing, but in her ass, it was different, as she screamed and shouted from a mixture of ecstasy, pleasure, and pain as he was drilling her ass.
Fortunately, his cock was well lubricated from the mixture of her love juices, saliva, and precum when he fucked her cunt, as she watched how his thick shaft was going in and out of her asshole.
After several minutes of ramming into her ass, he took out his cock, as her gaping ass twitched in well fucked mess, drained in their own juices and her wet pussy that was dripping, as he then inserted his cock into her cunt for the next.
"Prepare to take it all..."
She was biting her lips, as her breasts were jiggling up and down, mimicking the thrusts into her deepest folds, as her lover wasn't showing any mercy, and Maria was greatly enjoying his treatment of her.
Her moans were penetrating the entire study, as it only fueled Karl's lust even more and more as he continued spreading her apart while occasionally kissing her.
"Yes! I will take it all! Paint me white!"
She screamed at him as he nodded his head and increased his tempo whole, hugging her body which was already half-limp from either tiredness or pleasure and brought fucking as he was nearing his release and then, with one powerful thrust, he reached the deepest parts of her pussy as he released his spunk into her depths while he breathed for air.
Karl tightly hugged her body as he released everything he had stored into her depths for two or three minutes as they ended their rather intense and passionate sex season.
After he finished cumming, he french kissed her passionately as she lay down in the chair, as they were still connected as one.
"I want to taste you..."
Maria muttered as she stood up from the chair, and they switched places. Karl sat on the leather chair that was soaked with her sweat as he spread his legs, with her dropping to her knees.
His length was already fully erect in its full glory of 25cm of throbbing hot flesh and desperate need of attention, to which his lover greatly took the role, as he was taking his entire length down to her throat with ease like an experienced whore.
While it was painful for her because she could breathe properly, Maria was just getting more and more aroused as she was deepthroating his meat pole.
He just continued to sit down on the armchair while enjoying the attention that his lover was giving him while listening to the sloppy sounds that her blowjob was creating.
Slurping sounds were heard across the entire room as Maria was bobbing her head up and down, her tongue was massaging his testicles, and she was sucking him with almost unnatural vigor like she wanted to obtain all the cum from his balls.
"Gonna cum?"
She asked after he heard a 'pop' sound as she took his cock out of her mouth; his entire meatpole was dripping with saliva and desperately twitching for release, but the Lady of the Astral Clocktower, enveloped her slender fingers around it, or at least attempted to do so, due to its thickness it wasn't really possible.
She maintained eye contact with Karl, giving the tip of his cock worshipping kiss as she traced down with her tongue, licking the monster that was previously splitting her in half to the root.
Maria then started jerking off his dick with both of her hands, as he felt sucking force on his balls, as she turned her attention to them, licking and sucking them, occasionally blowing up his cock when it was twitching too much, but not giving him the release as she kept him on edge...
While she was usually pretty masochistic, she was also a switch and had a relatively strong dominant side, and one thing that she loved entirely was keeping him on edge.
After several more minutes of her ministration, he pressed her head on his meatpole as he released another wave of his spunk into her mouth.
After he stopped cumming, Maria took out his cock from her mouth, without wasting a single drop of his cum, and showed it to him, as her mouth was full of white gooish liquid. Then, she started playing with it in her mouth and enjoying the taste before she gulped it down.
She showed him that she drank it all as she climbed onto his lap and inserted his meatpole into her drenched cunt that was ready for more action because he could go literarily for entire hours without much problems.
"Yes!"
She moaned as she gave her lover a passionate kiss, with Karl's hands trailing down to her perky ass as he started slowly moving his hips. Compared to their sex before, this time, it was more passionate and slower.
***
Unbeknownst to them, through the small Lacrima, one person was observing everything that was happening within the study room of the Imperator from the start. The golden-haired young girl with emerald green eyes was laying on her bed, furiously rubbing herself between her legs as she felt wet and horny from the sight before her.
"Oh! My Gods... amazing! It's too big, almost as big as a horse... he is going to split her apart... oh!"
Cersei was given Lacrima crystal by Maria several hours ago, unaware of its purpose, but when she arrived at the room, it started projecting these scenes... and she certainly couldn't put away her sight from the animalistic and primal fucking that was taking place there.
She saw how the ever-dignified Lady Maria was manhandled and behaved like the cheapest whore in the red-light district of her future lord husband.
While the golden lioness would never say it out of loud, she had always desired powerful men, and she was immediately attracted to Karl Franz from the first moment she saw him.
And she would be lying if she said that she was attracted only to his power because she was also attracted to his personality and character, and she was also pretty much horny for the past weeks...
She wanted for him to bend her over the table and take her from back, pressing her powerful form over her petite body, and now that she saw his cock... she shuddered and climaxed at the same time when she thought how he would take her and fuck her as he wished.
Her back arched up from the intense climax that was immensely pleasurable as she laid down on the bed and continued rubbing her folds. She then turned her sight to the Lacrima that was playing, imagining how Maria was taking that freakishly long and thick cock in her petite ass.
'He would break me... he would break my poor ass...'
"Break me!!!"
She creamed as she inserted three fingers into her drenching cunt that was already made a mess on the bed several times during her masturbation season as she bit her lip and, with her left hand, played with her nipples for further stimulation.
Her imagination was already running wild as she imagined Karl breaking apart her poor arsehole with his meatpole and with Maria kneeling in front of them and eager licking her pussy with her tongue.
Just the imagination of such a hot and steamy threesome was making her come harder and harder. That was one reason why she wasn't really opposed to sharing a bed with another woman because it could be another pleasurable experience.
"Am cumming! Cumming! Cumming!!!"
She screamed as she squirted several meters into the distance...
'Soon that cock will conquer me too...'
After she came so hard, she was lying on her bed and still continued teasing her after the latest and biggest orgasm that she experienced. She also made a mental note to thank Maria for his sight...
***
"Harder! Harder! Harder!"
Lady Maria screamed in pleasure as Karl pounded her cunt very hard, pushing in his dick, as Maria was screaming in pleasure, completely lost in the ecstasy of carnal lust and pleasure that she was experiencing.
Their tongues were battling for supremacy in one huge, sloppy kiss; when they separated, he bit her right nipple as she moaned into her ear.
"Yes, pound that cunt! Punish me! Fuck me harder!"
She screamed, and Karl as a responsible lover, naturally obliged a lot and continued exactly what his lady demanded as he was pounding her drenching wet cunt a good. Soon enough, he felt that he was close to the release as he kissed her on her neck, hugging her slender body.
"Cumming!"
With one powerful thrust into the deepest parts of her womb, he released his final load, painting her insides white. Both of them panted for breath after he came for the last time, as they had been fucking for several hours, and he came countless times, with Maria coming even more times than him.
"That... was... splendid..."
He heard her say as she remained on his, still connected as they just were there in embrace of one another, enjoying each other's warmth and presence that was so comforting to them...
"Yes... it was..."
Karl muttered as they continued resting and just enjoying each other's presence.
***
In the chambers far away within the premises of the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo, Cersei Lannister has finished the "live feed" that was projecting itself within the Lacrima that Maria Vileblood gave her.
She also came a few more times when she was masturbating...
She knew that it would be soon her turn on... she just needed to wait a bit...
***
Sometime later, within the study of the Holy Imperator.
Karl Franz and his fainceé and lover were both lying on the leather sofa, covered by blankets, and drinking a hot chocolate, something that he wanted to have after their passionate lovemaking...
Within the Anor Londo, there was constant cold truth; the entire Grand Province of Reikland was rather cold together with the entire Lordran because of the position of the continent within the Known World.
Lordran was located more to the north, where it was innately colder due to gatherings of the Winds of Winter that were congregating in that place.
"This one is better than the one we had last time..."
Maria remarked as she snuggled close to Karl and sipped from her cup of hot chocolate.
"Yes, the chocolate for this one has been brought from the deserts of Kuo Mena within the Grand Province of Munn..."
Kuo Mena was a desert within the Grand Province of Munn; it was the sole place within the entire Lordran that was actually hot, and the temperatures within the deserts were reaching such staggering heights that even high-level Professionals would find it very hard to survive in such a place.
It was also one of the places where the chocolate and coffee beans of the highest quality could be found, but to enter the Kuo Mena was courting death if one was unprepared for such a trip...
"No wonder that the taste is much more delicious..."
Maria had a stronger sweet tooth than him; he only ate sweets occasionally, while Maria would often search for something like this... So if he wanted to appease her or make her happy, he would always order something special made for her like this.
"Do you truly want to expand the borders of the Empire?"
She asked him as they were resting, to which Karl Franz had a thoughtful expression on his face...
"Yes, but only to the regions of the Known World that are not inhabited by anyone... I don't want to deal with the natives and the problems that will follow after that... it is not worth the trouble, and from what we have found out till now, most of the biggest regions of the Azyr are uninhabited."
Karl Franz knew that sooner or later, the expansion of the Holy Arcadia Empire would become a necessity due to the lifestyle of the people. Because the Holy Arcadia Empire had a tremendously huge territory and a very low population, as the population grew, they would need more land...
There was a question... why they would need more land?
Simple...
People were used to a certain lifestyle; even commoners were used to having a large plot of land if they lived outside of the cities, while those living in the cities were also used to living above certain living standards when it came to living space.
So he predicted that once in the far, far future, this would become a problem... fortunately, when it came to the Holy Arcadia Empire and its population, it would probably take a few thousand years...
"So, that is the reason why the House Stark an Russ is right now leading the expedition into the Westeros as we are speaking?"
Indeed, that was why... one of many reasons why I allowed the House Stark an Russ to conduct a visit to Westeros and reconnect with their very distant brethren, the House Stark of the North.
I was aware that the Rebellion against the Targaryens was coming as it was only a matter of time... they did a shitty job at ruling because they never addressed the one thing that was basically making their rule impossibly fragile...
They never truly unified the Westeros... while the Aegon the Conqueror conquered the Seven Kingdoms or rather the Six Kingdoms, Dorne not included, he nor the Hosue Targaryen never unified the continent.
The Seven Kingdoms were as fractured as they were before the Conquest, though just after the Conquest, they started playing by specific rules... but that never stopped them from fighting with each other, scheming, and so many other things...
The House Targaryen, in their arrogance, allowed such upstarts as Tullys and Tyrells to rule important Kigndosm, especially the Tyrells in the Reach, which was, in Karl's viewpoint, utter foolishness and madness.
"Yes... Westeros is on the verge of civil war... after the Targaryens lost their Wyverns because they were caging them like dogs and were arrogant about that pitiful accursed lineage of theirs, they are right now weak. They never strived to create a powerbase for themselves; the sole area that could be truly considered loyal to them would be the Crownlands, which is one of the smallest regions of the Westeros..."
Karl knew that the civil war against the House Targaryen was a matter of time and he predicted that even without Robert's Rebellion in the canon, something similar would have happened sooner or later.
With or without a justified reason for rebelling.
That didn't really matter.
The weakness of the Monarchical House was something that was unforgivable; weakness was sin, and that weakness would be exploited by power-hungry nobility where everyone wanted to put their useless ass on that spiky iron chair.
Laughable...
"Valyrians... as long as they had control over the Wyverns with the three members of Triarchy being bound to True Dragons, their arrogance didn't know boundaries, and the moment they lost them, their rule crumbled..."
It wasn't true that the Valyrians tamed only Wyverns... not entirely, because from the information that were brought to them by the Starks when their king landed at the Lordran several thousands of years ago, the Triarchy...
Their Triarchy had a method of taming and binding themselves to the True Dragons; only three Houses stood above the Forty Dragonlord Families who lost the connection.
When the Valyrian Freehold was first established, there were forty families that had connections to the True Dragons. Still, as time passed, that connection was getting weaker and weaker until only three of them remained.
And the distinction between the Forty Families and members of the Triarchy was created.
"Yes, but their civilization gave birth to some things that even we would pay anything to obtain... but let's talk about something more lighthearted for now... these heavy topics are not suitable to the post-sex talks..."
Maria just giggled hearing that because it was truly funny to hear something like that... it was indeed weird to talk about such a topic just after they were having some cuddly time alone together after sex.
"Okey... soon enough, our little resident lioness would start the Schola Progenium... how long do you think would take it her to finish the curriculum?"
While the standard curriculum of the Schola Progenium took four years, he predicted and not only that, he wanted for his fianceé to finish it far sooner. That was another requirement he put on her so that she could pursue her studies further in different areas...
"Three years so that she could be then put into posts of the Imperial Administration under the personal tutelage of the High Chancellor Luca Brewster; maybe in the future she would be taking over his post if she shows enough talent, dedication and merits..."
Karl Franz stated that because he planned to make Cersei the next High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire in the future.
Just as he had plans for Maria in the future, though he would need to work on her a bit longer and harder to convince her to take up some kind of office in the future.
Certain positions within the Imperium could be held only by members of the Imperial House, which was entirely non-negotiable for the Holy Imperator that ruled the civilized world of the Lordran and the strongest nation in the Known World.
"That is a rather big expectation that you have from her..."
Maria remarked because the post of the High Chancellor was one of the most important and essential positions within the Holy Arcadia Empire and held immense political power.
"Yes, though for that, she needs to work very hard on that... right now, I have no one as a substitute for High Chancellor Luca Brewster, and I want to have one of ours on that seat. Not to mention she has talent and eagerness for politics contrary to someone..."
The Heir of the Holy City Cainhurst, the City of Silver, frowned slightly as she heard that but didn't say anything to refute his claim, fully knowing that it was truth.
"She would do splendidly in that job position..."
Even the Imperator couldn't but to agree with her statement... and he couldn't help but think that sooner the Robert's Rebellion, according to the canon, would be starting as right now it was already May 280 AC of the Westerosi Callendar.
While he vaguely remembered the details of the canonical events, he decided not to do anything... he would give the things a free hand and let them flow... he had already put enough pawns into Westeros and manipulated enough things to obtain as many benefits as possible.
"How do you feel about going on the trip to the Fenrisian Mountains in December? There should be a season this time and the place should be especially beautiful..."
Karl Franz planned to make a trip to the Fenrisian Mountains, as he had there a very nice small castle that served as his mansion for the Winter because he loved the sight of the snowy mountains.
For him, it was one of the most beautiful and peaceful sights within the all existence.
"We could go... though the journey during the Deep Winter within the Fenris would be very dangerous..."
At the Lordran, there was Winter all the year, with the exception of two or three months that was warmer and would be considered Summer. Aside from this, the coldest months were considered a Deep Winter, so the conditions of the land were not very good.
Sometimes, it was even hard to produce food, and without the specifically crafted greenhouses that were inscribed with warming Runes and weather-controlling runes, it wouldn't have been possible to make enough food for the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"That is true... we will take some of the newly forged Stormcast Eternals within the six months they should be created."
Within the Deep Winter, which was the period of November, December and January in which it was the coldest within the Lands of Lordran, the entire Grand Province of Fenris and Khaz-Modan and even that of the Klandor became extremely dangerous.
Countless of the most powerful Danger Beasts that thrived in such cold weather would leave their lairs to hunt. For three months, the danger of the Khaz-Modan and Fenris was increased more than ten times, while some of the lost ones would find their way to the Klandor.
Typically, even some of the Senior Hunters of the Old Workshop were dispatched to these three Grand Provinces to deal with the Super Danger Beasts that were terrorizing the territories of the Imperium.
And there were also three cases when Omega Danger Beast appeared, and even Gehrman the First Hunter needed to move.
***
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Chapter 18 – Fostering at Cainhurst
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"If a Chaos Army invaded Marienburg, the merchants would try to sell them supplies."
- Tercero Gramsci, Headmaster of the Aquila Academy
***
Codex: Aquila Academy
Aquila Academy is one of the elite educational institutions of the Holy Arcadia Empire with the sole purpose of educating the new Knights. All people who are called Knights in the Imperium need to complete their education at the Aquila Academy, where they are taught how to fight, military strategy, or many other things that they may make during their lives.
Most of the recruits are either from civilian origins, talented fighters, Provincial Armies, or from the Imperial Army.
The most dazzling graduates of the Aquila Academy are then sent to the Schola Progenium for further education to become potential high-level Professionals or officers.
***
Two Weeks Later, Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Holy City of Cainhurst, the City of Silver
The cityscape of Cainhurst was a testament to the artistic and engineering prowess of the greatest builders and engineers of the Lordran that ever walked through the lands of ancient, with towering structures that seemed to reach for the heavens, and their silver roofs were reflecting light to the distance.
Dominating the skyline were the city's majestic cathedrals belonging to the Healing Church. Their spires soar into the sky, intricate stone tracery adorning their massive facades. Stained glass windows catch the sunlight and cast a kaleidoscope of colors across the cobbled streets below.
The sound of the cathedral bells resonated through the city, marking the passage of time or calling the faithful to the prayer that would be carried out very soon.
As one gazed up at the cathedrals and other buildings, one could notice a multitude of intricately carved gargoyles and grotesques. These stone creatures seem to come alive in their eerie detail, perched high above to ward off evil spirits and protect the city.
Aside from the gargoyles, there were also countless other statues, many of which belonged to the legendary Knights that originated from the Cainhurst, as the Cainhurstians were people who venerated their Knights and their legendary figures.
The Knight culture was a fundamental part of Cainhurst, the City of Knights; it was an inseparable thing from the identity of the city itself. Cainhurst was known for producing the finest Knights of the Imperium and was known as home to several prominent Swordsmanship Schools.
Crossing the winding river that bisects the city were ancient, wonderfully crafted bridges adorned with arches and buttresses. As people walk across them, they can feel the history beneath their feet, and one can't help but admire the craftsmanship that has allowed these bridges to stand for centuries.
Meandering through the city are a labyrinth of narrow, cobblestone alleyways.
The towering buildings lean slightly toward each other, creating an intimate, shadowy atmosphere below. Lanterns hanging from wrought-iron posts cast a warm, flickering glow, revealing hidden courtyards and small shops selling medieval wares.
At the center of the city, a bustling town square stood there proudly; within the center of the town square was an enormous statue of a nameless Knight made from pure silver, which represented the culture and spirit of Cainhurst, the City of Silver.
The town square was surrounded by elegant townhouses with pointed arches and ornate balconies. Here, the locals gathered to trade, celebrate, and socialize. Most people were selling there their weapons or armor, manuals for training, or priests of the Healing Church were walking among the people and healing those in need.
One of the most imposing and most significant buildings within the town square was the headquarters of the Silver Knight Order that was being stationed within the Cainhurst, together with another important institution, which was Aquilla Academy.
That was also one of the reasons why one could see hundreds of Silver armored Knights, men and women who were members of the Silver Knight Order, walking through the streets of the Cainhurst.
Many of the high-ranking members of the Silver Knight Order were even permanent residents of the Cainhurst.
The city itself was encircled by imposing walls that had a silverish feel to them, inscribed with runes and other protective measures. Among the city walls that were height several tens of meters and very thick, there were countless battlements and watchtowers.
The defensive prowess of the City of Silver was extremely formidable, as the walls were manned with countless pieces of artillery, with Knights, Gunners, Archers and Battle Wizards stationed on the walls of the Cainhurst... ever vigilant and ever ready for combat.
Still, the most notable landmark in the Holy City was the Castle Cainhurst itself, after which the City of Silver was named.
The entire construction was utterly massive, not as big as the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo, but it was still an enormous structure capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people with ease.
The castle's facade was a symphony of intricate details. It was constructed from a variety of materials, including brick, stone, or a combination of both. The castle of Cainhurst was constructed by Durin the First, the legendary dwarven king from the ancient past in times that were mostly forgotten by most.
The surface was covered in ornate carvings, moldings, and decorative motifs. Most of these decorations were images showcasing the glorious moments of the Cainhurst and its lords, showing the important figures, and showing the gravest defeats and majestic victories.
A hallmark of the architecture was its asymmetrical design. The castle's exterior is a mix of various shapes and sizes, with towers, turrets, and wings that seem to sprawl organically.
This asymmetry adds to the castle's unique charm because it was contrary to the typical Lordranese architecture that rotates around symmetry and perfection in all cases.
Bay windows and decorative ornaments were scattered throughout the facade. Bay windows often extended from the side of the castle, adding depth and character to the structure.
Elaborate wrought-iron railings and balconies adorn some sections of the castle, providing a touch of grace and sophistication. These ironwork elements often feature intricate scrollwork and floral motifs.
The main entrance was a grand affair, with a large and imposing door flanked by ornate sidelights and transoms. Carved stone or metal surrounds, sometimes featuring intricate floral or geometric patterns, frame the entrance.
"We have arrived, My Ladies."
An exquisitely crafted war wagon arrived in front of an enormous metal gate that was learning to the castle Cainhurst. The war wagon was surrounded by several Griffon Knights from the Reiksgarde who were protecting the war wagon and acting as its escort.
Today was the day when Cersei Lannister arrived at Cainhurst, the City of Silver, together with Lady Maria, who was guiding her to the City as they were not using the teleportation portal to Cainhurst from the Anor Londo.
"It is much colder here than at the Anor Londo..."
The young lioness remarked as she got out from the war wagon, wearing a much warmer outfit, together with Lady Maria Vileblood.
"Yes... Cainhurst is situated between borders of Reikland and Klandor, so it is much colder there than it is at the there... basically the closer we are to the Northern Peninsula, colder it would get..."
Maria remarked as she felt something nostalgic when she looked at the walls of the Cainhurst Castle; it had been several months since she returned back home, and she could already hear her mother giving her an earful about that.
"Come... we need to meet my mother, she is already awaiting us for sure..."
Her mother, Annalise Vileblood, was spending most of her time at Cainhurst if she was not attending some of her duties as the Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management.
"Would you believe that only two members of the House Vileblood are living here?"
Maria asked as they were passing through the columns of Silver Knights and Cainhurstian Knights that were saluting them, welcoming the return of the Heir of the City of Silver back to the Glorious Holy City.
"How?"
Cersei didn't know that the House Vileblood was so small... even though many of the Noble Houses of the Westeros were small, not to this extent, but with the problems that came with the procreations within the Lordran it wasn't anything that surprising.
"House Vileblood has only three living members: me, my mother, and cousin Nefertara, who decided to create her own House called House Lahmia and would marry Heir of the Elector Count Sylvania, Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes."
Such a state was indeed pitiful, so that was one of many reasons why Annalise Vileblood was pressuring her daughter to have a child already, or perhaps two or three or even more...
"And unfortunately, during the time when my father was alive, they only had me and my mother refused to remarry..."
Maria said with some sadness in her voice because thoughts about her father always made her sad. Her father was a peak Level 6 Professional who had even defeated Omega Class Danger Beasts...
But when she was thirty years old, a catastrophe happened to the Holy Arcadia Empire, when a Daemon Prince materialized in the Azyr after he was summoned by a bunch of Heretic and Chaos Cultists...
And fate wanted for the Daemon Prince to materialize himself at the Cainhurst... she vividly remembered that day when the Cainhurst came and became a target for the enraged Daemon Prince that wanted to destroy the city and turn it into the rubbles...
Her father, Gerstahl Vileblood, fought against the Daemon Prince and managed to lure the creature away from the Cainhurst and stall it long enough for Master Gehrman to arrive and slay it.
Unfortunately, the Daemon Prince descended onto the material plane in full force, he wasn't suppressed or anything, and thus, he was far more powerful than anyone could imagine as his battle against Gerstahl Vileblood reshaped the land and cracked the mountains.
And the price for all lives that were saved was the single life of Lord High Magistrate of the City of Silver, who perished for his city and for his subjects. He who was forever venerated as the Imperial Saint, as a Hero of the Holy Arcadia Empire that would be forever remembered in the annals of history.
"Maybe you will even meet Nefertara... but that is not very probable because that crazy woman is spending all the time she can with her fianceé."
Nefertara Vileblood, or now Nefertara Lahmia, was crazily obsessive over her finaceé and was almost having possessive feelings towards him. Lahmia was a new House that was directly risen to the Rank of Viceroy within the Grand Pronince of Sylvania.
***
Meanwhile, within the Great Hall of the Castle of Cainhurst.
The grandeur of the Great Hall of the Cainhurst could not be denied by anyone.
The place was huge, featuring stunning stained glass windows and statues of the Imperial Saints and legendary Knights.
It boasted a high vaulted ceiling with ribbed arches and massive stone pillars. Long wooden tables, tapestries, and a roaring hearth create an atmosphere of hospitality, and yet they also showcase the wealth and power of the Cainhurst.
At the end of the Great Hall, there was a simple yet luxurious-looking throne with golden lamination and red velvet parts. There were two such thrones, but the other one was empty; it was always empty for the past several centuries, but it was still maintained in a pristine condition.
With not even one speck of dust being allowed to fall onto it.
On the other throne, a young-looking woman was sitting on it, with an appearance not much different from Lady Maria Vileblood as they could pass out as sisters. Annalise Vileblood was older than one and a half millennia, and yet she looked like a young teen girl.
She wore very simple clothing, pitch black with a white collar, nothing extravagant like most if not all, noble ladies of her social status would wear. She preferred this simplicity and were the block clothes of mourning, as the emptiness in her heart after the death of her husband would never be filled.
"Your Excellency, they have arrived."
Her piercing grey eyes opened as she was previously being in a meditative station...
"Lead them here... and be quick."
Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood waved her hand as she ordered the servant who came to report this. Her pale white skin was reflecting the light, as were her ashen white hair, giving her some sort of ethereal appearance to the outsider's eyes.
She knew that she had the responsibility of accommodating the newest fianceé of the Holy Imperator for whatever reason she didn't understand, like she didn't understand why the Imperator chose her to be his fianceé, especially considering the fact that there were much better candidates...
But it was not her place to question it because she was one of the very few people who were aware of the Imperator's gifts in the aspect of visions...
"Also, prepare for the dinner... take out the best True Dragon meat we have available... and prepare my chambers for a private discussion with my daughter."
True Dragon meat was especially rare and scarce within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
While the Empire couldn't really tame True Dragons, they were mostly ignoring the creatures and only killed those who were presenting danger to the Imperium.
Like when some of the Red Dragons started burning down villages or attacking dwarven holds for gold and precious things. Only then would they hunt down the True Dragons because they were forces of nature; even the weakest of them was classified as Special Class Dagner Beast.
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
Her personal butler stated as he then excused himself to carry out the orders of his master.
'We will see what the future has prepared for us...'
***
"Before you enter the Great Hall, you need to perform the traditional Cainhurstian greetings... Lady Vileblood has a stringent code of behavior in her courts and always wants it to be followed to the smallest details..."
After Cersei and Maria were escorted by the servants, they were met with the chamberlain of the House Vileblood, who was now showing both of them the traditional greeting between the Cainhurstian nobility.
Maria frowned but mostly ignored the futile efforts of the chamberlain because she was already used to it, her mother was always trying to get her to follow the protocols, but Maria was a small rebel of their family.
So, technically speaking, everyone was already a bit used to her not following protocol of behavior. Fortunately, contrary to Maria's indifference to the protocol and politics, Cersei took them easily and soon could do exactly as the grand chamberlain.
After that, they followed the grand chamberlain into the Great Hall, as they passed a few corridors in which huge armored knights were guarding the premises of the Cainhurstian Castle.
"Presenting, the Heir of the Cainhurst Castle, Lady Maria Vileblood, and in her company, Lady Cersei Lannister."
As his voice resounded through the Great Hall of the Cainhurst Castle, Lady Annalise Vileblood was sitting on her throne, unmoving with closed eyes, looking like she was sleeping, but that was far from the truth.
With her powerful and accurate senses, she was able to see everything that was happening around her even if her eyes were not open, as were most of the powerful Professionals of the Holy Arcadia Empire that strode through the lands of the Ancients.
"..."
"..."
Both Lady Maria Vileblood and Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood were looking at each other for several moments, not saying anything and just staring as they were elevating one another.
While Annalise Vileblood looked like a fragile piece of porcelain, she was in fact one of the most powerful warriors of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire and was one of the few peak Level 6 Professionals that walked there, like a Gods among mortals.
Her expertise within the Vileblood's Blood Artes were second to none and her control over the Blood was even higher than any other Vampire, sans those purebloods of the House Draculya-Tepes.
"You have gotten stronger daughter."
After several minutes of silence within the Great Hall of Castle Cainhurst, which was empty... aside from three of them, there were only a few guards, but none else, as this was considered a family meeting; thus, Lady Annalise Vileblood ordered everyone to go away.
"As you have, mother."
Maria said back because she felt that her mother had also gotten significantly stronger; probably, it wouldn't be a long time, and the Holy Arcadia Empire would have another Level 7 warrior.
Which would be indeed a boom, a great one, as each Level 7 Professional was a tremendous boon to the Imperium.
There were several casters on the Level, but they were a bunch of reclusive old men who left their laboratories only once per several decades, and even that was only for a few hours before they turned their attention back to their research.
"I was surprised that you have returned home that soon, but as fortunate one reality is, the other one is crushing on me every single day... Did you change your mind?"
Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood looked at her daughter with an intense stare, to which Maria continued defying her mother, not allowing her any kind of victory in this area...
No matter what her mother said or done, she would never change the reality of their situation.
"No, I don't want to have anything with the politics or the position of an Heir to the Cainhurst... it is too troublesome and annoying."
Hearing that, her mother's brow twitched a lot, but she held her anger at bay because it was only to be expected.
In the end, she already anticipated such an ending, and she knew very well that perhaps aside from her fianceé / lover, there was no one who could change her mind in this.
"You will never change, would you?"
It was mostly a rhetorical question that her mother was asking; everyone knew the answer to that, and both Maria and Annalise knew it, but after so long, it became some sort of game between them, where both of them would be testing each other in their resolve.
Lady Annalise would test her daughter in her resolve to do nothing, and Lady Maria would test her mother in her resolve to get her to do something.
Even among the servants of the Cainhurst Castle, it became a betting game on who would last the longest.
However, if there was one thing that Lady Annalise had on her side, it was patience, and she knew that sooner or later, Karl Franz would step in and would want to assign some governmental or military position to her daughter.
"No, my mother dearest, never... in this area, never..."
Maria said with a soft tone of voice as she looked at her mother.
"Now, let us proceed to the different matters on hand."
Lady Annalise Vileblood then turned her sight to the rather nervous-looking Cersei Lannister, who was curiously observing the exchanges between the two of them and trying to get a read on their relationships.
Something that she subtly noticed from her father was that he was constantly getting himself informed and gathering information, observing people and analyzing them to learn their strong side, weak sides and everything he could around them.
"So you are the new fianceé of the Holy Imperator... rather young, certainly beautiful, but aside from that, I don't see anything special about you... Certainly, there are much better candidates for such a prestigious position."
Annalise Vileblood said that, with her main intention being to see the reaction from her, she was curious about the state she was in.
She had already had a talk with the Holy Imperator Karl Franz about this matter, who told her about everything she needed to know.
Cersei meanwhile stood there as several sentences that Karl Franz told her were returning to her within a mere moment as flashbacks of the past that happened not that much ago.
'They will look down on you and they will test you with a variety of means... It would be up to you to show them wrong and not show them any weakness because most of them are vicious once they smell weakness; such is the gravest sin within the Lordran the Lands of Ancient... Being weak... So you can never show it outside no matter how you feel inside.'
She then raised her head and looked straight into the eyes of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, which certainly required a great deal of courage because she had heard a lot of things about the mother of Lady Maria and her ruthless personality.
Especially after the death of her husband...
"Maybe there are and maybe there are not, but that is up to the Holy Imperator to decide not anyone else, Lord High Magistrate Vileblood of the Cainhurst. In the end, he is the Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the Imperium by the power of his inexhaustible armies; in all of his Divine Wisdom, he certainly must have his reasons and to doubt them is equal to heresy."
Even Maria Vileblood raised her brows hearing that because that was a certainty very daring answer; some may even consider it outright offensive, but contrary to what many would think, Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood just started laughing a bit.
"Good! Good! At least you have enough backbone and won't be scared of confrontation."
She then motioned them to sit down in the seats that were closest to her throne.
Meanwhile, Cersei was rather satisfied with herself; she knew that her answer was the best she could muster, and she knew that if she said it this way, Lady Annalise Vileblood wouldn't have anything to say back to her on this topic.
"Now that you have arrived here, we will discuss several rules."
Both Maria and Cersei followed and sat down; soon enough, two servants came and served them tea, though for Maria, was also served a cup of Blood of powerful Danger Beasts...
"Imperator sent me here to basically educate you in the matters of nobility within the Holy Arcadia Empire, and you would be living here during your study at the Schola Progenium. The Shola Progenium has three branches: one is at the Cainhurst, one at Yharnam and the last one is at the Anor Londo."
This was already something that she was aware of, as Karl Franz purposely chose the branch of the Schola Progenium that was stationed at the Cainhurst.
"Second thing, you will be assigned quarters and you will be living at Castle Cainhurst so that you can be directly trained by me personally or by Maria; aside from that Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt will be coming once per week for your magic lessons that would be taking place at Sunday, majority of the Sunday. Aside from that, your combat training will be taking place every day in the morning, with waking up time being five hours in the morning."
The more Cersei listened, the more she dreaded of that because it sounded like a living hell... or perhaps it sounded way worse than the living hell.
Being forced to wake up so early in the morning sounded terrible, but being forced to wake up so early in the morning just for the arduous physical combat training was far, far, far worse.
"Don't make that face... after a few weeks, you will get used to it and you have reached the Level 3 physique after the Blood Ministration, so you will need a lot of training to control your strength completely and to reach the higher Levels... if you don't, then you would be left in dust and possibly even discarded if you cannot reach Level 5 in the future."
Those who were classified as Level 3 had an average lifespan of around 1,000 Years, which may be considered a very high lifespan was still something insignificant compared to the essential agelessness that one could reach after mastering the Old Blood to Level 5 and higher.
"And the last thing that I need to mention clearly. When you start attending the Schola Progenium, it won't take long for the rumors to take place about your relationship with the Imperator, so it would create a lot of hostility with a lot of people..."
That was something that she was already prepared for.
"Most notably with the members of the female gender, especially those related to the Elector Count Houses that had their sights on becoming either wife or concubine of the Holy Imperator."
And even this was taken into her consideration, as she was aware of the fact that her engagement would become the target of jealousy for many. That was already something that, with what she was counting...
But nevertheless, it didn't mean anything to her, not to mention even right now she was aware that her personal power was rather high...
Very high because ascending directly to the Level 3 Physique after the Blood Ministration was putting her on the same level as an average member of the Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church.
At least in the physical strength department, naturally, she didn't know anything about the combat, fighting, and so on, but that would be very swiftly addressed probably as soon as possible, and just within a few days at Cainhurst, she predicted that she would learn the basics.
"Let them come then... I will show all of them that lion still has claws."
Both women of the House Vileblood smiled at that because that was the exact approach that they wanted to see.
"Wasn't that a part of the Rains of Castamere?"
Lady Annalise Vileblood asked curiously, fully knowing the history of Tywin Lannister and the recent happenings there, together with the information about the other living and recently deceased members of the said House.
Everything was gathered by the Imperial Military Intelligence, compiled and sent back to the Imperium and then to her, so she knew everything about the person whom she would be taking care of.
"Yes... you know the song?"
Cersei was now genuinely surprised that the Rains of Castemere were known so fast even in the Lands of Ancient.
"Yes... it quickly became my favorite."
Lady Annalise Vileblood said as suddenly a melody of playing the violin was heard, which Cersei recognized very well as it was one of the Rains of Castamere.
"And who are you? The proud lord said
That I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a different coat
That's all the truth I know
In a coat of gold or a coat of red
A lion still has claws
Mine are long and sharp my lord
As long and sharp as yours
*
And so he spoke
And so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
But now the rains weep over his hall
And not a soul to hear
*
And who are you? The proud lord said
That I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a different coat
That's all the truth I know
And so he spoke
And so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
But now the rains weep over his hall
And not a soul to hear
*
And so he spoke
And so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
But now the rains weep over his hall
And not a soul to hear
*
And so he spoke (And so he spoke, and so he spoke)
Lord of Castamere (That Lord of Castamere)
Weep over his hall (But now the rains weep over his hall)
(And not a soul to hear)
And not a soul to hear."
And then there was a silence when the bard finished singing as Lady Annalise was satisfied with the performance, while Maria thought that the song was beautiful but at the same time, it was unnerving her through something.
"And now that we have the cultural window behind us, you two should go and accommodate yourself, especially you little lion as from tomorrow the training regime will be starting. And also, dinner is exactly at 20:00 not even a minute earlier or later."
Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst the City of Silver said as she looked at her daughter and then at her new ward before she closed her eyes, returning to her meditation or whatever she was doing.
***
Both Lady Maria and Cersei exited the Great Hall as they headed toward their chambers, as Maria was leading the way because she knew where Cersei was to be accommodated.
"That went good... at least for most of the parts."
Maria said to her future sister-wife as they were walking out of the Great Hall after meeting with her mother. She thought that it would be worse, but it seemed that the Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst the City of Silver was today in a good mood.
"Really? Sometimes I found that she wanted nothing more than just to throw us out or attack us in some way..."
In truth, she had some mixed feelings about the meeting with Lady Annalise Vileblood of the Cainhurst. Certainly, it wasn't the most pleasing first impression around that one was for sure.
"She was just testing the waters..."
Maria waved it off because she knew exactly what her scheming mother was doing; for someone like her who had spent her whole life watching her and learning from her, it wasn't hard to see through her schemes.
"So even that song was a part of some test?"
It wasn't really pleasant to be read like an open book.
"Yes... most probably yes, but my mother certainly took a liking for it, mainly due to its history and weight, but we are off from the topic."
Maria knew that by playing of the song The Rains of Castemare, her mother wanted to show that she knew everything about Cersei and House Lannister. Which in fact wasn't a very hard thing to do, especially if someone got the information directly from the hands of Imperial Military Intelligence.
"Not really comfortable..."
She muttered quickly because this was the first time she was being read like an open book by someone of higher stature and she could tell that she didn't like that feeling even a bit.
"You will get used to it... my mother is obsessed with being constantly informed about everything that takes place within the Lands of Ancients."
Lady Maria Vileblood was already used to it and she knew that even Cersei would get used to it after some time. In the end, after some time of living in Cainhurst Castle, everyone would get used to the fact that their privacy was almost non-existent.
"Don't dwell on it... come, we need to unpack you and soon enough, there will be dinner; it is already getting dark."
Maria said as they proceeded to the young Lannister's chambers...
***
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- Tercero Gramsci, Headmaster of the Aquila Academy
***
Codex: Aquila Academy
Aquila Academy is one of the elite educational institutions of the Holy Arcadia Empire with the sole purpose of educating the new Knights. All people who are called Knights in the Imperium need to complete their education at the Aquila Academy, where they are taught how to fight, military strategy, or many other things that they may make during their lives.
Most of the recruits are either from civilian origins, talented fighters, Provincial Armies, or from the Imperial Army.
The most dazzling graduates of the Aquila Academy are then sent to the Schola Progenium for further education to become potential high-level Professionals or officers.
***
Two Weeks Later, Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Holy City of Cainhurst, the City of Silver
The cityscape of Cainhurst was a testament to the artistic and engineering prowess of the greatest builders and engineers of the Lordran that ever walked through the lands of ancient, with towering structures that seemed to reach for the heavens, and their silver roofs were reflecting light to the distance.
Dominating the skyline were the city's majestic cathedrals belonging to the Healing Church. Their spires soar into the sky, intricate stone tracery adorning their massive facades. Stained glass windows catch the sunlight and cast a kaleidoscope of colors across the cobbled streets below.
The sound of the cathedral bells resonated through the city, marking the passage of time or calling the faithful to the prayer that would be carried out very soon.
As one gazed up at the cathedrals and other buildings, one could notice a multitude of intricately carved gargoyles and grotesques. These stone creatures seem to come alive in their eerie detail, perched high above to ward off evil spirits and protect the city.
Aside from the gargoyles, there were also countless other statues, many of which belonged to the legendary Knights that originated from the Cainhurst, as the Cainhurstians were people who venerated their Knights and their legendary figures.
The Knight culture was a fundamental part of Cainhurst, the City of Knights; it was an inseparable thing from the identity of the city itself. Cainhurst was known for producing the finest Knights of the Imperium and was known as home to several prominent Swordsmanship Schools.
Crossing the winding river that bisects the city were ancient, wonderfully crafted bridges adorned with arches and buttresses. As people walk across them, they can feel the history beneath their feet, and one can't help but admire the craftsmanship that has allowed these bridges to stand for centuries.
Meandering through the city are a labyrinth of narrow, cobblestone alleyways.
The towering buildings lean slightly toward each other, creating an intimate, shadowy atmosphere below. Lanterns hanging from wrought-iron posts cast a warm, flickering glow, revealing hidden courtyards and small shops selling medieval wares.
At the center of the city, a bustling town square stood there proudly; within the center of the town square was an enormous statue of a nameless Knight made from pure silver, which represented the culture and spirit of Cainhurst, the City of Silver.
The town square was surrounded by elegant townhouses with pointed arches and ornate balconies. Here, the locals gathered to trade, celebrate, and socialize. Most people were selling there their weapons or armor, manuals for training, or priests of the Healing Church were walking among the people and healing those in need.
One of the most imposing and most significant buildings within the town square was the headquarters of the Silver Knight Order that was being stationed within the Cainhurst, together with another important institution, which was Aquilla Academy.
That was also one of the reasons why one could see hundreds of Silver armored Knights, men and women who were members of the Silver Knight Order, walking through the streets of the Cainhurst.
Many of the high-ranking members of the Silver Knight Order were even permanent residents of the Cainhurst.
The city itself was encircled by imposing walls that had a silverish feel to them, inscribed with runes and other protective measures. Among the city walls that were height several tens of meters and very thick, there were countless battlements and watchtowers.
The defensive prowess of the City of Silver was extremely formidable, as the walls were manned with countless pieces of artillery, with Knights, Gunners, Archers and Battle Wizards stationed on the walls of the Cainhurst... ever vigilant and ever ready for combat.
Still, the most notable landmark in the Holy City was the Castle Cainhurst itself, after which the City of Silver was named.
The entire construction was utterly massive, not as big as the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo, but it was still an enormous structure capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people with ease.
The castle's facade was a symphony of intricate details. It was constructed from a variety of materials, including brick, stone, or a combination of both. The castle of Cainhurst was constructed by Durin the First, the legendary dwarven king from the ancient past in times that were mostly forgotten by most.
The surface was covered in ornate carvings, moldings, and decorative motifs. Most of these decorations were images showcasing the glorious moments of the Cainhurst and its lords, showing the important figures, and showing the gravest defeats and majestic victories.
A hallmark of the architecture was its asymmetrical design. The castle's exterior is a mix of various shapes and sizes, with towers, turrets, and wings that seem to sprawl organically.
This asymmetry adds to the castle's unique charm because it was contrary to the typical Lordranese architecture that rotates around symmetry and perfection in all cases.
Bay windows and decorative ornaments were scattered throughout the facade. Bay windows often extended from the side of the castle, adding depth and character to the structure.
Elaborate wrought-iron railings and balconies adorn some sections of the castle, providing a touch of grace and sophistication. These ironwork elements often feature intricate scrollwork and floral motifs.
The main entrance was a grand affair, with a large and imposing door flanked by ornate sidelights and transoms. Carved stone or metal surrounds, sometimes featuring intricate floral or geometric patterns, frame the entrance.
"We have arrived, My Ladies."
An exquisitely crafted war wagon arrived in front of an enormous metal gate that was learning to the castle Cainhurst. The war wagon was surrounded by several Griffon Knights from the Reiksgarde who were protecting the war wagon and acting as its escort.
Today was the day when Cersei Lannister arrived at Cainhurst, the City of Silver, together with Lady Maria, who was guiding her to the City as they were not using the teleportation portal to Cainhurst from the Anor Londo.
"It is much colder here than at the Anor Londo..."
The young lioness remarked as she got out from the war wagon, wearing a much warmer outfit, together with Lady Maria Vileblood.
"Yes... Cainhurst is situated between borders of Reikland and Klandor, so it is much colder there than it is at the there... basically the closer we are to the Northern Peninsula, colder it would get..."
Maria remarked as she felt something nostalgic when she looked at the walls of the Cainhurst Castle; it had been several months since she returned back home, and she could already hear her mother giving her an earful about that.
"Come... we need to meet my mother, she is already awaiting us for sure..."
Her mother, Annalise Vileblood, was spending most of her time at Cainhurst if she was not attending some of her duties as the Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management.
"Would you believe that only two members of the House Vileblood are living here?"
Maria asked as they were passing through the columns of Silver Knights and Cainhurstian Knights that were saluting them, welcoming the return of the Heir of the City of Silver back to the Glorious Holy City.
"How?"
Cersei didn't know that the House Vileblood was so small... even though many of the Noble Houses of the Westeros were small, not to this extent, but with the problems that came with the procreations within the Lordran it wasn't anything that surprising.
"House Vileblood has only three living members: me, my mother, and cousin Nefertara, who decided to create her own House called House Lahmia and would marry Heir of the Elector Count Sylvania, Jubstacheit Draculya-Tepes."
Such a state was indeed pitiful, so that was one of many reasons why Annalise Vileblood was pressuring her daughter to have a child already, or perhaps two or three or even more...
"And unfortunately, during the time when my father was alive, they only had me and my mother refused to remarry..."
Maria said with some sadness in her voice because thoughts about her father always made her sad. Her father was a peak Level 6 Professional who had even defeated Omega Class Danger Beasts...
But when she was thirty years old, a catastrophe happened to the Holy Arcadia Empire, when a Daemon Prince materialized in the Azyr after he was summoned by a bunch of Heretic and Chaos Cultists...
And fate wanted for the Daemon Prince to materialize himself at the Cainhurst... she vividly remembered that day when the Cainhurst came and became a target for the enraged Daemon Prince that wanted to destroy the city and turn it into the rubbles...
Her father, Gerstahl Vileblood, fought against the Daemon Prince and managed to lure the creature away from the Cainhurst and stall it long enough for Master Gehrman to arrive and slay it.
Unfortunately, the Daemon Prince descended onto the material plane in full force, he wasn't suppressed or anything, and thus, he was far more powerful than anyone could imagine as his battle against Gerstahl Vileblood reshaped the land and cracked the mountains.
And the price for all lives that were saved was the single life of Lord High Magistrate of the City of Silver, who perished for his city and for his subjects. He who was forever venerated as the Imperial Saint, as a Hero of the Holy Arcadia Empire that would be forever remembered in the annals of history.
"Maybe you will even meet Nefertara... but that is not very probable because that crazy woman is spending all the time she can with her fianceé."
Nefertara Vileblood, or now Nefertara Lahmia, was crazily obsessive over her finaceé and was almost having possessive feelings towards him. Lahmia was a new House that was directly risen to the Rank of Viceroy within the Grand Pronince of Sylvania.
***
Meanwhile, within the Great Hall of the Castle of Cainhurst.
The grandeur of the Great Hall of the Cainhurst could not be denied by anyone.
The place was huge, featuring stunning stained glass windows and statues of the Imperial Saints and legendary Knights.
It boasted a high vaulted ceiling with ribbed arches and massive stone pillars. Long wooden tables, tapestries, and a roaring hearth create an atmosphere of hospitality, and yet they also showcase the wealth and power of the Cainhurst.
At the end of the Great Hall, there was a simple yet luxurious-looking throne with golden lamination and red velvet parts. There were two such thrones, but the other one was empty; it was always empty for the past several centuries, but it was still maintained in a pristine condition.
With not even one speck of dust being allowed to fall onto it.
On the other throne, a young-looking woman was sitting on it, with an appearance not much different from Lady Maria Vileblood as they could pass out as sisters. Annalise Vileblood was older than one and a half millennia, and yet she looked like a young teen girl.
She wore very simple clothing, pitch black with a white collar, nothing extravagant like most if not all, noble ladies of her social status would wear. She preferred this simplicity and were the block clothes of mourning, as the emptiness in her heart after the death of her husband would never be filled.
"Your Excellency, they have arrived."
Her piercing grey eyes opened as she was previously being in a meditative station...
"Lead them here... and be quick."
Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood waved her hand as she ordered the servant who came to report this. Her pale white skin was reflecting the light, as were her ashen white hair, giving her some sort of ethereal appearance to the outsider's eyes.
She knew that she had the responsibility of accommodating the newest fianceé of the Holy Imperator for whatever reason she didn't understand, like she didn't understand why the Imperator chose her to be his fianceé, especially considering the fact that there were much better candidates...
But it was not her place to question it because she was one of the very few people who were aware of the Imperator's gifts in the aspect of visions...
"Also, prepare for the dinner... take out the best True Dragon meat we have available... and prepare my chambers for a private discussion with my daughter."
True Dragon meat was especially rare and scarce within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
While the Empire couldn't really tame True Dragons, they were mostly ignoring the creatures and only killed those who were presenting danger to the Imperium.
Like when some of the Red Dragons started burning down villages or attacking dwarven holds for gold and precious things. Only then would they hunt down the True Dragons because they were forces of nature; even the weakest of them was classified as Special Class Dagner Beast.
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
Her personal butler stated as he then excused himself to carry out the orders of his master.
'We will see what the future has prepared for us...'
***
"Before you enter the Great Hall, you need to perform the traditional Cainhurstian greetings... Lady Vileblood has a stringent code of behavior in her courts and always wants it to be followed to the smallest details..."
After Cersei and Maria were escorted by the servants, they were met with the chamberlain of the House Vileblood, who was now showing both of them the traditional greeting between the Cainhurstian nobility.
Maria frowned but mostly ignored the futile efforts of the chamberlain because she was already used to it, her mother was always trying to get her to follow the protocols, but Maria was a small rebel of their family.
So, technically speaking, everyone was already a bit used to her not following protocol of behavior. Fortunately, contrary to Maria's indifference to the protocol and politics, Cersei took them easily and soon could do exactly as the grand chamberlain.
After that, they followed the grand chamberlain into the Great Hall, as they passed a few corridors in which huge armored knights were guarding the premises of the Cainhurstian Castle.
"Presenting, the Heir of the Cainhurst Castle, Lady Maria Vileblood, and in her company, Lady Cersei Lannister."
As his voice resounded through the Great Hall of the Cainhurst Castle, Lady Annalise Vileblood was sitting on her throne, unmoving with closed eyes, looking like she was sleeping, but that was far from the truth.
With her powerful and accurate senses, she was able to see everything that was happening around her even if her eyes were not open, as were most of the powerful Professionals of the Holy Arcadia Empire that strode through the lands of the Ancients.
"..."
"..."
Both Lady Maria Vileblood and Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood were looking at each other for several moments, not saying anything and just staring as they were elevating one another.
While Annalise Vileblood looked like a fragile piece of porcelain, she was in fact one of the most powerful warriors of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire and was one of the few peak Level 6 Professionals that walked there, like a Gods among mortals.
Her expertise within the Vileblood's Blood Artes were second to none and her control over the Blood was even higher than any other Vampire, sans those purebloods of the House Draculya-Tepes.
"You have gotten stronger daughter."
After several minutes of silence within the Great Hall of Castle Cainhurst, which was empty... aside from three of them, there were only a few guards, but none else, as this was considered a family meeting; thus, Lady Annalise Vileblood ordered everyone to go away.
"As you have, mother."
Maria said back because she felt that her mother had also gotten significantly stronger; probably, it wouldn't be a long time, and the Holy Arcadia Empire would have another Level 7 warrior.
Which would be indeed a boom, a great one, as each Level 7 Professional was a tremendous boon to the Imperium.
There were several casters on the Level, but they were a bunch of reclusive old men who left their laboratories only once per several decades, and even that was only for a few hours before they turned their attention back to their research.
"I was surprised that you have returned home that soon, but as fortunate one reality is, the other one is crushing on me every single day... Did you change your mind?"
Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood looked at her daughter with an intense stare, to which Maria continued defying her mother, not allowing her any kind of victory in this area...
No matter what her mother said or done, she would never change the reality of their situation.
"No, I don't want to have anything with the politics or the position of an Heir to the Cainhurst... it is too troublesome and annoying."
Hearing that, her mother's brow twitched a lot, but she held her anger at bay because it was only to be expected.
In the end, she already anticipated such an ending, and she knew very well that perhaps aside from her fianceé / lover, there was no one who could change her mind in this.
"You will never change, would you?"
It was mostly a rhetorical question that her mother was asking; everyone knew the answer to that, and both Maria and Annalise knew it, but after so long, it became some sort of game between them, where both of them would be testing each other in their resolve.
Lady Annalise would test her daughter in her resolve to do nothing, and Lady Maria would test her mother in her resolve to get her to do something.
Even among the servants of the Cainhurst Castle, it became a betting game on who would last the longest.
However, if there was one thing that Lady Annalise had on her side, it was patience, and she knew that sooner or later, Karl Franz would step in and would want to assign some governmental or military position to her daughter.
"No, my mother dearest, never... in this area, never..."
Maria said with a soft tone of voice as she looked at her mother.
"Now, let us proceed to the different matters on hand."
Lady Annalise Vileblood then turned her sight to the rather nervous-looking Cersei Lannister, who was curiously observing the exchanges between the two of them and trying to get a read on their relationships.
Something that she subtly noticed from her father was that he was constantly getting himself informed and gathering information, observing people and analyzing them to learn their strong side, weak sides and everything he could around them.
"So you are the new fianceé of the Holy Imperator... rather young, certainly beautiful, but aside from that, I don't see anything special about you... Certainly, there are much better candidates for such a prestigious position."
Annalise Vileblood said that, with her main intention being to see the reaction from her, she was curious about the state she was in.
She had already had a talk with the Holy Imperator Karl Franz about this matter, who told her about everything she needed to know.
Cersei meanwhile stood there as several sentences that Karl Franz told her were returning to her within a mere moment as flashbacks of the past that happened not that much ago.
'They will look down on you and they will test you with a variety of means... It would be up to you to show them wrong and not show them any weakness because most of them are vicious once they smell weakness; such is the gravest sin within the Lordran the Lands of Ancient... Being weak... So you can never show it outside no matter how you feel inside.'
She then raised her head and looked straight into the eyes of Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, which certainly required a great deal of courage because she had heard a lot of things about the mother of Lady Maria and her ruthless personality.
Especially after the death of her husband...
"Maybe there are and maybe there are not, but that is up to the Holy Imperator to decide not anyone else, Lord High Magistrate Vileblood of the Cainhurst. In the end, he is the Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the Imperium by the power of his inexhaustible armies; in all of his Divine Wisdom, he certainly must have his reasons and to doubt them is equal to heresy."
Even Maria Vileblood raised her brows hearing that because that was a certainty very daring answer; some may even consider it outright offensive, but contrary to what many would think, Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood just started laughing a bit.
"Good! Good! At least you have enough backbone and won't be scared of confrontation."
She then motioned them to sit down in the seats that were closest to her throne.
Meanwhile, Cersei was rather satisfied with herself; she knew that her answer was the best she could muster, and she knew that if she said it this way, Lady Annalise Vileblood wouldn't have anything to say back to her on this topic.
"Now that you have arrived here, we will discuss several rules."
Both Maria and Cersei followed and sat down; soon enough, two servants came and served them tea, though for Maria, was also served a cup of Blood of powerful Danger Beasts...
"Imperator sent me here to basically educate you in the matters of nobility within the Holy Arcadia Empire, and you would be living here during your study at the Schola Progenium. The Shola Progenium has three branches: one is at the Cainhurst, one at Yharnam and the last one is at the Anor Londo."
This was already something that she was aware of, as Karl Franz purposely chose the branch of the Schola Progenium that was stationed at the Cainhurst.
"Second thing, you will be assigned quarters and you will be living at Castle Cainhurst so that you can be directly trained by me personally or by Maria; aside from that Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt will be coming once per week for your magic lessons that would be taking place at Sunday, majority of the Sunday. Aside from that, your combat training will be taking place every day in the morning, with waking up time being five hours in the morning."
The more Cersei listened, the more she dreaded of that because it sounded like a living hell... or perhaps it sounded way worse than the living hell.
Being forced to wake up so early in the morning sounded terrible, but being forced to wake up so early in the morning just for the arduous physical combat training was far, far, far worse.
"Don't make that face... after a few weeks, you will get used to it and you have reached the Level 3 physique after the Blood Ministration, so you will need a lot of training to control your strength completely and to reach the higher Levels... if you don't, then you would be left in dust and possibly even discarded if you cannot reach Level 5 in the future."
Those who were classified as Level 3 had an average lifespan of around 1,000 Years, which may be considered a very high lifespan was still something insignificant compared to the essential agelessness that one could reach after mastering the Old Blood to Level 5 and higher.
"And the last thing that I need to mention clearly. When you start attending the Schola Progenium, it won't take long for the rumors to take place about your relationship with the Imperator, so it would create a lot of hostility with a lot of people..."
That was something that she was already prepared for.
"Most notably with the members of the female gender, especially those related to the Elector Count Houses that had their sights on becoming either wife or concubine of the Holy Imperator."
And even this was taken into her consideration, as she was aware of the fact that her engagement would become the target of jealousy for many. That was already something that, with what she was counting...
But nevertheless, it didn't mean anything to her, not to mention even right now she was aware that her personal power was rather high...
Very high because ascending directly to the Level 3 Physique after the Blood Ministration was putting her on the same level as an average member of the Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church.
At least in the physical strength department, naturally, she didn't know anything about the combat, fighting, and so on, but that would be very swiftly addressed probably as soon as possible, and just within a few days at Cainhurst, she predicted that she would learn the basics.
"Let them come then... I will show all of them that lion still has claws."
Both women of the House Vileblood smiled at that because that was the exact approach that they wanted to see.
"Wasn't that a part of the Rains of Castamere?"
Lady Annalise Vileblood asked curiously, fully knowing the history of Tywin Lannister and the recent happenings there, together with the information about the other living and recently deceased members of the said House.
Everything was gathered by the Imperial Military Intelligence, compiled and sent back to the Imperium and then to her, so she knew everything about the person whom she would be taking care of.
"Yes... you know the song?"
Cersei was now genuinely surprised that the Rains of Castemere were known so fast even in the Lands of Ancient.
"Yes... it quickly became my favorite."
Lady Annalise Vileblood said as suddenly a melody of playing the violin was heard, which Cersei recognized very well as it was one of the Rains of Castamere.
"And who are you? The proud lord said
That I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a different coat
That's all the truth I know
In a coat of gold or a coat of red
A lion still has claws
Mine are long and sharp my lord
As long and sharp as yours
*
And so he spoke
And so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
But now the rains weep over his hall
And not a soul to hear
*
And who are you? The proud lord said
That I must bow so low?
Only a cat of a different coat
That's all the truth I know
And so he spoke
And so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
But now the rains weep over his hall
And not a soul to hear
*
And so he spoke
And so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
But now the rains weep over his hall
And not a soul to hear
*
And so he spoke (And so he spoke, and so he spoke)
Lord of Castamere (That Lord of Castamere)
Weep over his hall (But now the rains weep over his hall)
(And not a soul to hear)
And not a soul to hear."
And then there was a silence when the bard finished singing as Lady Annalise was satisfied with the performance, while Maria thought that the song was beautiful but at the same time, it was unnerving her through something.
"And now that we have the cultural window behind us, you two should go and accommodate yourself, especially you little lion as from tomorrow the training regime will be starting. And also, dinner is exactly at 20:00 not even a minute earlier or later."
Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst the City of Silver said as she looked at her daughter and then at her new ward before she closed her eyes, returning to her meditation or whatever she was doing.
***
Both Lady Maria and Cersei exited the Great Hall as they headed toward their chambers, as Maria was leading the way because she knew where Cersei was to be accommodated.
"That went good... at least for most of the parts."
Maria said to her future sister-wife as they were walking out of the Great Hall after meeting with her mother. She thought that it would be worse, but it seemed that the Lord High Magistrate of the Cainhurst the City of Silver was today in a good mood.
"Really? Sometimes I found that she wanted nothing more than just to throw us out or attack us in some way..."
In truth, she had some mixed feelings about the meeting with Lady Annalise Vileblood of the Cainhurst. Certainly, it wasn't the most pleasing first impression around that one was for sure.
"She was just testing the waters..."
Maria waved it off because she knew exactly what her scheming mother was doing; for someone like her who had spent her whole life watching her and learning from her, it wasn't hard to see through her schemes.
"So even that song was a part of some test?"
It wasn't really pleasant to be read like an open book.
"Yes... most probably yes, but my mother certainly took a liking for it, mainly due to its history and weight, but we are off from the topic."
Maria knew that by playing of the song The Rains of Castemare, her mother wanted to show that she knew everything about Cersei and House Lannister. Which in fact wasn't a very hard thing to do, especially if someone got the information directly from the hands of Imperial Military Intelligence.
"Not really comfortable..."
She muttered quickly because this was the first time she was being read like an open book by someone of higher stature and she could tell that she didn't like that feeling even a bit.
"You will get used to it... my mother is obsessed with being constantly informed about everything that takes place within the Lands of Ancients."
Lady Maria Vileblood was already used to it and she knew that even Cersei would get used to it after some time. In the end, after some time of living in Cainhurst Castle, everyone would get used to the fact that their privacy was almost non-existent.
"Don't dwell on it... come, we need to unpack you and soon enough, there will be dinner; it is already getting dark."
Maria said as they proceeded to the young Lannister's chambers...
***
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Chapter 19 - Cainhurst and Schola Progenium
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"We are concerned with the future. The victory of the Imperium depends on those who lead and those who serve. That responsibility is ours; that future is ours to bring to pass."
- Professor Bernar Skrayling of the Schola Progenium
***
Codex: The Pantheon of the Great Ones I.
The Great Ones are a group of immensely powerful, multi-dimensional beings that can exist across several planes of existence. Nobody exactly knows when they started interacting with the mortal planes, and especially with the world of Azyr, but one thing is sure: that the power of the Great Ones is beyond the imagination.
Within the Pantheon of the Great Ones are several notable beings that are the target of the primary worship of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire and the Healing Church.
***
Evening, Cainhurst the City of Silver, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lordran
Soon enough, it was already evening, and after unpacking her things and accommodating herself within her chambers, she was assigned to the castle Cainhurst by Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood. Cersei and Maria were both called to the dinner.
The dining room was rich and had a deep dark red color mixed with black. The entire place could be described as rather gloomy, yet holding a particular sort of elegance and refined beauty.
Walls were adorned with ornate wallpaper featuring intricate patterns, damasks, and, in some places, even floral motifs. Wainscoting was made of dark wood, as it was a standard feature on the lower portion of the walls.
The ceiling itself was another piece of art that was decorating the entire dining room with its decorative molding, intricate plasterwork, and even ceiling medallions.
Chandeliers were suspended from the ceiling, made from a mixture of crystal and glass elements, holding in them several small Lacrimas that were producing the light, as they were the sole source of light in the dining room.
Naturally, the light wasn't very strong, and the entire room was only lighted slightly, giving it some sort of dimmed feeling.
The furniture was made of a dark, polished wood directly exported from the Reikland's dark forests, with its naturally black and dark colors. The tables around the room were large and rectangular, with ornate carving and details. Dining chairs had high backs and upholstered seats, often in velvet or other luxurious fabrics, with intricate patterns naturally unique to the culture of the Cainhurst.
The most notable thing was the dining table that was made from not wood but rather unknown black stone, large enough to accommodate larger gatherings. It also had carved legs and a polished surface, showing the masterful work with a stone.
At the end of the dining room, there was a fireplace with an ornate mantel and decorative tiles or carving. Large, ornate mirrors and oil paintings in ornate frames are often hung on the walls, adding to the sense of grandeur.
Both Maria and Cersei were wearing a dress for the dinner, an indirect order or direct advice from Lady Annalise, much to Maria's dismay and Cersei's delight. All three of them were sitting behind the table, with Maria and Cersei facing each other with Lady Annalise sitting at the end of the table, a special seat for the lord of the house.
"I am glad that you decided to wear a dress for once, Maria... it is a delight compared to your typical combat outfits that you always wear."
Lady Annalise remarked, seeing her daughter wearing something different than the armor or combat outfit after such a long time already.
"Don't worry... this won't become a new standard for sure... I can't understand how you can bear in something this impractical and uncomfortable."
Maria almost immediately scoffed at her mother hearing that because she didn't like wearing dresses, especially the ones that were popular fashion among the Imperial Nobles and the various balls and gatherings.
In her mind, they were impractical, pretty much uncomfortable clothes, and she would feel better in her Hunter outfit.
"Shame... that dress fits you perfectly, my dear, and is enhancing your female curves splendidly... I fear with this tempo, you won't be able even properly to seduce your man and give me a grandchild."
Lady Annalise Vileblood said with fake sight as she teased her daughter; this was a rather common occurrence in their family dynamics, to which Maria was more or less used.
Though, at the same time, she was also being constantly annoyed by her mother's teasing because it was annoying to a great degree. Especially when she was hinting that she lacked feminine charm due to her style of clothing.
"Again? This tactic is getting pretty old, mother dearest..."
Maria smirked at her mother before she cut into her steak.
"Your worries of not getting enough of Karl's cock into my cunt are not really substantiated."
When that was said, everything went quiet in a mere moment. Cersei gasped a bit hearing such vulgar and crass language, but Lady Annalise Vileblood just smiled without saying much.
"What could I expect from my warrior daughter... absolutely zero level of standards... but what should I expect."
It wasn't anything surprising, as they continued eating, because the steaks from the True Dragons, which were considered of the utmost delicacy among the Imperial Nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire, were served.
Even Maria chose to ignore her mother's teasings and remarks but rather focused on her plate of food. Meanwhile, the young Lannister girl was focusing on her food, tending to ignore more of Lady Annalise's remarks because sometimes she felt that the discussion was really "morally breaking"...
"Now to our second guest, who is pretending not to be here."
Suddenly, Cersei felt something went wrong because she felt that Lady Annalise looked at her with an intense glare, which made her realize that she had instantly become the topic of the discussion.
Much to her dismay, Maria finally imaginary sighed in relief as she wasn't, for now, a point of interest for her mother.
"How are you feeling about attending the Schola Progenium?"
She asked as she scrutinized the young woman up and down, seeing that she remained calm upon hearing her question, though considering how much she managed to acclimatize to the Lordran, she must know about the fearsome reputation of the Schola Progenium.
Officially, the Schola Progenium was categorized under the joint control of the Healing Church, Byrgenwerth, Imperial Military, and Imperial Administration as a joint project between them, making the unique status of the Schola Progenium.
"Truthfully, a bit nervous, but that will pass... from what I have heard about the General Forge, it will be even beyond hard..."
The Schola Progenium had several types of Programs called Forges, which basically represented the specialization of the Progenas, the students of the Shola Progenium.
The most notable Forges were General Forge, Cadet Forge, and Administrator Forge and there were several minor Forges that served purpose.
Like the Intelligence Forge or Scholar Forge...
Cadet Forge was a specific program focused on forging the officers for the Imperial Army, Silver Knight Order and other military Units. The Cadet Forge was then divided into several subdivisions based on the future area of their activity...
Administrator Forge was, on the other hand, cultivating the best bureaucrats within the Holy Arcadia Empire that would be ruling the Imperium and carrying out various administrative tasks across the entire Imperium.
Most of the Progens of the Schola Progenium were actually orphans that were collected by the Imperium so that they could be educated and brainwashed into blind loyalty towards the Holy Arcadia Empire.
The system was personally created by the Holy Imperator to cultivate stable and absolutely loyal administrators and officers of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Approximately 50% of the Progenas were orphans that were collected across the territories of the Imperium.
The rest were children of military officials, Imperial Nobles, high-level Professionals and other people of high standing within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Yes... the General Forge is the hardest one among all Forges and only elites among the elties could even dream of completing the General Forge."
Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood stated as General Forge, contrary to the name, which may tell somebody it was in the mind of jack of all trades master of none, it was the exact opposite.
The General Forge was a combination of several other Forges, mainly the Cadet Forge, Administration Forge and several minor Forges together and was served only for the best students of the entire Imperium.
It was typically visited only by the children of the Elector Counts, the strongest and most powerful Professionals off the Holy Arcadia Empire, or other high-ranking officials of the Imperium that could afford it.
"Each year across the whole Imperium, from the millions of citizens of the Holy Arcadia Empire, only twenty people are chosen for the General Forge. This signifies the high standards of the General Forge of the Schola Progenium, and technically speaking, you can complete the Forge within the two years if we are talking about the basic course."
The educational system of the Imperium was a mess, and it wasn't really unified... one could say that every single Grand Province had its own educational system, and the only thing that was even remotely unified were the great educational institutions.
"Karl told me that I would be attended to a somewhat adjusted one; what does that exactly mean?"
Cersei asked curiously as she looked at the Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood.
"You won't be attending the great parts of the Combat Course and Magic Course because those courses would be handled respectively by Maria and Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt. While the Schola Progenium is the best educational institution within the Holy Arcadia Empire, it still couldn't be compared to the personal tutelage of Senior Hunter and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth."
Lady Annalise stated that due to specific reasons, Cersei's education was adjusted to suit perfectly her needs.
"You would attend only combat evaluation and practices, but you won't be attending drills and training; for that, we have better means within the Cainhurst."
The young lines nodded her head, rather unsure and nervous, because she had a feeling that training at the Cainhurst would be even more arduous compared to that of the Schola Progenium.
Unaware of her, it would be even worse than she imagined.
When they finished eating, all three of them departed to their chambers, not before Lady Annalise told them their next program for the upcoming days. At first, she planned for Maria to train with Cersei because she thought that it would be best for the adjustment period.
***
Training Yard of the Castle Cainhurst.
At the next morning, very early, within the private training yard of the House Vileblood at the Castle Cainhurst, two figures were repeating the basic combat stances and acts...
One of them was Lady Maria clad in her Hunter outfit, as she was showing the basic combat moves to Cersei, who was wearing a rather similar light outfit that was created for better mobility and agility for the combat.
They were repeating the same thing for one hour already, as Maria would be teaching Cersei some basic combat techniques and just the fundamentals. Maria wasn't as good at teaching as she thought she would be, so in the end, she settled just with the basics.
"How long must we be doing this?"
Cersei Lannister asked with a tired voice because not only was she forced to wake up at five hours in the morning, but she was also spending the past hour since she woke up doing harsh training and exercises.
For someone as pampered as her, this was a literal nightmare... while she always wanted to learn to fight like a man, she now realized that her wish and dream had many problems and it would be a thorny path to walk on.
"Probably a few weeks; you are learning fast, so be grateful for that..."
Cersei revealed a mortified expression when she heard that this would continue for several weeks, but she also understood that a stable foundation was everything for the future.
"Don't give me that look; basics are everything... without a stable foundation, you won't be able to advance as a warrior in the future."
Basic combat, basic footwork and stances, and several of the most fundamental sword stances.
"Come on, chop, chop, chop..."
Lady Maria then followed after Cersei by showing her the proper execution of the techniques as she was training together with her.
For Maria, she started training when she was little, she was literarily born with weapons in her hands, and she was a prodigy at combat.
If not, then she wouldn't be the prized student of the Gehrman the First Hunter together with the Holy Imperator Karl Franz. Lady Maria Vileblood was hailed as the strongest female warrior within the entire Imperium for a very long time and one of the greatest geniuses...
"When will I start combat against real opponents?"
After another half an hour of practice, Cersei asked as Maria gave her a small pause in her training.
"You can barely swing the sword and already want to fight against a real opponent?"
Lady Maria Vileblood asked rhetorically as she looked at the young lioness of Westerlands incredulously.
"I don't really know if you are foolish or if you are just arrogant... no matter the reason, you won't be fighting any real opponent, at least for a few weeks, until I deem you prepared enough."
While Maria was a strict trainer, she didn't really agree with the training methods of the Gehrman the First Hunter, whose training method for newcomers was just to arm them with a weapon and order them to slay a few beasts.
"... If you say so..."
Cersei was indeed disappointed by that thing because she wanted to fight against something different than her very own shadow.
"Now, less talking and more practicing..."
Maria then said as they resumed their training for the next one and a half an hour.
***
Several hours later, at 9:00 in the morning, Cainhurst the City of Silver
The branch of the Schola Progenium within the Cainhurst was located at the center of the city in an enormous interbuilding complex that interconnected more than ten buildings together and several other areas.
This, in turn, created an enormous area that was exclusively reserved for the Schola Progenium and its uses.
After finishing the morning exercises with Lady Maria Vileblood, they had breakfast and it was already time for Cersei to attend the first classes within Schola Progenium. She also had the status of Special Student, meaning that she had certain privileges that the normal students didn't have.
Within the Schola Progenium, there were such people, at least a few of them were there each year, that, due to their particular situation, needed special attention or different conditions.
For example, due to this pass, she didn't need to live within the spartan-like dorms of the Schola Progenium and several other things that would be much more annoying to her. She was wearing the set of clothes that was issued as a uniform of the Schola Progenium, which was a rather simple and plain military uniform of grey color.
There were almost no patterns on it, and it was not for her tastes, as she would appreciate something more comfortable and pleasing to the eye. But there was nothing that could be done about it; the only solace was that, at least, the uniforms for the General Forge were a bit nicer compared to the other Forges.
"We have arrived, My Lady."
She heard the voice of the butler of Cainhurst, a personal retainer of Lady Annalise Vileblood who was tasked with guiding her to the Schola Progenium. She had her hair tied in bun, for more practicality for the upcoming tasks.
Cersei then disembarked from the war wagon and headed directly to the Schola Progenium... for several moments, she felt like those who were joining the Maester Order within the Westeros.
Mainly because, within the Westeros, there was not any unified educational institution that would be providing education to the masses and commoners. Now, after living in the Holy Arcadia Empire for some time, she learned the benefits of educated peasants...
For example, some of the greatest technological advances, especially the ones that were related to the popularization of Lacrima Technology, were the work of the people who stemmed from common origins.
Lacrimas were something that was indispensable to the Imperium because they were used practically everywhere. Be it in the civilian or military sector, they tremendously improved the area of communication and many other things.
After she entered the premises of the Schola Progenium, she was welcomed by several members of the staff, who then showed her to her class, which she would be attending for the foreseeable future, depending on her skills and learning speed.
Within the General Forge class, there were only something about fifteen students, which was a lower number compared to the previous years, but the numbers of students within the General Forge were ever fluctuating.
There was never a stable number or one hard constant as the number was constantly changing with each year or even with each month.
Most of the students that were attending here were between fourteen to sixteen years old because the Schola Progenium preferred younger students as they were more moldable for their needs.
And in case of need, they were more prone to brainwashing and ideological indoctrination to the blind loyalty towards the Holy Arcadia Empire and Holy Imperator as easily as it could get.
"Now we have here a new student with a Special Pass that is joining us this bit late... other unnecessary things like introduction could be done later, now sit somewhere in the third row and we will continue."
The almost archaic voice of the old man was heard across the class as Cersei did what the old man said and sat next to one of three girls in the Class. Of fifteen students of the General Forge, there were only three girls, and Cersei even managed to recognize one of them.
Mainly the one to which she sat because she recognized the girl as Lagertha Stark an Russ, sister of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris. Actually, even Lagertha recognized the young lioness because they knew each other from the Imperial Palace.
When her brother, the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ visited the Holy Imperator for the journey to Westeros to meet with his long distant kin of House Stark, they met because she was following Karl even to the official meetings sometimes.
So, from then on, one could say that Cersei made a friend with Lagertha Stark an Russ.
"Now where have we ended... yes, the second resurgence of the Fire..."
Ironically, though, it was the history class...
***
Some Time Later
And thus, the weeks have passed one by one since the moment Cersei started attending the Schola Progenium. Contrary to her initial expectations, the situation was better than she anticipated and what she heard...
She took her classes with relative ease and even started excelling at combat. Her inner desire to be the best of the best was showing itself greatly. She always wanted to hold power, a lot of power and now she was given the path to what she desired.
Naturally, she would never neglect this opportunity and made full use of it and she was making it greatly. Her training with Maria was showing great results, and she even started occasionally sparring with Lagertha.
While Lagertha's combat style was especially barbarous and brutal, mainly due to the fact that she was from the Fenris and was taught the traditional combat style of the Fenrisia. Lagertha was what was called within the Fenris a Shield Maiden.
Her choice of weapon was axe and she was taught the traditional ways of the Berserker, who were the most brutal and barbarous warriors of the Fenris. And naturally, they were also the most feared warriors of the Fenris, as nobody wanted to fight a Berserker in a single combat.
Within the Schola Progenium, she was actually excelling at her subjects and she got acclimatized to the standards of the Schola Progenium relatively fast. She understood that if she wanted to become someone great, then the competition of the Schola Progenium and the General Forge was essential.
Right now, Cersei was sparring against the Lagertha Stark an Russ, or more like she was constantly dodging her strikes. Lagertha was using a huge waraxe as her weapon of choice, while she was using the Blades of Mercy she got from Karl.
She was training in the dual-wield because she felt that it was the right combat style for her, and even Lady Maria commented that she was natural at fighting with the dual-wielding and the Blades of Mercy were ideal weapons for her.
"Can't you stop dodging already?!"
Lagertha almost shouted in frustration as her grey eyes narrowed at her opponent because it was already getting to her nerves. Her opponent didn't even bother fighting back, as she focused solely on dodging and avoiding the blows because Cersei knew that in the direct confrontation, she was losing greatly.
"No... in strength contest, I am losing greatly... even though we are of the same Level, you are strength-oriented and I am speed-oriented, so the logical thing to do is to keep dodging and avoiding the strike."
One of the first lessons she learned with Karl or Maria was that, to be a truly elite warrior there was one crucial aspect that every single elite warrior needed to learn and comprehend.
It was to be perfectly aware of your own weaker sides and strong sides, analyze the opponent you are fighting against, and use the comparison to choose the best combat strategy that is most suitable for the current scenario.
"Ts..."
Lagertha scoffed hearing that as she looked at Cersei before she lunged at her once more, as she gripped her axe and attacked once more.
Lagertha was Cersei's sole training partner aside from Maria, and during the few weeks they were sparring together, both of them managed to get acquainted with each other's fighting style.
"Fucking dammed dancers..."
Lagertha cursed loudly when she noticed that Cersei had dodged another strike of her axe and had appeared behind her as she felt something kicking her at her back. With one powerful kick, she was forced onto the ground as she fell down in a mere moment.
Dancers were often a term for high-speed fighting tears that fought with either swords or daggers and depended on their overwhelmingly higher agility and speed to overpower their enemies.
They were called such because sometimes, when they fought, it reminded the people how professional dancers danced at the theatre, with their exquisite movements and light steps, with every single move containing unprecedented beauty and wonder.
"You were once again blinded by your anger and forgot to take into account my superior speed."
The young lioness said with a somewhat haughty voice as she looked at Lagertha who was panting for breath. Each Professional, even at the same Level had a different predisposition towards various physical aspects, or rather everyone had their weaker and stronger sides.
For example, while both Lagertha and Cersei were at Level 3, Cersie was at least thrice faster than Lagertha. But at the same time, Lagertha was around four times stronger physically than Cersei was.
"Yield?"
Cersei asked as Lagertha nodded slowly because she wasn't in the mood to fight anymore and that their fight had, technically speaking, already ended the moment she was kicked down because if this was the real fight, it would be like her death sentence.
When she was recovering from the kick, Lagertha made a mistake that would probably cost her life in real combat because her recovery time took several more seconds than it normally should.
"Now that it 24:41."
Cersei said as she now obtained another one victory, now having a total of 24 victories and 41 losses against Lagertha Stark an Russ. Both of them sat down on the ground, resting after the hard spar they had, as they were fighting against one another for the past one and a half hours.
Lagertha had overall more victories because she had far more experience when it came to combat. In the end, she started training with weapons when she was five years old and her real training started at eight years old.
Not to mention the combat and battles were in her very own blood. It was something that flowed through her veins and she was natural at that.
"You are getting better and better... maybe soon we can go on some mission to hunt for Danger Beasts or whatever."
Lagertha said because she wanted to go out and fight against some Danger Beasts or perhaps against the Greenskins, Daemons, Heretics or other enemies of the Imperium. Not like she didn't before, because she had her first kill at ten years old approximately.
Norsca Peninsula was a very hard place that bred very harsh people...
"Maybe... Maria said that for me to go out is night impossible right now, and only after I passed her test would I be allowed to undertake some mission that included real combat against enemies."
Because Cersei was the fianceé of the Holy Imperator, no matter how much she wanted and how much she pressed for that, they wouldn't allow her to undertake the mission that included real combat without proper preparations.
And that was up to Lady Maria to see when she was ready, as she was responsible for teaching her the basics. And just for a note, the basics in the vocabulary of the Holy Arcadia Empire was the same as relatively experienced Knights within Westeros and Essos.
Even Lagertha felt a bit jealous that her friend got trained personally by Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower... Lady Maria was one of the idols for countless young women across the whole Holy Arcadia Empire and the lands of the Ancients.
"So... I was wondering to ask..."
Suddenly, Lagertha's tone of voice changed rapidly, as Cersei got a very bad promotion of what was going to follow after.
"Wondering about what?"
She trod carefully on this unexplored territory because she had already several times fallen into Lagertha's traps that were either some crass language teasings or some other inappropriate comments.
"Did Imperator already fucked you? I wonder how big his dick would be..."
And naturally, Lagertha didn't disappoint Cersei a bit with her answer because it was as vulgar and crass as she expected it to be. Now, at the same time, she almost coughed at that because such a conversation...
Was probably highly inappropriate...
"I... this is not really an appropriate topic to be discussed."
Even though Cersei learned that within the Imperium, there were different social norms and not everyone was so uptight, at the same time, she didn't really like to discuss such matters out of loud.
"Why not?... In Fenris, everything is much simpler... if you like someone, you fight and assert the dominance in the relationship and then you fuck, as simple as that."
Lagertha said because she didn't really understand the non-Norscans... it didn't really help that the dwarves were similar in mentality to the Fenrisians. In Lagertha's mind, the topic of relationships were simple; everything was solved with a good fight and good fucking.
"Not everyone is an uncultured brute like you, Lagertha... some people have a certain class."
Lagertha Stark an Russ was the daughter of the former Elector Count of the Fenris and sister of the current Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris; thus, her position was even higher than that of the high-ranking nobles with the other parts of the known world.
And yet, she sometimes behaved like a common thug in the undercity.
"What did you say both?! What class? Just a pretense for the fact that you want to ride him to oblivion, at least compared to you I can say something like that out loud."
The young lioness of the Casterly Rock rolled her eyes as she heard her friend's faux anger because she knew that in a certain sense, Lagertha was right?
Certainly, she was, because she wanted to be dominated like Maria was in the bed, she observed them fucking like rabbits for several hours straight and she couldn't help but get moist in between her legs.
"When are the Classes starting again?"
Right now, they were having a break from the Schola Progenium classes for a few days.
While the schedule of the Schola Progenium was strict and harsh, the cadets and students were occasionally getting some mini holidays.
"In three days. And the first day after the end of our free time, we have the first practicals in the survival class..."
It didn't escape Lagertha's attention that when Cersei mentioned the Survival Class words, she was feeling dread passing her.
"Is that fear that I am feeling? Is our little princess feeling the Survival Class?"
Indeed, Cersei was feeling a bit scared of the Survival Class, but not for the Class itself, but she dreaded the feeling that she would be sleeping in the forest... without a proper luxurious bed, without the comfort that she was used to.
In the Survival Class, they would be dropped somewhere in the forest and left to survive on their own for several upcoming days, something that she was dreading dearly.
There would be enemies awaiting them, but for Cersei, the greatest enemy was dirt, cold and other things related to camping outside.
"What? Already thinking about breaking your nail or getting your hair dirty?"
Lagertha mocked her rival/friend because contrary to Cersei's fears about the Survival Class, for Lagertha, it was a piece of cake. In the Grand Province of Fenris, the conditions were harsh and survival skills were imminent to know for every single citizen of the Fenris.
"Shut up, Lagertha... I don't like sleeping on the ground in the freezing nights of Klander, being surrounded by insects and other infernal things. Sorry for it not being my ideal evening..."
Even right now, she was already scheming on how to survive the Survival Class in a more manageable way, but the sole solution that was coming to her was to get help from someone who knew how to survive on their own.
Fortunately, it wasn't really forbidden for the cadets to help each other and work together within the Survival Class, as it was also part of the test.
Just if they decided to work together, they would be tested in a different way compared to those who were working alone.
"If you agree to work with me during the Survival Class, I will in turn, help you with your essays on the topics of the politics of the Imperium, agree?"
Lagertha almost immediately agreed with the suggestion because she hated politics to the core and she preferred to solve her problems with her weapon and fist.
***
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- Professor Bernar Skrayling of the Schola Progenium
***
Codex: The Pantheon of the Great Ones I.
The Great Ones are a group of immensely powerful, multi-dimensional beings that can exist across several planes of existence. Nobody exactly knows when they started interacting with the mortal planes, and especially with the world of Azyr, but one thing is sure: that the power of the Great Ones is beyond the imagination.
Within the Pantheon of the Great Ones are several notable beings that are the target of the primary worship of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire and the Healing Church.
***
Evening, Cainhurst the City of Silver, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lordran
Soon enough, it was already evening, and after unpacking her things and accommodating herself within her chambers, she was assigned to the castle Cainhurst by Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood. Cersei and Maria were both called to the dinner.
The dining room was rich and had a deep dark red color mixed with black. The entire place could be described as rather gloomy, yet holding a particular sort of elegance and refined beauty.
Walls were adorned with ornate wallpaper featuring intricate patterns, damasks, and, in some places, even floral motifs. Wainscoting was made of dark wood, as it was a standard feature on the lower portion of the walls.
The ceiling itself was another piece of art that was decorating the entire dining room with its decorative molding, intricate plasterwork, and even ceiling medallions.
Chandeliers were suspended from the ceiling, made from a mixture of crystal and glass elements, holding in them several small Lacrimas that were producing the light, as they were the sole source of light in the dining room.
Naturally, the light wasn't very strong, and the entire room was only lighted slightly, giving it some sort of dimmed feeling.
The furniture was made of a dark, polished wood directly exported from the Reikland's dark forests, with its naturally black and dark colors. The tables around the room were large and rectangular, with ornate carving and details. Dining chairs had high backs and upholstered seats, often in velvet or other luxurious fabrics, with intricate patterns naturally unique to the culture of the Cainhurst.
The most notable thing was the dining table that was made from not wood but rather unknown black stone, large enough to accommodate larger gatherings. It also had carved legs and a polished surface, showing the masterful work with a stone.
At the end of the dining room, there was a fireplace with an ornate mantel and decorative tiles or carving. Large, ornate mirrors and oil paintings in ornate frames are often hung on the walls, adding to the sense of grandeur.
Both Maria and Cersei were wearing a dress for the dinner, an indirect order or direct advice from Lady Annalise, much to Maria's dismay and Cersei's delight. All three of them were sitting behind the table, with Maria and Cersei facing each other with Lady Annalise sitting at the end of the table, a special seat for the lord of the house.
"I am glad that you decided to wear a dress for once, Maria... it is a delight compared to your typical combat outfits that you always wear."
Lady Annalise remarked, seeing her daughter wearing something different than the armor or combat outfit after such a long time already.
"Don't worry... this won't become a new standard for sure... I can't understand how you can bear in something this impractical and uncomfortable."
Maria almost immediately scoffed at her mother hearing that because she didn't like wearing dresses, especially the ones that were popular fashion among the Imperial Nobles and the various balls and gatherings.
In her mind, they were impractical, pretty much uncomfortable clothes, and she would feel better in her Hunter outfit.
"Shame... that dress fits you perfectly, my dear, and is enhancing your female curves splendidly... I fear with this tempo, you won't be able even properly to seduce your man and give me a grandchild."
Lady Annalise Vileblood said with fake sight as she teased her daughter; this was a rather common occurrence in their family dynamics, to which Maria was more or less used.
Though, at the same time, she was also being constantly annoyed by her mother's teasing because it was annoying to a great degree. Especially when she was hinting that she lacked feminine charm due to her style of clothing.
"Again? This tactic is getting pretty old, mother dearest..."
Maria smirked at her mother before she cut into her steak.
"Your worries of not getting enough of Karl's cock into my cunt are not really substantiated."
When that was said, everything went quiet in a mere moment. Cersei gasped a bit hearing such vulgar and crass language, but Lady Annalise Vileblood just smiled without saying much.
"What could I expect from my warrior daughter... absolutely zero level of standards... but what should I expect."
It wasn't anything surprising, as they continued eating, because the steaks from the True Dragons, which were considered of the utmost delicacy among the Imperial Nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire, were served.
Even Maria chose to ignore her mother's teasings and remarks but rather focused on her plate of food. Meanwhile, the young Lannister girl was focusing on her food, tending to ignore more of Lady Annalise's remarks because sometimes she felt that the discussion was really "morally breaking"...
"Now to our second guest, who is pretending not to be here."
Suddenly, Cersei felt something went wrong because she felt that Lady Annalise looked at her with an intense glare, which made her realize that she had instantly become the topic of the discussion.
Much to her dismay, Maria finally imaginary sighed in relief as she wasn't, for now, a point of interest for her mother.
"How are you feeling about attending the Schola Progenium?"
She asked as she scrutinized the young woman up and down, seeing that she remained calm upon hearing her question, though considering how much she managed to acclimatize to the Lordran, she must know about the fearsome reputation of the Schola Progenium.
Officially, the Schola Progenium was categorized under the joint control of the Healing Church, Byrgenwerth, Imperial Military, and Imperial Administration as a joint project between them, making the unique status of the Schola Progenium.
"Truthfully, a bit nervous, but that will pass... from what I have heard about the General Forge, it will be even beyond hard..."
The Schola Progenium had several types of Programs called Forges, which basically represented the specialization of the Progenas, the students of the Shola Progenium.
The most notable Forges were General Forge, Cadet Forge, and Administrator Forge and there were several minor Forges that served purpose.
Like the Intelligence Forge or Scholar Forge...
Cadet Forge was a specific program focused on forging the officers for the Imperial Army, Silver Knight Order and other military Units. The Cadet Forge was then divided into several subdivisions based on the future area of their activity...
Administrator Forge was, on the other hand, cultivating the best bureaucrats within the Holy Arcadia Empire that would be ruling the Imperium and carrying out various administrative tasks across the entire Imperium.
Most of the Progens of the Schola Progenium were actually orphans that were collected by the Imperium so that they could be educated and brainwashed into blind loyalty towards the Holy Arcadia Empire.
The system was personally created by the Holy Imperator to cultivate stable and absolutely loyal administrators and officers of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Approximately 50% of the Progenas were orphans that were collected across the territories of the Imperium.
The rest were children of military officials, Imperial Nobles, high-level Professionals and other people of high standing within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Yes... the General Forge is the hardest one among all Forges and only elites among the elties could even dream of completing the General Forge."
Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood stated as General Forge, contrary to the name, which may tell somebody it was in the mind of jack of all trades master of none, it was the exact opposite.
The General Forge was a combination of several other Forges, mainly the Cadet Forge, Administration Forge and several minor Forges together and was served only for the best students of the entire Imperium.
It was typically visited only by the children of the Elector Counts, the strongest and most powerful Professionals off the Holy Arcadia Empire, or other high-ranking officials of the Imperium that could afford it.
"Each year across the whole Imperium, from the millions of citizens of the Holy Arcadia Empire, only twenty people are chosen for the General Forge. This signifies the high standards of the General Forge of the Schola Progenium, and technically speaking, you can complete the Forge within the two years if we are talking about the basic course."
The educational system of the Imperium was a mess, and it wasn't really unified... one could say that every single Grand Province had its own educational system, and the only thing that was even remotely unified were the great educational institutions.
"Karl told me that I would be attended to a somewhat adjusted one; what does that exactly mean?"
Cersei asked curiously as she looked at the Lord High Magistrate Annalise Vileblood.
"You won't be attending the great parts of the Combat Course and Magic Course because those courses would be handled respectively by Maria and Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt. While the Schola Progenium is the best educational institution within the Holy Arcadia Empire, it still couldn't be compared to the personal tutelage of Senior Hunter and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth."
Lady Annalise stated that due to specific reasons, Cersei's education was adjusted to suit perfectly her needs.
"You would attend only combat evaluation and practices, but you won't be attending drills and training; for that, we have better means within the Cainhurst."
The young lines nodded her head, rather unsure and nervous, because she had a feeling that training at the Cainhurst would be even more arduous compared to that of the Schola Progenium.
Unaware of her, it would be even worse than she imagined.
When they finished eating, all three of them departed to their chambers, not before Lady Annalise told them their next program for the upcoming days. At first, she planned for Maria to train with Cersei because she thought that it would be best for the adjustment period.
***
Training Yard of the Castle Cainhurst.
At the next morning, very early, within the private training yard of the House Vileblood at the Castle Cainhurst, two figures were repeating the basic combat stances and acts...
One of them was Lady Maria clad in her Hunter outfit, as she was showing the basic combat moves to Cersei, who was wearing a rather similar light outfit that was created for better mobility and agility for the combat.
They were repeating the same thing for one hour already, as Maria would be teaching Cersei some basic combat techniques and just the fundamentals. Maria wasn't as good at teaching as she thought she would be, so in the end, she settled just with the basics.
"How long must we be doing this?"
Cersei Lannister asked with a tired voice because not only was she forced to wake up at five hours in the morning, but she was also spending the past hour since she woke up doing harsh training and exercises.
For someone as pampered as her, this was a literal nightmare... while she always wanted to learn to fight like a man, she now realized that her wish and dream had many problems and it would be a thorny path to walk on.
"Probably a few weeks; you are learning fast, so be grateful for that..."
Cersei revealed a mortified expression when she heard that this would continue for several weeks, but she also understood that a stable foundation was everything for the future.
"Don't give me that look; basics are everything... without a stable foundation, you won't be able to advance as a warrior in the future."
Basic combat, basic footwork and stances, and several of the most fundamental sword stances.
"Come on, chop, chop, chop..."
Lady Maria then followed after Cersei by showing her the proper execution of the techniques as she was training together with her.
For Maria, she started training when she was little, she was literarily born with weapons in her hands, and she was a prodigy at combat.
If not, then she wouldn't be the prized student of the Gehrman the First Hunter together with the Holy Imperator Karl Franz. Lady Maria Vileblood was hailed as the strongest female warrior within the entire Imperium for a very long time and one of the greatest geniuses...
"When will I start combat against real opponents?"
After another half an hour of practice, Cersei asked as Maria gave her a small pause in her training.
"You can barely swing the sword and already want to fight against a real opponent?"
Lady Maria Vileblood asked rhetorically as she looked at the young lioness of Westerlands incredulously.
"I don't really know if you are foolish or if you are just arrogant... no matter the reason, you won't be fighting any real opponent, at least for a few weeks, until I deem you prepared enough."
While Maria was a strict trainer, she didn't really agree with the training methods of the Gehrman the First Hunter, whose training method for newcomers was just to arm them with a weapon and order them to slay a few beasts.
"... If you say so..."
Cersei was indeed disappointed by that thing because she wanted to fight against something different than her very own shadow.
"Now, less talking and more practicing..."
Maria then said as they resumed their training for the next one and a half an hour.
***
Several hours later, at 9:00 in the morning, Cainhurst the City of Silver
The branch of the Schola Progenium within the Cainhurst was located at the center of the city in an enormous interbuilding complex that interconnected more than ten buildings together and several other areas.
This, in turn, created an enormous area that was exclusively reserved for the Schola Progenium and its uses.
After finishing the morning exercises with Lady Maria Vileblood, they had breakfast and it was already time for Cersei to attend the first classes within Schola Progenium. She also had the status of Special Student, meaning that she had certain privileges that the normal students didn't have.
Within the Schola Progenium, there were such people, at least a few of them were there each year, that, due to their particular situation, needed special attention or different conditions.
For example, due to this pass, she didn't need to live within the spartan-like dorms of the Schola Progenium and several other things that would be much more annoying to her. She was wearing the set of clothes that was issued as a uniform of the Schola Progenium, which was a rather simple and plain military uniform of grey color.
There were almost no patterns on it, and it was not for her tastes, as she would appreciate something more comfortable and pleasing to the eye. But there was nothing that could be done about it; the only solace was that, at least, the uniforms for the General Forge were a bit nicer compared to the other Forges.
"We have arrived, My Lady."
She heard the voice of the butler of Cainhurst, a personal retainer of Lady Annalise Vileblood who was tasked with guiding her to the Schola Progenium. She had her hair tied in bun, for more practicality for the upcoming tasks.
Cersei then disembarked from the war wagon and headed directly to the Schola Progenium... for several moments, she felt like those who were joining the Maester Order within the Westeros.
Mainly because, within the Westeros, there was not any unified educational institution that would be providing education to the masses and commoners. Now, after living in the Holy Arcadia Empire for some time, she learned the benefits of educated peasants...
For example, some of the greatest technological advances, especially the ones that were related to the popularization of Lacrima Technology, were the work of the people who stemmed from common origins.
Lacrimas were something that was indispensable to the Imperium because they were used practically everywhere. Be it in the civilian or military sector, they tremendously improved the area of communication and many other things.
After she entered the premises of the Schola Progenium, she was welcomed by several members of the staff, who then showed her to her class, which she would be attending for the foreseeable future, depending on her skills and learning speed.
Within the General Forge class, there were only something about fifteen students, which was a lower number compared to the previous years, but the numbers of students within the General Forge were ever fluctuating.
There was never a stable number or one hard constant as the number was constantly changing with each year or even with each month.
Most of the students that were attending here were between fourteen to sixteen years old because the Schola Progenium preferred younger students as they were more moldable for their needs.
And in case of need, they were more prone to brainwashing and ideological indoctrination to the blind loyalty towards the Holy Arcadia Empire and Holy Imperator as easily as it could get.
"Now we have here a new student with a Special Pass that is joining us this bit late... other unnecessary things like introduction could be done later, now sit somewhere in the third row and we will continue."
The almost archaic voice of the old man was heard across the class as Cersei did what the old man said and sat next to one of three girls in the Class. Of fifteen students of the General Forge, there were only three girls, and Cersei even managed to recognize one of them.
Mainly the one to which she sat because she recognized the girl as Lagertha Stark an Russ, sister of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris. Actually, even Lagertha recognized the young lioness because they knew each other from the Imperial Palace.
When her brother, the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ visited the Holy Imperator for the journey to Westeros to meet with his long distant kin of House Stark, they met because she was following Karl even to the official meetings sometimes.
So, from then on, one could say that Cersei made a friend with Lagertha Stark an Russ.
"Now where have we ended... yes, the second resurgence of the Fire..."
Ironically, though, it was the history class...
***
Some Time Later
And thus, the weeks have passed one by one since the moment Cersei started attending the Schola Progenium. Contrary to her initial expectations, the situation was better than she anticipated and what she heard...
She took her classes with relative ease and even started excelling at combat. Her inner desire to be the best of the best was showing itself greatly. She always wanted to hold power, a lot of power and now she was given the path to what she desired.
Naturally, she would never neglect this opportunity and made full use of it and she was making it greatly. Her training with Maria was showing great results, and she even started occasionally sparring with Lagertha.
While Lagertha's combat style was especially barbarous and brutal, mainly due to the fact that she was from the Fenris and was taught the traditional combat style of the Fenrisia. Lagertha was what was called within the Fenris a Shield Maiden.
Her choice of weapon was axe and she was taught the traditional ways of the Berserker, who were the most brutal and barbarous warriors of the Fenris. And naturally, they were also the most feared warriors of the Fenris, as nobody wanted to fight a Berserker in a single combat.
Within the Schola Progenium, she was actually excelling at her subjects and she got acclimatized to the standards of the Schola Progenium relatively fast. She understood that if she wanted to become someone great, then the competition of the Schola Progenium and the General Forge was essential.
Right now, Cersei was sparring against the Lagertha Stark an Russ, or more like she was constantly dodging her strikes. Lagertha was using a huge waraxe as her weapon of choice, while she was using the Blades of Mercy she got from Karl.
She was training in the dual-wield because she felt that it was the right combat style for her, and even Lady Maria commented that she was natural at fighting with the dual-wielding and the Blades of Mercy were ideal weapons for her.
"Can't you stop dodging already?!"
Lagertha almost shouted in frustration as her grey eyes narrowed at her opponent because it was already getting to her nerves. Her opponent didn't even bother fighting back, as she focused solely on dodging and avoiding the blows because Cersei knew that in the direct confrontation, she was losing greatly.
"No... in strength contest, I am losing greatly... even though we are of the same Level, you are strength-oriented and I am speed-oriented, so the logical thing to do is to keep dodging and avoiding the strike."
One of the first lessons she learned with Karl or Maria was that, to be a truly elite warrior there was one crucial aspect that every single elite warrior needed to learn and comprehend.
It was to be perfectly aware of your own weaker sides and strong sides, analyze the opponent you are fighting against, and use the comparison to choose the best combat strategy that is most suitable for the current scenario.
"Ts..."
Lagertha scoffed hearing that as she looked at Cersei before she lunged at her once more, as she gripped her axe and attacked once more.
Lagertha was Cersei's sole training partner aside from Maria, and during the few weeks they were sparring together, both of them managed to get acquainted with each other's fighting style.
"Fucking dammed dancers..."
Lagertha cursed loudly when she noticed that Cersei had dodged another strike of her axe and had appeared behind her as she felt something kicking her at her back. With one powerful kick, she was forced onto the ground as she fell down in a mere moment.
Dancers were often a term for high-speed fighting tears that fought with either swords or daggers and depended on their overwhelmingly higher agility and speed to overpower their enemies.
They were called such because sometimes, when they fought, it reminded the people how professional dancers danced at the theatre, with their exquisite movements and light steps, with every single move containing unprecedented beauty and wonder.
"You were once again blinded by your anger and forgot to take into account my superior speed."
The young lioness said with a somewhat haughty voice as she looked at Lagertha who was panting for breath. Each Professional, even at the same Level had a different predisposition towards various physical aspects, or rather everyone had their weaker and stronger sides.
For example, while both Lagertha and Cersei were at Level 3, Cersie was at least thrice faster than Lagertha. But at the same time, Lagertha was around four times stronger physically than Cersei was.
"Yield?"
Cersei asked as Lagertha nodded slowly because she wasn't in the mood to fight anymore and that their fight had, technically speaking, already ended the moment she was kicked down because if this was the real fight, it would be like her death sentence.
When she was recovering from the kick, Lagertha made a mistake that would probably cost her life in real combat because her recovery time took several more seconds than it normally should.
"Now that it 24:41."
Cersei said as she now obtained another one victory, now having a total of 24 victories and 41 losses against Lagertha Stark an Russ. Both of them sat down on the ground, resting after the hard spar they had, as they were fighting against one another for the past one and a half hours.
Lagertha had overall more victories because she had far more experience when it came to combat. In the end, she started training with weapons when she was five years old and her real training started at eight years old.
Not to mention the combat and battles were in her very own blood. It was something that flowed through her veins and she was natural at that.
"You are getting better and better... maybe soon we can go on some mission to hunt for Danger Beasts or whatever."
Lagertha said because she wanted to go out and fight against some Danger Beasts or perhaps against the Greenskins, Daemons, Heretics or other enemies of the Imperium. Not like she didn't before, because she had her first kill at ten years old approximately.
Norsca Peninsula was a very hard place that bred very harsh people...
"Maybe... Maria said that for me to go out is night impossible right now, and only after I passed her test would I be allowed to undertake some mission that included real combat against enemies."
Because Cersei was the fianceé of the Holy Imperator, no matter how much she wanted and how much she pressed for that, they wouldn't allow her to undertake the mission that included real combat without proper preparations.
And that was up to Lady Maria to see when she was ready, as she was responsible for teaching her the basics. And just for a note, the basics in the vocabulary of the Holy Arcadia Empire was the same as relatively experienced Knights within Westeros and Essos.
Even Lagertha felt a bit jealous that her friend got trained personally by Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower... Lady Maria was one of the idols for countless young women across the whole Holy Arcadia Empire and the lands of the Ancients.
"So... I was wondering to ask..."
Suddenly, Lagertha's tone of voice changed rapidly, as Cersei got a very bad promotion of what was going to follow after.
"Wondering about what?"
She trod carefully on this unexplored territory because she had already several times fallen into Lagertha's traps that were either some crass language teasings or some other inappropriate comments.
"Did Imperator already fucked you? I wonder how big his dick would be..."
And naturally, Lagertha didn't disappoint Cersei a bit with her answer because it was as vulgar and crass as she expected it to be. Now, at the same time, she almost coughed at that because such a conversation...
Was probably highly inappropriate...
"I... this is not really an appropriate topic to be discussed."
Even though Cersei learned that within the Imperium, there were different social norms and not everyone was so uptight, at the same time, she didn't really like to discuss such matters out of loud.
"Why not?... In Fenris, everything is much simpler... if you like someone, you fight and assert the dominance in the relationship and then you fuck, as simple as that."
Lagertha said because she didn't really understand the non-Norscans... it didn't really help that the dwarves were similar in mentality to the Fenrisians. In Lagertha's mind, the topic of relationships were simple; everything was solved with a good fight and good fucking.
"Not everyone is an uncultured brute like you, Lagertha... some people have a certain class."
Lagertha Stark an Russ was the daughter of the former Elector Count of the Fenris and sister of the current Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris; thus, her position was even higher than that of the high-ranking nobles with the other parts of the known world.
And yet, she sometimes behaved like a common thug in the undercity.
"What did you say both?! What class? Just a pretense for the fact that you want to ride him to oblivion, at least compared to you I can say something like that out loud."
The young lioness of the Casterly Rock rolled her eyes as she heard her friend's faux anger because she knew that in a certain sense, Lagertha was right?
Certainly, she was, because she wanted to be dominated like Maria was in the bed, she observed them fucking like rabbits for several hours straight and she couldn't help but get moist in between her legs.
"When are the Classes starting again?"
Right now, they were having a break from the Schola Progenium classes for a few days.
While the schedule of the Schola Progenium was strict and harsh, the cadets and students were occasionally getting some mini holidays.
"In three days. And the first day after the end of our free time, we have the first practicals in the survival class..."
It didn't escape Lagertha's attention that when Cersei mentioned the Survival Class words, she was feeling dread passing her.
"Is that fear that I am feeling? Is our little princess feeling the Survival Class?"
Indeed, Cersei was feeling a bit scared of the Survival Class, but not for the Class itself, but she dreaded the feeling that she would be sleeping in the forest... without a proper luxurious bed, without the comfort that she was used to.
In the Survival Class, they would be dropped somewhere in the forest and left to survive on their own for several upcoming days, something that she was dreading dearly.
There would be enemies awaiting them, but for Cersei, the greatest enemy was dirt, cold and other things related to camping outside.
"What? Already thinking about breaking your nail or getting your hair dirty?"
Lagertha mocked her rival/friend because contrary to Cersei's fears about the Survival Class, for Lagertha, it was a piece of cake. In the Grand Province of Fenris, the conditions were harsh and survival skills were imminent to know for every single citizen of the Fenris.
"Shut up, Lagertha... I don't like sleeping on the ground in the freezing nights of Klander, being surrounded by insects and other infernal things. Sorry for it not being my ideal evening..."
Even right now, she was already scheming on how to survive the Survival Class in a more manageable way, but the sole solution that was coming to her was to get help from someone who knew how to survive on their own.
Fortunately, it wasn't really forbidden for the cadets to help each other and work together within the Survival Class, as it was also part of the test.
Just if they decided to work together, they would be tested in a different way compared to those who were working alone.
"If you agree to work with me during the Survival Class, I will in turn, help you with your essays on the topics of the politics of the Imperium, agree?"
Lagertha almost immediately agreed with the suggestion because she hated politics to the core and she preferred to solve her problems with her weapon and fist.
***
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Chapter 20 – Stormcast Eternals
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"They shall be my finest warriors, these men and women who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mold them and in the furnace of war I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armor I shall clad them and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. No Magic shall oppose them as they shall be born of it. The Blood will protect them and aid them in their grand quest. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Ruin, Heretics and Terrors of the Old Night. They are the Defenders of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its people. They are Stormcast Eternals, the embodiment of storm and rage...and they shall know no fear."
The Holy Imperator Karl-Franz on the creation of the Stormcast Eternals
***
Codex: Laputa
City Fortress Laputa, the capital of the Grand Province of the Orleáns. Originally Laputa was a simple fortress built with the sole purpose of holding back the immeasurable hordes of the Greenskins living within the Orklands that conducted systematic raids on the province.
As the years flew by, the Laputa Fortress was expanding more and more, and within a few centuries, the rather simple fortress was expanded to become a monstrous City Fortress that was one of the best defensive points across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
Laputa is also home to the House Orleáns and it was built by the House Orleáns, who are now the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of the Orleáns.
***
Year 10,280 of Lordranese Callendar, August
Lands of Ancient, Holy Arcadia Empire, Reikland, Anor Londo
Three months have passed since the Great Convention Council of the Holy Arcadia Empire, during which many crucial decisions were made that would affect the Imperium. Be it the establishment of the Stormcast Eternals or the decision to merge the Healing Church under the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
The process of emerging the Healing Church into the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder was smooth and done quickly and without many problems. Now, the Holy Imperator obtained even far greater power over the Imperium.
With the direct control of the Healing Church with the Holy Imperator position becoming the highest authority within the Healing Church, none of the Vicars refused, and all of them pledged their allegiance to him.
Because Karl Franz was the chosen one of the Great Ones and bore the rune of the Oedon the Formless God Blood.
Due to that, nobody had any reason to refuse to pledge their allegiance to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, and thus, the Healing Church became another branch of Imperator's power.
"Is this the final version?"
Right now, Holy Imperator Karl Franz was talking with the Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Magic Orders and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth about the Project Stormcast Eternals, which was nearing its end.
"Yes, it is Your Holy Majesty."
Balthasar Gelt was tasked with the leadership of the Project Stormcast Eternals as he was one of the most knowledgeable people about various methods of getting stronger across the Lands of Ancients.
Though overall Project Stormcast Eternals was headed by more or like a council of people from various areas of the Holy Arcadia Empire; among them were several of legendary-like figures like Big Hat Logan or Master Willem.
"And the probability of the success?"
Karl Franz asked because he didn't wish to take chances with the forging of the Stormcast Eternals. The men and women who would be undergoing the Forging Process were something grueling and arduous and on their person, and he didn't wish to send them to death.
All of them were members of the Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners; others were from the Sardaukar or other elite forces of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and the loss of every single one was a significant loss to the Empire.
While in the great scheme of things, it was not, but for the Imperator had a different mindset regarding it... another thing was that most of the people he trained and selected personally.
They were the results of his hard work.
"99%... we took every single precaution method available and are not leaving anything to the coincidence."
Balthasar Gelt said as he passed him several documents about this... Karl Franz skimmed everything with his eyes; it took him only several seconds to read everything, and in the end, after taking everything, he decided to give the Project the green.
"And the Forging... is it prepared?"
According to the Project of Stormcast Eternals, they would be literally forged in a process called "Forging" that would basically create the Stormcast Eternal.
"Yes, it is... unfortunately, it is a one-time use only because we don't have an infinite source of Magic for such tasks as the creation of the Stormcast Eternals. We managed to gather enough Magic escaping from the World Soul."
In that one moment, it felt like the entire world had stopped.
***
MC POV
Hearing what Balthasar Gelt said made me pause in my tracks because harnessing the power of the World-Soul was a hazardous move. In a certain way, we could be all happy that this didn't end with the destruction of considerable parts of the Lordran or other parts of the Azyr.
World-Soul is the name given to the powerful, Nascent Soul of a Titan. The first and most vulnerable stage of a Titan's life, World-Souls, originate as masses of energy spun out into the Great Dark Beyond at the moment of its creation, eventually finding comfort in the warmth of a sun.
In time, a planet coalesces around the newly formed World-Soul, protecting it as it grows.
The Soul slumbers for ages within the planet's fiery core, suffusing the planet with their energies as generations of life live and die upon it before eventually awakening as a living world.
World-Souls only exist within a small number of planets scattered throughout the Great Dark, and every single planet that has a World-Soul will eventually develop into an extremely powerful world with a mighty civilization.
We were treading on thin ice because even the slightest injury to the World-Soul could cause a world-destroying event.
"And the other Titans?"
I asked very carefully about this, almost fearing for the answer, because if the Titans felt something was amiss, then... only the protection of the Great Ones would be able to save the existence of the Azyr.
"Nothing... we even made the ceremony to ask for the permission of the Great Ones for this, and they gave us the answer in a positive manner. If not, nobody would ever allow something like this, the Byrgenwerth still has in its archives the information about the Titans and their power and if they fear that one of their brethren may be endangered, then they would wipe our entire civilization."
Titans were a race of colossal, planet-sized cosmic beings composed of Arcane Magic and the primordial matter from which the Cosmos was born. They roamed across the Cosmos like walking worlds, imbued with the raw power of creation itself.
The Titans used this incredible force to find and awaken others of their kind. Hailing from the far reaches of the cosmos, they shaped and brought life and order to countless worlds across the Great Dark Beyond.
They were described as perfect and majestic beings who are akin to Gods, and the power of the greatest among their kind was said to equal that of the Great Ones apparently.
"Now... it makes sense indeed... why the Ruinious Powers are so adamant about obtaining Azyr for their own devises... the birth of another with the power equaling the Great Four..."
I wasn't really aware of the true state of the World-Soul of the Azyr; I was only told that it existed and it was left at that. It was a secret that was deeply protected by the Byrgenwerth and it was known by only two people of the Imperium.
Only to the Headmaster to the full extent and to me to a certain degree.
"I want to know everything about the state of the World-Soul from now on. I understand that you have been protecting this secret for countless years, but it is also something that I need to take into consideration..."
I said sternly because this was something that could decide the fate of the entire world and attract the attention of the being from the Great Dark Beyond... an attention that we really don't need as we already had enough of it.
"As you wish, Your Holy Majesty. Though I have to warn you beforehand that even within the Byrgenwerth, we don't have a lot of information on the Titans and World-Souls because it is still a very obscure topic even for the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth."
Balthasar Gelt stated almost indifferently because even within the Byrgenwerth, the topic of Titans or World-Souls was something pretty much obscure. The heavy majority of the information gathered about it stemmed from ancient records that were old more than ten thousand years ago.
"When can we start with the first batch of the Stormcast Eternals?"
Sooner or later, there would be a need for the Imperium to search for the resources even in the Great Dark Beyond... but that was hopefully millennia away, but one can never be underprepared for such things.
"In a few days, we would have everything prepared together with the first batch of people... though how many of the Stormcast Eternals do Your Holy Majesty wish to create?"
The Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth asked as he looked at the Holy Imperator.
"4,500 Stormcast Eternals divided into 4 Temples of Reiksgarde Temple, Judiciary Temple, Paladin Temple, and Vindicator Temple."
The overall structure of the Stormcast Eternals would be divided into these four Temples, with each Temple would consist of Chambers with each Chamber consisting of 500 Stormcast Eternals and led by Lord Celestantis.
Subsequently, each Chamber was divided into two Retinues of 250 Stormcast Eternals led by Lord Relictor. Every Retinue was divided into two Sadalities of 125 Stormcast Eternals led by Tribune, and each Sadality was divided into 5 Shield-Companies led by Shield-Captain.
Above all of them were the Temples, each temple led by Lord Celestant Prime, who created the conclave together with four of them and the overall leader of the Stormcast Eternals, the Lord General-Kommandant.
Reiksgarde Temple was essentially the former Reiksgarde tasked with the protection of the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo. They would be just stronger and more powerful, but their tasks and goals won't change.
Paladin Temple were essentially the former Holy Knigth Executioners of the Healing Church and they would be tasked with the same things as the former Holy Knight Executioners were doing.
Thus combating the forces of Chaos and Ruin across the Lands of Ancients and spreading hope to the people.
And there were two new Temples, the Judicator Temple and the Vindicator Temple.
Vindicator Temple was just a nice name for the assassins that were taken from the Imperial Military Intelligence, as their best ones were conscripted into the Stormcast Eternals and remade to serve the greater purpose.
The Vindicators would be trained in the best assassination techniques of the Imperium and tasked with removing the most powerful and dangerous targets to the stability of the Holy Arcadia Empire out there.
And finally, there was the Judicator Temple. If I should describe it somehow, I would say it was something akin to an internal police that should be helping secure the internal security of the Imperium. Their main task would be hunting the Heretics and Rogues of the Imperium and putting them down.
"That is certainly a number, Your Holy Majesty."
I could swear that I heard a bit of fear in his voice because the force that I was building was something that would essentially make the rule of my Dynasty eternal. Because every single Stormcast Eternal would be ageless due to the special Forging and binding to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
And I can even understand it from a certain point of view... it was logical because the Stormcast Eternals would become the eternal symbol of the unrivaled might of the Imperial House.
But alas... there is nothing they can do about that...
"And who shall be leading this glorious organization, Your Holy Majesty?"
Indeed... who, but I have one person in my mind who would be perfect for the position for such arduous and important taks. There was nobody who was more suitable to become Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals.
"It would be Maria, naturally... who else would I entrust it?"
Indeed, Lady Maria Vileblood was the best choice for the position of the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals, and she was also the person whom I trusted the most with the responsibility and power.
Not to mention, I wanted for the position to remain within the family, as they liked to say, because it was the safest solution that I could come up with.
Even though the chance of betrayal was zero due to the binding to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, I still wanted Maria to take some important role within the wheels of the Imperium.
She had been long enough avoiding the responsibility and playing around; now it was time to change it. Mainly for the fact it would create a bad image for the Imperial House if one of the future Empresses was playing around and hunting the Beasts.
Even though the job of the Hunter was prestigious, there would still be voices of discontent among some of the nobility who would be talking behind our backs. And I was leading the example, so my wives needed to follow in this example.
Because...
If the King doesn't move, then his subjects won't follow.
"Then let us start, Headmaster Gelt. Let us start..."
I muttered quietly... there was a lot of work to be done.
***
3rd POV
Several Days Later, Dungeons beneath the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo.
The Imperial Palace complex was divided into two security perimeters, which essentially function as separate urban regions, the Outer and Inner Palaces, both of which were marked by countless defenses, defensive weapon systems or Magic Towers.
To cross from the Outer Palace into the Inner Palace one needed to pass through the Ultimate Gate of the Ultimate Wall that separated the two palaces. Then one needed to pass the Eternity Gate that led to the heart of the Inner Palace, the Sanctus Imperialis.
And from the Sanctus Imperials one would find a hidden way to the Dungeons underneath the Imperial Palace. The Vaults of Rython, were a particularly sequestered and forbidden subdivision of the deep levels below the Imperial Palace complex on Terra.
It was here where the specialized Shield Host of the Reiksagarde, known as the Shadowkeepers, stand eternal vigilance over rune-locked portals which contain terrible things locked away for all time -- eldritch terrors from the depths of Age of Ancients that could annihilate the Imperium and probably the entire Known World.
It was here where the process of the Forging of the Stormcast Eternals would be taking place, in the most secure place within the whole Holy Arcadia Empire.
There were several people present or rather too many people present, as there were two thousand people present. The Forging of the Stormcast Eternals wouldn't be done in one go because that could very well paralyze some of the structures of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Not to mention, the newly forged Stormcast Eternals would need some time to adjust to their new strength and power, master the skills they obtain and many others. The approximate time would be around one or two weeks; fortunately, it was only this little due to the enhanced learning capabilities of the Stormcast Eternals.
"It looks rather imposing, don't you think?"
Karl Franz heard a voice belonging to the Atreus Atreides, who standing next to the Imperator; the tone of his voice was more casual compared to the formal tone when they were on public occasions.
Atreus Atreides was one of the few people that Karl Franz could call friend, a former gladiator slave within the grand arenas who rose to the position of the highest prominence within the Imperium.
"Yes, it is... how are the soldiers feeling?"
The Holy Imperator looked at the men and women from the various units of the Holy Arcadia Empire who were collected to undergo the process of Forging.
"Nervous, some are excited and eager... some are reciting the Litany over and over... but overall the morale is high."
Atreus Atreides answered; he was already informed that he would basically keep his position, just his title would change to the Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple. The sole change would be the fact that he would be answering to the Lord General-Kommandant who would be Lady Maria Vileblood.
"That's good then..."
Karl Franz looked at the men and women, sons and daughters of the Imperium that would soon become the very first Stormcast Eternals, his bulwark in the war against the Ruinious Powers, against the Heretic, Mutant and Traitor, against the Greenskins or those from the Great Dark Beyond.
Soon enough, the process of the Forging would start, and it essentially consisted of several Phases that would all happen within a very short time, one after another. The first thing that would happen would be strengthening the overall physique with the Winds of Magic that were directly harnessed from the World-Soul.
This would then allow the Runemasters to inscribe the Stormcast Runic Set on their bodies, which consisted of 7 Runes. Usually, the progress of adding Runes to the body depended on the unique qualities of the body and typically, it corresponded to the Level of the person.
The top-notch Runemasters of the Holy Arcadia Empire were working day and night on the creation of the Stormcast Runic Set that would be able to fit the needs of the Stormcast Eternals perfectly.
Naturally, the Stormcast Runic Set had four variations, depending on the Temple to which one would belong. While the Stormcast Runic Sets of the four Temples were relatively similar to each other, but they still differentiated in certain aspects.
After the Runes were inscribed on their bodies, they would rank the special concoction of the Old Blood and the Grail Essence and be infused with another wave of the Magic from the World-Soul together with the Holy Empowerment of the Great Ones like the current Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church got.
It was a mixture of various methods of strengthening across the Holy Arcadia Empire into one, with the hope and aim of creating standardized Level 4 elite soldiers. Naturally, those who are more talented or stronger would become Level 5 elites of the Stormcast Eternals, who would take the leadership roles.
There was even anticipation of the birth of a new Level 6 Professionals among the Stormcast Eternals in the next decade or so.
This should create the strongest warriors to be ever created in the Lands of Ancients.
Obviously, the strain on the Imperial Treasury and even the personal finances of the Imperial House were enormously staggering.
"We can start."
When the order was given, the process of the Forging was given, and everyone who participated in the creation of the Stormcast Eternals hoped it would be successful because the consequences would be dire if it were not.
A tremendous amount of resources was invested into the creation and establishment of the Stormcast Eternals, and a lot of elite soldiers were and high-profile people were participating in the Forging.
Soon enough, the process was starting as the Source of the tremendous Magical Power that was congregated within a crystalline shape in the middle of the enormous underground room in this part of Vaults of Rhytor started shining in bright purple color and penetrating the enviroment.
'Then only the finishing training and I will have a fanatically loyal force at my disposal... now as the Head of the Healing Church and representative of the Great Ones on the Material Plane, I can use this to deepen their loyalty and fanaticism...'
The Holy Imperator observed everything happening as the first steps in the creation of the Stormcast Eternals were taken. But that was for much later because he would need to find a suitable group of people that would become a new Temple...
He wanted to create death commandos that would be even more fanatical and loyal than the ordinary Stormcast Eternals, somebody that would become his sword in the darkness, even darker than the Vindicare Temple or the Shadowkeepers of the Reiksgarede Temple that guarded the Dunngeos beneath the Imperial Palace.
The Vaults of Rhyton.
After the first Phase was finished without a hitch, as was expected, countless Runemasters that were collected from all corners of the Holy Arcadia Empire started inscribing the Stormcast Runic Sets on the future Stormcast Eternals.
Inscribing the Stormcast Runic Set took much longer than he anticipated because no matter how skilled the Runemasters were, there were still too few of them and there were more than two thousand people waiting for their Stormcast Runic Set.
One by one, the initiates of the Stormcast Eternals were awaiting for their Stormcast Runic Set, depending on which Temple they belonged to.
Fortunately, as they were strengthened by the Winds of Magic directly harnessed from the World-Soul, the process of inscription of the Runic Sets went without many problems.
It just took several hours because while the Runemasters were working fast, they needed to handle the entire operation with meticulous care, not to make any mistakes, as even a single mistake could lead to severe injury and more serious cases, even in irreversible damage to the people.
Runes were always tricky things and only the most competent and powerful would be dealing with them. Contrary to other types of equipment, like swords and shields, the Runes were not purely external influences on the body of a person.
No... they were something in between the Internal and External concepts.
While they were fundamentally some sort of external tool when they were crafted and created by the Runemaster, the very own second, they were inscribed on the person, the Rune Bearer as they were called, they would become their very own part.
The Runes would then fuse with the Rune Bearer, becoming the complete extension and part of the person. Some Runes, the most powerful and rare of their kind, the ones with the Growth Aspect that could grow in power alongside the Rune Bearer, would evolve, but the time passed.
But the Imperium had the best Runemasters available participating in this process, the elites of the elites and people that crafted the Stormcast Runic Sets for all four Temples of the Stormcast Eternals.
So they progressed at a steady pace, and within six or seven hours, the process of the Runic Inscription was finished and went without a single complication. Sometimes, it was pretty hard to understand how much time had passed in the dungeons beneath the Imperial Palace.
"The Runic Inscription has finished, Your Holy Majesty. They can drink the Ashen Concotion to blend all of the types into one perfectly."
The Ashen Concoction was an essential part of the Forging Process.
The Ashen Concoction was a special blend of the Old Blood, Grail Essence that was used by the Brettonians to create the Grail Knights.
Naturally, this Ashen Concoction also contained the Seed of Holy Empowerment that was a method of the Healing Church in creating the Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church.
After they drank the Ashen Concoction, it would perfectly blend together various powers within their body, create one singular method for them and most importantly, permanently fuse the Stormcast Runic Sets with their bodies and Soul, and evolving the Stormcast Runic Set.
Allowing the Stormcast Runic Set to obtain the Growth Element would allow the Stormcast Eternals to progress much faster.
This method was mainly chosen for the simple fact that if the person didn't achieve some sort of balance between various methods of strengthening, it could be detrimental to their future growth.
The Grown Element for the Stormcast Runc Sets was also crucial for the future because there would be several of the Stormcast Eternals that could outgrow their Runic Sets, and creating every single Stormcast Runic Set with the Growth Element installed would probably consume resources of the entire Imperium.
One needed to know when creating a Runes with the Growth Element it required a tremendous amount of resources; such a thing was not taken lightly because the Growth Element was indeed something that only top-notch Rune Masters of the Imperium could achieve.
And even they would consume a tremendous amount of resources to create a single Rune with such a thing; that was the reason why all Runes with the Growth Elemenet were always outrageously pricy.
For this reason, they chose to have Ashen Concoction as the evolving factor within the entire Forging Process.
"You can start with the Ashen Concoction and prepare the Winds of Magic during the process... it should greatly ease the burn on their person."
When they drank the Ashen Concoction, it would fundamentally remodel their bodies and souls, and the more Magic they had in their disposition, the safer the process would be and they even may reap some benefits from it.
Fortunately, they harvested a lot of it from the World-Soul, so it was relatively okey and safe to use it in this way. The Ashen Concoction was relatively dangerous if Karl Franz had to admit it; it was pretty much dangerous due to the power it held deep within.
That was one of the reasons why Karl Franz was very curious and also nervous about the Ashen Concoction, but most importantly he was also wary of it and knew its dangers. When the initiates of the Stormcast Eternals started drinking the Ashen Concoction one by one, they were undergoing the final parts of their ascension.
The ones that were undergoing the procedure right now were the common members of the former Reiksgarde, Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church, Grail Knights of the Brettonia, Magic Knights or Sardaukar...
The majority if not all of them were at Level 3 in terms of physique. This was chosen purposely because they needed to convert the ordinary members and the officers and elites of the former organizations that already stood on Level 4 would undergo the Forging Process at a later date.
Those would require a far more careful and delicate approach... and that was not talking about the commanders and leaders of the former organizations. Even the former commanders of these organizations would undergo the Forging Process because they would be leading their respective Temples.
It was already affirmed that Atreus Atreides, former commander of the Reiksgarde, would command the Reiksgarde Temple, Ludwig the Holy Blade former commander of the Holy Kniught Executioners of the Healing Church, would command the Paladin Temple.
For the Judicator Temple, Karl Franz chose Gurney Halleck, a man of very interesting origins, because he was one of the most famous gladiators of the Holy Arcadia Empire for most of his life before he was taken in by the House Atreides as the leader of their armed forces.
And for the Vindicare Temple, he actually made an interesting choice because he chose the Ciaran, female commander of the 2nd Legion of the Silver Knights because there was no one better suitable for the position of the Lord Celestant Prime of the Vindicare Temple.
"It is a beautiful sight... this growth of power... and also the intoxicating feeling..."
Karl Franz stated as he observed the first batch of the Stormcast Eternals being born in the Holy Arcadia Empire and that would walk the Lands of Ancient Lords. They would be their greatest defenders and strongest conquerors.
They would be the bulwark against the terror and hope of the people of the Imperium.
***
MC POV
Several days later after the Forging of the Stormcast Eternals, the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo.
One report after another flowed into my solar, especially those about the progress of the new Stormcast Eternals and the progress.
Because the Stormcast Eternals were a mish-mash of several elite units of the Holy Arcadia Empire, they needed to be brought onto the standardized combat style and other, many, many things.
Now, most of them were learning the fighting methods of the Sardaukar, which was regarded as one of the best, if not the best, within the Lands of the Ancient Lords. The swordmasters of the Sardaukar were legends of their own and it was of utmost importance for the Stormcast Eternals to learn the standards of the Gianz Swordsmanship.
After several weeks, the remaining people would undergo the Forging to become the Stormcast Eternals, mainly the ones that were destined to become the members of the Vindicare Temple, as those were chosen mainly from the Vampires due to their racial abilities and affinities for the Darkness and Shadows.
"What is this?"
I asked as several letters with the mark of the Landsraad landed on my table.
"It's the summons for the Landsraad, Your Holy Majesty... apparently there are several important disputes between the members of the Imperial Nobility and the High Chancellor wants to have Your Holy Majesty present during the meeting."
The butler that brought the summons answered as I visibly cringed because I could see what these things were about. Once again, there would be nobles squabbling for the territories and fighting with each other.
My presence within the Landsraad would ensure that everyone behaved like cadet progenas of the Schola Progenium.
"What's this about this time that important that I need to be present?"
One of the reasons why I even established the Landsraad was to not deal with idiotic things like hearing out petitioners at the court. One of the most annoying activities that could happen to the monarch and I wanted to avoid dealing with it.
But not every time I could really avoid it.
"There are only three things, Your Holy Majesty... the first is that, during the excavations at the World's Edge Mountains, the excavators found a legacy of the some faction that dwelled in the Necromancy and other branches of Magic of similar origin, this created a conflict between the Viceroy House Necrarch that is actually this time backed by Elector Count Draculya-Tepes and entirety of the Sylvania and Byrgenwerth, more precisely the Amethyst Order."
I frowned a bit hearing this, but I could see that this was a relatively serious dispute between them because the combined might of the Sylvania was one of the best among the Grand Provinces and they could collectively pressure even the Byrgenwerth to a certain degree.
"And the next two?"
Hopefully, the next two won't be as severe as these ones.
"Territorial dispute between the Dwarves as it seems, the Wildhammer Tribe is having a conflict with the Longbeard Clan over the new loges of the several precious metals that were found on the edge of their territories. And the last one is more like the personal feud between two chambers of commerce; both want to obtain the exclusive rights for the voyages to Westeros but were denied by CHOAM..."
My head hurts just by thinking about it... like they said, one was better than another and there was even conflict between the dwarves.
Though it must be pretty serious, if they had already passed it to the Landsraad, normally, the Council of Three Hammers or the Conclave of the Forge would resolve all of these matters between the dwarven clans.
They had the highest autonomy within the Imperium.
***
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The Holy Imperator Karl-Franz on the creation of the Stormcast Eternals
***
Codex: Laputa
City Fortress Laputa, the capital of the Grand Province of the Orleáns. Originally Laputa was a simple fortress built with the sole purpose of holding back the immeasurable hordes of the Greenskins living within the Orklands that conducted systematic raids on the province.
As the years flew by, the Laputa Fortress was expanding more and more, and within a few centuries, the rather simple fortress was expanded to become a monstrous City Fortress that was one of the best defensive points across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire.
Laputa is also home to the House Orleáns and it was built by the House Orleáns, who are now the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of the Orleáns.
***
Year 10,280 of Lordranese Callendar, August
Lands of Ancient, Holy Arcadia Empire, Reikland, Anor Londo
Three months have passed since the Great Convention Council of the Holy Arcadia Empire, during which many crucial decisions were made that would affect the Imperium. Be it the establishment of the Stormcast Eternals or the decision to merge the Healing Church under the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
The process of emerging the Healing Church into the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder was smooth and done quickly and without many problems. Now, the Holy Imperator obtained even far greater power over the Imperium.
With the direct control of the Healing Church with the Holy Imperator position becoming the highest authority within the Healing Church, none of the Vicars refused, and all of them pledged their allegiance to him.
Because Karl Franz was the chosen one of the Great Ones and bore the rune of the Oedon the Formless God Blood.
Due to that, nobody had any reason to refuse to pledge their allegiance to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, and thus, the Healing Church became another branch of Imperator's power.
"Is this the final version?"
Right now, Holy Imperator Karl Franz was talking with the Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Magic Orders and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth about the Project Stormcast Eternals, which was nearing its end.
"Yes, it is Your Holy Majesty."
Balthasar Gelt was tasked with the leadership of the Project Stormcast Eternals as he was one of the most knowledgeable people about various methods of getting stronger across the Lands of Ancients.
Though overall Project Stormcast Eternals was headed by more or like a council of people from various areas of the Holy Arcadia Empire; among them were several of legendary-like figures like Big Hat Logan or Master Willem.
"And the probability of the success?"
Karl Franz asked because he didn't wish to take chances with the forging of the Stormcast Eternals. The men and women who would be undergoing the Forging Process were something grueling and arduous and on their person, and he didn't wish to send them to death.
All of them were members of the Reiksgarde or Holy Knight Executioners; others were from the Sardaukar or other elite forces of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and the loss of every single one was a significant loss to the Empire.
While in the great scheme of things, it was not, but for the Imperator had a different mindset regarding it... another thing was that most of the people he trained and selected personally.
They were the results of his hard work.
"99%... we took every single precaution method available and are not leaving anything to the coincidence."
Balthasar Gelt said as he passed him several documents about this... Karl Franz skimmed everything with his eyes; it took him only several seconds to read everything, and in the end, after taking everything, he decided to give the Project the green.
"And the Forging... is it prepared?"
According to the Project of Stormcast Eternals, they would be literally forged in a process called "Forging" that would basically create the Stormcast Eternal.
"Yes, it is... unfortunately, it is a one-time use only because we don't have an infinite source of Magic for such tasks as the creation of the Stormcast Eternals. We managed to gather enough Magic escaping from the World Soul."
In that one moment, it felt like the entire world had stopped.
***
MC POV
Hearing what Balthasar Gelt said made me pause in my tracks because harnessing the power of the World-Soul was a hazardous move. In a certain way, we could be all happy that this didn't end with the destruction of considerable parts of the Lordran or other parts of the Azyr.
World-Soul is the name given to the powerful, Nascent Soul of a Titan. The first and most vulnerable stage of a Titan's life, World-Souls, originate as masses of energy spun out into the Great Dark Beyond at the moment of its creation, eventually finding comfort in the warmth of a sun.
In time, a planet coalesces around the newly formed World-Soul, protecting it as it grows.
The Soul slumbers for ages within the planet's fiery core, suffusing the planet with their energies as generations of life live and die upon it before eventually awakening as a living world.
World-Souls only exist within a small number of planets scattered throughout the Great Dark, and every single planet that has a World-Soul will eventually develop into an extremely powerful world with a mighty civilization.
We were treading on thin ice because even the slightest injury to the World-Soul could cause a world-destroying event.
"And the other Titans?"
I asked very carefully about this, almost fearing for the answer, because if the Titans felt something was amiss, then... only the protection of the Great Ones would be able to save the existence of the Azyr.
"Nothing... we even made the ceremony to ask for the permission of the Great Ones for this, and they gave us the answer in a positive manner. If not, nobody would ever allow something like this, the Byrgenwerth still has in its archives the information about the Titans and their power and if they fear that one of their brethren may be endangered, then they would wipe our entire civilization."
Titans were a race of colossal, planet-sized cosmic beings composed of Arcane Magic and the primordial matter from which the Cosmos was born. They roamed across the Cosmos like walking worlds, imbued with the raw power of creation itself.
The Titans used this incredible force to find and awaken others of their kind. Hailing from the far reaches of the cosmos, they shaped and brought life and order to countless worlds across the Great Dark Beyond.
They were described as perfect and majestic beings who are akin to Gods, and the power of the greatest among their kind was said to equal that of the Great Ones apparently.
"Now... it makes sense indeed... why the Ruinious Powers are so adamant about obtaining Azyr for their own devises... the birth of another with the power equaling the Great Four..."
I wasn't really aware of the true state of the World-Soul of the Azyr; I was only told that it existed and it was left at that. It was a secret that was deeply protected by the Byrgenwerth and it was known by only two people of the Imperium.
Only to the Headmaster to the full extent and to me to a certain degree.
"I want to know everything about the state of the World-Soul from now on. I understand that you have been protecting this secret for countless years, but it is also something that I need to take into consideration..."
I said sternly because this was something that could decide the fate of the entire world and attract the attention of the being from the Great Dark Beyond... an attention that we really don't need as we already had enough of it.
"As you wish, Your Holy Majesty. Though I have to warn you beforehand that even within the Byrgenwerth, we don't have a lot of information on the Titans and World-Souls because it is still a very obscure topic even for the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth."
Balthasar Gelt stated almost indifferently because even within the Byrgenwerth, the topic of Titans or World-Souls was something pretty much obscure. The heavy majority of the information gathered about it stemmed from ancient records that were old more than ten thousand years ago.
"When can we start with the first batch of the Stormcast Eternals?"
Sooner or later, there would be a need for the Imperium to search for the resources even in the Great Dark Beyond... but that was hopefully millennia away, but one can never be underprepared for such things.
"In a few days, we would have everything prepared together with the first batch of people... though how many of the Stormcast Eternals do Your Holy Majesty wish to create?"
The Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth asked as he looked at the Holy Imperator.
"4,500 Stormcast Eternals divided into 4 Temples of Reiksgarde Temple, Judiciary Temple, Paladin Temple, and Vindicator Temple."
The overall structure of the Stormcast Eternals would be divided into these four Temples, with each Temple would consist of Chambers with each Chamber consisting of 500 Stormcast Eternals and led by Lord Celestantis.
Subsequently, each Chamber was divided into two Retinues of 250 Stormcast Eternals led by Lord Relictor. Every Retinue was divided into two Sadalities of 125 Stormcast Eternals led by Tribune, and each Sadality was divided into 5 Shield-Companies led by Shield-Captain.
Above all of them were the Temples, each temple led by Lord Celestant Prime, who created the conclave together with four of them and the overall leader of the Stormcast Eternals, the Lord General-Kommandant.
Reiksgarde Temple was essentially the former Reiksgarde tasked with the protection of the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo. They would be just stronger and more powerful, but their tasks and goals won't change.
Paladin Temple were essentially the former Holy Knigth Executioners of the Healing Church and they would be tasked with the same things as the former Holy Knight Executioners were doing.
Thus combating the forces of Chaos and Ruin across the Lands of Ancients and spreading hope to the people.
And there were two new Temples, the Judicator Temple and the Vindicator Temple.
Vindicator Temple was just a nice name for the assassins that were taken from the Imperial Military Intelligence, as their best ones were conscripted into the Stormcast Eternals and remade to serve the greater purpose.
The Vindicators would be trained in the best assassination techniques of the Imperium and tasked with removing the most powerful and dangerous targets to the stability of the Holy Arcadia Empire out there.
And finally, there was the Judicator Temple. If I should describe it somehow, I would say it was something akin to an internal police that should be helping secure the internal security of the Imperium. Their main task would be hunting the Heretics and Rogues of the Imperium and putting them down.
"That is certainly a number, Your Holy Majesty."
I could swear that I heard a bit of fear in his voice because the force that I was building was something that would essentially make the rule of my Dynasty eternal. Because every single Stormcast Eternal would be ageless due to the special Forging and binding to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
And I can even understand it from a certain point of view... it was logical because the Stormcast Eternals would become the eternal symbol of the unrivaled might of the Imperial House.
But alas... there is nothing they can do about that...
"And who shall be leading this glorious organization, Your Holy Majesty?"
Indeed... who, but I have one person in my mind who would be perfect for the position for such arduous and important taks. There was nobody who was more suitable to become Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals.
"It would be Maria, naturally... who else would I entrust it?"
Indeed, Lady Maria Vileblood was the best choice for the position of the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals, and she was also the person whom I trusted the most with the responsibility and power.
Not to mention, I wanted for the position to remain within the family, as they liked to say, because it was the safest solution that I could come up with.
Even though the chance of betrayal was zero due to the binding to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, I still wanted Maria to take some important role within the wheels of the Imperium.
She had been long enough avoiding the responsibility and playing around; now it was time to change it. Mainly for the fact it would create a bad image for the Imperial House if one of the future Empresses was playing around and hunting the Beasts.
Even though the job of the Hunter was prestigious, there would still be voices of discontent among some of the nobility who would be talking behind our backs. And I was leading the example, so my wives needed to follow in this example.
Because...
If the King doesn't move, then his subjects won't follow.
"Then let us start, Headmaster Gelt. Let us start..."
I muttered quietly... there was a lot of work to be done.
***
3rd POV
Several Days Later, Dungeons beneath the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo.
The Imperial Palace complex was divided into two security perimeters, which essentially function as separate urban regions, the Outer and Inner Palaces, both of which were marked by countless defenses, defensive weapon systems or Magic Towers.
To cross from the Outer Palace into the Inner Palace one needed to pass through the Ultimate Gate of the Ultimate Wall that separated the two palaces. Then one needed to pass the Eternity Gate that led to the heart of the Inner Palace, the Sanctus Imperialis.
And from the Sanctus Imperials one would find a hidden way to the Dungeons underneath the Imperial Palace. The Vaults of Rython, were a particularly sequestered and forbidden subdivision of the deep levels below the Imperial Palace complex on Terra.
It was here where the specialized Shield Host of the Reiksagarde, known as the Shadowkeepers, stand eternal vigilance over rune-locked portals which contain terrible things locked away for all time -- eldritch terrors from the depths of Age of Ancients that could annihilate the Imperium and probably the entire Known World.
It was here where the process of the Forging of the Stormcast Eternals would be taking place, in the most secure place within the whole Holy Arcadia Empire.
There were several people present or rather too many people present, as there were two thousand people present. The Forging of the Stormcast Eternals wouldn't be done in one go because that could very well paralyze some of the structures of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Not to mention, the newly forged Stormcast Eternals would need some time to adjust to their new strength and power, master the skills they obtain and many others. The approximate time would be around one or two weeks; fortunately, it was only this little due to the enhanced learning capabilities of the Stormcast Eternals.
"It looks rather imposing, don't you think?"
Karl Franz heard a voice belonging to the Atreus Atreides, who standing next to the Imperator; the tone of his voice was more casual compared to the formal tone when they were on public occasions.
Atreus Atreides was one of the few people that Karl Franz could call friend, a former gladiator slave within the grand arenas who rose to the position of the highest prominence within the Imperium.
"Yes, it is... how are the soldiers feeling?"
The Holy Imperator looked at the men and women from the various units of the Holy Arcadia Empire who were collected to undergo the process of Forging.
"Nervous, some are excited and eager... some are reciting the Litany over and over... but overall the morale is high."
Atreus Atreides answered; he was already informed that he would basically keep his position, just his title would change to the Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple. The sole change would be the fact that he would be answering to the Lord General-Kommandant who would be Lady Maria Vileblood.
"That's good then..."
Karl Franz looked at the men and women, sons and daughters of the Imperium that would soon become the very first Stormcast Eternals, his bulwark in the war against the Ruinious Powers, against the Heretic, Mutant and Traitor, against the Greenskins or those from the Great Dark Beyond.
Soon enough, the process of the Forging would start, and it essentially consisted of several Phases that would all happen within a very short time, one after another. The first thing that would happen would be strengthening the overall physique with the Winds of Magic that were directly harnessed from the World-Soul.
This would then allow the Runemasters to inscribe the Stormcast Runic Set on their bodies, which consisted of 7 Runes. Usually, the progress of adding Runes to the body depended on the unique qualities of the body and typically, it corresponded to the Level of the person.
The top-notch Runemasters of the Holy Arcadia Empire were working day and night on the creation of the Stormcast Runic Set that would be able to fit the needs of the Stormcast Eternals perfectly.
Naturally, the Stormcast Runic Set had four variations, depending on the Temple to which one would belong. While the Stormcast Runic Sets of the four Temples were relatively similar to each other, but they still differentiated in certain aspects.
After the Runes were inscribed on their bodies, they would rank the special concoction of the Old Blood and the Grail Essence and be infused with another wave of the Magic from the World-Soul together with the Holy Empowerment of the Great Ones like the current Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church got.
It was a mixture of various methods of strengthening across the Holy Arcadia Empire into one, with the hope and aim of creating standardized Level 4 elite soldiers. Naturally, those who are more talented or stronger would become Level 5 elites of the Stormcast Eternals, who would take the leadership roles.
There was even anticipation of the birth of a new Level 6 Professionals among the Stormcast Eternals in the next decade or so.
This should create the strongest warriors to be ever created in the Lands of Ancients.
Obviously, the strain on the Imperial Treasury and even the personal finances of the Imperial House were enormously staggering.
"We can start."
When the order was given, the process of the Forging was given, and everyone who participated in the creation of the Stormcast Eternals hoped it would be successful because the consequences would be dire if it were not.
A tremendous amount of resources was invested into the creation and establishment of the Stormcast Eternals, and a lot of elite soldiers were and high-profile people were participating in the Forging.
Soon enough, the process was starting as the Source of the tremendous Magical Power that was congregated within a crystalline shape in the middle of the enormous underground room in this part of Vaults of Rhytor started shining in bright purple color and penetrating the enviroment.
'Then only the finishing training and I will have a fanatically loyal force at my disposal... now as the Head of the Healing Church and representative of the Great Ones on the Material Plane, I can use this to deepen their loyalty and fanaticism...'
The Holy Imperator observed everything happening as the first steps in the creation of the Stormcast Eternals were taken. But that was for much later because he would need to find a suitable group of people that would become a new Temple...
He wanted to create death commandos that would be even more fanatical and loyal than the ordinary Stormcast Eternals, somebody that would become his sword in the darkness, even darker than the Vindicare Temple or the Shadowkeepers of the Reiksgarede Temple that guarded the Dunngeos beneath the Imperial Palace.
The Vaults of Rhyton.
After the first Phase was finished without a hitch, as was expected, countless Runemasters that were collected from all corners of the Holy Arcadia Empire started inscribing the Stormcast Runic Sets on the future Stormcast Eternals.
Inscribing the Stormcast Runic Set took much longer than he anticipated because no matter how skilled the Runemasters were, there were still too few of them and there were more than two thousand people waiting for their Stormcast Runic Set.
One by one, the initiates of the Stormcast Eternals were awaiting for their Stormcast Runic Set, depending on which Temple they belonged to.
Fortunately, as they were strengthened by the Winds of Magic directly harnessed from the World-Soul, the process of inscription of the Runic Sets went without many problems.
It just took several hours because while the Runemasters were working fast, they needed to handle the entire operation with meticulous care, not to make any mistakes, as even a single mistake could lead to severe injury and more serious cases, even in irreversible damage to the people.
Runes were always tricky things and only the most competent and powerful would be dealing with them. Contrary to other types of equipment, like swords and shields, the Runes were not purely external influences on the body of a person.
No... they were something in between the Internal and External concepts.
While they were fundamentally some sort of external tool when they were crafted and created by the Runemaster, the very own second, they were inscribed on the person, the Rune Bearer as they were called, they would become their very own part.
The Runes would then fuse with the Rune Bearer, becoming the complete extension and part of the person. Some Runes, the most powerful and rare of their kind, the ones with the Growth Aspect that could grow in power alongside the Rune Bearer, would evolve, but the time passed.
But the Imperium had the best Runemasters available participating in this process, the elites of the elites and people that crafted the Stormcast Runic Sets for all four Temples of the Stormcast Eternals.
So they progressed at a steady pace, and within six or seven hours, the process of the Runic Inscription was finished and went without a single complication. Sometimes, it was pretty hard to understand how much time had passed in the dungeons beneath the Imperial Palace.
"The Runic Inscription has finished, Your Holy Majesty. They can drink the Ashen Concotion to blend all of the types into one perfectly."
The Ashen Concoction was an essential part of the Forging Process.
The Ashen Concoction was a special blend of the Old Blood, Grail Essence that was used by the Brettonians to create the Grail Knights.
Naturally, this Ashen Concoction also contained the Seed of Holy Empowerment that was a method of the Healing Church in creating the Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church.
After they drank the Ashen Concoction, it would perfectly blend together various powers within their body, create one singular method for them and most importantly, permanently fuse the Stormcast Runic Sets with their bodies and Soul, and evolving the Stormcast Runic Set.
Allowing the Stormcast Runic Set to obtain the Growth Element would allow the Stormcast Eternals to progress much faster.
This method was mainly chosen for the simple fact that if the person didn't achieve some sort of balance between various methods of strengthening, it could be detrimental to their future growth.
The Grown Element for the Stormcast Runc Sets was also crucial for the future because there would be several of the Stormcast Eternals that could outgrow their Runic Sets, and creating every single Stormcast Runic Set with the Growth Element installed would probably consume resources of the entire Imperium.
One needed to know when creating a Runes with the Growth Element it required a tremendous amount of resources; such a thing was not taken lightly because the Growth Element was indeed something that only top-notch Rune Masters of the Imperium could achieve.
And even they would consume a tremendous amount of resources to create a single Rune with such a thing; that was the reason why all Runes with the Growth Elemenet were always outrageously pricy.
For this reason, they chose to have Ashen Concoction as the evolving factor within the entire Forging Process.
"You can start with the Ashen Concoction and prepare the Winds of Magic during the process... it should greatly ease the burn on their person."
When they drank the Ashen Concoction, it would fundamentally remodel their bodies and souls, and the more Magic they had in their disposition, the safer the process would be and they even may reap some benefits from it.
Fortunately, they harvested a lot of it from the World-Soul, so it was relatively okey and safe to use it in this way. The Ashen Concoction was relatively dangerous if Karl Franz had to admit it; it was pretty much dangerous due to the power it held deep within.
That was one of the reasons why Karl Franz was very curious and also nervous about the Ashen Concoction, but most importantly he was also wary of it and knew its dangers. When the initiates of the Stormcast Eternals started drinking the Ashen Concoction one by one, they were undergoing the final parts of their ascension.
The ones that were undergoing the procedure right now were the common members of the former Reiksgarde, Holy Knight Executioners of the Healing Church, Grail Knights of the Brettonia, Magic Knights or Sardaukar...
The majority if not all of them were at Level 3 in terms of physique. This was chosen purposely because they needed to convert the ordinary members and the officers and elites of the former organizations that already stood on Level 4 would undergo the Forging Process at a later date.
Those would require a far more careful and delicate approach... and that was not talking about the commanders and leaders of the former organizations. Even the former commanders of these organizations would undergo the Forging Process because they would be leading their respective Temples.
It was already affirmed that Atreus Atreides, former commander of the Reiksgarde, would command the Reiksgarde Temple, Ludwig the Holy Blade former commander of the Holy Kniught Executioners of the Healing Church, would command the Paladin Temple.
For the Judicator Temple, Karl Franz chose Gurney Halleck, a man of very interesting origins, because he was one of the most famous gladiators of the Holy Arcadia Empire for most of his life before he was taken in by the House Atreides as the leader of their armed forces.
And for the Vindicare Temple, he actually made an interesting choice because he chose the Ciaran, female commander of the 2nd Legion of the Silver Knights because there was no one better suitable for the position of the Lord Celestant Prime of the Vindicare Temple.
"It is a beautiful sight... this growth of power... and also the intoxicating feeling..."
Karl Franz stated as he observed the first batch of the Stormcast Eternals being born in the Holy Arcadia Empire and that would walk the Lands of Ancient Lords. They would be their greatest defenders and strongest conquerors.
They would be the bulwark against the terror and hope of the people of the Imperium.
***
MC POV
Several days later after the Forging of the Stormcast Eternals, the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo.
One report after another flowed into my solar, especially those about the progress of the new Stormcast Eternals and the progress.
Because the Stormcast Eternals were a mish-mash of several elite units of the Holy Arcadia Empire, they needed to be brought onto the standardized combat style and other, many, many things.
Now, most of them were learning the fighting methods of the Sardaukar, which was regarded as one of the best, if not the best, within the Lands of the Ancient Lords. The swordmasters of the Sardaukar were legends of their own and it was of utmost importance for the Stormcast Eternals to learn the standards of the Gianz Swordsmanship.
After several weeks, the remaining people would undergo the Forging to become the Stormcast Eternals, mainly the ones that were destined to become the members of the Vindicare Temple, as those were chosen mainly from the Vampires due to their racial abilities and affinities for the Darkness and Shadows.
"What is this?"
I asked as several letters with the mark of the Landsraad landed on my table.
"It's the summons for the Landsraad, Your Holy Majesty... apparently there are several important disputes between the members of the Imperial Nobility and the High Chancellor wants to have Your Holy Majesty present during the meeting."
The butler that brought the summons answered as I visibly cringed because I could see what these things were about. Once again, there would be nobles squabbling for the territories and fighting with each other.
My presence within the Landsraad would ensure that everyone behaved like cadet progenas of the Schola Progenium.
"What's this about this time that important that I need to be present?"
One of the reasons why I even established the Landsraad was to not deal with idiotic things like hearing out petitioners at the court. One of the most annoying activities that could happen to the monarch and I wanted to avoid dealing with it.
But not every time I could really avoid it.
"There are only three things, Your Holy Majesty... the first is that, during the excavations at the World's Edge Mountains, the excavators found a legacy of the some faction that dwelled in the Necromancy and other branches of Magic of similar origin, this created a conflict between the Viceroy House Necrarch that is actually this time backed by Elector Count Draculya-Tepes and entirety of the Sylvania and Byrgenwerth, more precisely the Amethyst Order."
I frowned a bit hearing this, but I could see that this was a relatively serious dispute between them because the combined might of the Sylvania was one of the best among the Grand Provinces and they could collectively pressure even the Byrgenwerth to a certain degree.
"And the next two?"
Hopefully, the next two won't be as severe as these ones.
"Territorial dispute between the Dwarves as it seems, the Wildhammer Tribe is having a conflict with the Longbeard Clan over the new loges of the several precious metals that were found on the edge of their territories. And the last one is more like the personal feud between two chambers of commerce; both want to obtain the exclusive rights for the voyages to Westeros but were denied by CHOAM..."
My head hurts just by thinking about it... like they said, one was better than another and there was even conflict between the dwarves.
Though it must be pretty serious, if they had already passed it to the Landsraad, normally, the Council of Three Hammers or the Conclave of the Forge would resolve all of these matters between the dwarven clans.
They had the highest autonomy within the Imperium.
***
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Chapter 21 - Of Politics, Squabbles and Drama?
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Codex: The City of Gods as the Holy City of the Holy Arcadia Empire
Anor Londo, the City of Gods, is ruled by The Holy Imperator personally and the Imperial House. The City of Gods was built by Lord of Cinder and Sunlight, Lord Gwyn, in the first Age of Lordran; till this day, it remains the most important place within the Lordran and is the symbol of power and majesties of the Imperial House and Holy Imperator.
***
I literarily spent several hours studying the case of the conflict between the Wildhammer Dwarves of the Aerial Peak and the Longbeard Clan of the Erebor, the Lonely Mountain.
And naturally, as it was almost a tradition when it came to the dwarves, there was a lot of cursing and alcohol involved in everything. Basically, the entire premise was that, not really far from the Lonely Mountain Erebor, there were small hills named Iron Hills.
It was a distance of around 300km, so it was rather close to the Erebor, but at the same time, it was also on the borders of the territory belonging to the Aerial Peak under the Wildhammer Clan.
Within the Iron Hills, there were evidently huge lodges of special Iron Ore that was stronger than the average Iron Ore, and the dwarves attributed it to the Great Resurgence of the Magic.
Now, the deal was Erebor pressed its claim on the Iron Hills, and the Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan even sent part of their army and countless dwarves to make their stand and outôost.
But the same thing was done by the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak, who said that the Iron Hills are part of the mountain range that falls under the jurisdiction of the Aerial Peak; even technically speaking, it were not the mountains, just the hills.
This showed the political division between the dwarves, as it was clear that the Longbeard Clan was aiming for the position on the Council of Three Hammers during the Conclave of the Forge.
As the Bronzebeard Clan was still untouchable, there were only two suitable targets for the Longbeard Clan to compete with. One of them was the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge and the second was the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak.
It seemed that the Longbeards have, in the end, chosen the Wildhammer Clan, though that sounded logical because the Dark Iron Clan has rather a close relationship with the Sorcderes of the Sylvania and some of the Magic Orders of the Byrgenwerth.
And back to the topic...
When the dwarves started squabbling about who was right and who was wrong, it grew to a series of duels and competitions between them, but the tension were rising to the point where Magni Bronzebeard, leader of the Council of Three Hammers and Elector Count of Khaz-Modan tried to mediate the situation.
Unfortunately, it was futile because even he, due to their traditions, couldn't really force them to back down, so the sole thing he could do was ask the Landsraad to solve the situation.
My head was hurting just as I was thinking about this, but in the end, I was leaning more toward the Longbeard Clan. Just for political reasons, it would be a good opportunity to bring the three Clans on the edge because, among all of the dwarven clans, their position was almost unshakable.
Be it the Bronzebeard Clan, Dark Iron Clan or Wildhammer Clan, their position within the dwarven Clan was getting too strong, so it would be most productive to undermine their growing position subtly.
If not, it would become a serious problem for the Imperium because the dwarves are often the sole suppliers of the wargear and it would be a bad thing to let them be controlled by just three of them.
Naturally, there was also a Gnomeregan, but the Gnomes had rather a unique position within the Imperium because they were technically speaking a City State, something like the Free Cities in Essos.
With their High Thinker having the position of City Lord that was equivalent to the Viceroy.
It reminded me of cartel agreements on the Earth or some merchants getting together to squeeze as many benefits as possible.
Naturally, I wasn't a single one who was aware of this fact because, with the case, there was also an analysis of the case attached and a written recommendation for my decision by the High Chancellor, where he suggested favoring the Longbeard Clan.
However, at the same time, it needed to be done subtly so as not to create any suspicion from the disputed parties.
The other two cases that would be presented at the Landsraad were not as problematic as the first one, at least to a certain degree. The personal feud between some chambers of commerce would be solved rather quickly because I would just give it to one of mine and be done with it if they couldn't behave.
And the last one was another pain in the ass that I wanted to have nothing to do with because I had my share of squabbles and conflicts between the various magic organizations and it was always a nightmare.
Those fanatical researchers of Magic and pursuers of the depths of Arcane were sometimes even more zealous than the most fanatical priests and worshippers of the Healing Church.
The meeting of the Landsraad about these topics would be tomorrow and unfortunately, once again such a thing would take up probably the entire day if it went without a hitch and complications.
So I was already counting on the next two days or so, maybe even more sitting within the Landsraad and listening to the arguments, insults, curses and gods know what more...
Thought a certain part of me was eager for the new form of entertainment that it would provide me because sometimes it was funny to see them fighting for the things. Sometimes, they were literarily fighting for things, as most conflicts within the Holy Arcadia Empire were resolved through duels and fights.
"Now this is done... I can finally have some time of peace and move on convincing Maria to take the position of Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals..."
I muttered, but before that, I would go tend a Deathclaw for some time and take him on a flight. My most loyal companion, the Griffon Deathclaw, must be a bit bored because it has been some time since we have been flying over the Reikland.
***
3rd POV
Landsraad, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lands of Ancient Lordran
The administrative building where the Landsraad was located was bustling once again with people, but this time, most of the attendees were not the Imperial Nobles themselves but rather the representatives of the Noble Houses and other members of the Landsraad.
Because this wasn't one of the more important meetings of the Landsraad but rather one that was more or like the standard ones, not many of the Imperial Nobles attended personally.
The personal attendance was as usual, mostly from the Reikland, some from the Klandor, Fenris, Bretonnia, and Faelor. The ones that came personally were from the Khaz-Modan as all of the Dwarven Clans were in full attendance and also all of the Noble Houses of the Sylvania were also present.
However, that was natural because there were cases presented before the Landsraad, so their attendance was necessary. The dwarves were already arguing because, among their forty Dwarven Clans that were part of the Conclave of Forge, there were already factions.
Some supported the Longbeard Clan, some supported the Wildhammer Clan and some were neutral and didn't care about the situation that was present and just came to enjoy the show.
"Order!"
"Order!"
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster shouted when the members of the Landsraad were chattering with each other, as the entire place was getting noisy with how many people were already present.
"Now that we have all calmed down, we can start with the program and first voting. The program shall be as follows. 1st point of the program is the territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan over the territory known as Iron Hills within the Grand Province of Khaz-Modan."
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster started reading the point of the program of the Landsraad meeting. The very moment he read the 1st point on the program, the Dwarves started screaming at each other because some were supporting one side and others were supporting the other side.
"Order!"
"Order!"
"Order!"
After he said the word "Order" thrice, the entire Landsraad slowly quieted down as the High Chancellor of the Imperium proceeded to read the other two points on the program. Karl Franz sat on his throne with a bored look as he oversaw the meeting from the highest place within the Landsraad.
"The 2nd point of the meeting is to decide the ownership of the legacy of great necromancer Dracheis that was found within the ruins of the castle during the expedition into the World Edge Mountains. This dispute is between the Viceroy House Necrarch of the Sylvania and the Amethyst Order of the Eight Order of Magic of the Byrgenwerth. On the down note, both Byrgenwerth and Elector Count House Draculya-Tepes have backed up their subjects."
Viceroy of the House Necrarch looked at the representative of the Amethyst Order with a daring look as his pale white skin almost reflected light and his red eyes shone dangerously.
Dracheis was a legendary necromancer who terrorized the areas that are today known as Sylvania and Klandor and even often wandered into the Dark Lands. He was one of the very few necromancers that had raised several Level 7 Undead a long time ago, but as it goes, he was too defeated and killed.
Most shockingly, the one who killed one of the greatest necromancers was a rather ordinary man of faith who took the opportunity when the Dracheis were terrorizing some of the settlements with a smaller contingent of the Undead.
"And the last point, the 3rd in the row, is the dispute over the right to conduct the voyages into the Westeros."
This was another lucrative topic for countless merchants that wanted to do business, as the continent of Westeros was opening an entirely new market and if the Westeros were making them salvitate over it, then Essos was making them go mad.
Essos was big as several Grand Provinces together and the market there was enormous, as it was potential for the business. So, nobody was surprised that the merchants and other business organizations wanted to obtain their share there.
Naturally, nobody could compete with CHOAM because everyone knew that CHOAM would be the first one to obtain market share and several other companies were under the most important figures within the wider Imperium.
No, what was important for them, was the fact that they wanted to fight for the scraps that won't be taken by CHOAM or other import high-profile figures within the Imperium.
At the same time, some were already deeply distraught about the Golden Circle Company that was established by the Holy Imperiator's newest fianceé, who would be dealing with the beauty products.
"Let us proceed to the voting on the program of today's meeting of the Landsraad."
After a lengthy reading of the entire program and everything around that, the reading was done as the High Chancellor, Luca Brewster opened the voting about today's proceedings, which passed with 1,000:0 in favor of today's program.
"Now that the program for today's meeting of the Landsraad has passed with the 1,000:0 we can proceed to the first topic of today's meeting. The territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan over the territory known as Iron Hills within the Grand Province of Khaz-Modan. Now I will ask for the representatives of the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan to step forward. I will ask for the representative of the Bronzebeard Clan to pass the analysis of the conflict to the High Council of the Landsraad."
When the High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked for the representatives, three dwarves stepped forward, with two were going to the podiums, where they would be presenting their case, while another one was heading before the High Council with a stack of papers and one Lacrima.
For the next ten minutes, there was silence within the Landsraad as the members of the High Council, under the leadership of the High Chancellor were, reviewed the documentation that was passed to them, and they also watched the content on Lacrima crystal.
"The High Council of the Landsraad can say, it had reviewed the documentation presented by the Bronzebeard Clan and Dark Iron Clan that was collected as a third observer in regard to the territorial dispute."
The High Chancellor said as he put down his glasses and looked at the two dwarves that were standing in front of the podium, facing the members of the High Council and the Holy Imperator himself.
"Representative of the Longbeard Clan, Patriarch Durin Longbeard, step forward."
After he said that, the dwarf with greyish-black hair stepped forward to present his case before the Landsraad.
"Honorable High Council of the Landsraad and Honorable Members of the Landraad. A grave harm and injustice has happened to the Longbeard Clan by those bastards of Wildhmamer yar telling you!"
When it came to the dwarves, everyone already gotten used to their language and thus, people tended to ignore the crass language, members of the High Council included.
"Wer were the first at the Iron Hills and then those fucker's came and took the Iron Hills and we even had there our fortress built at that place."
Everyone was listening attentively before the representative of the Wildhammer Clan, who was also the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak Falstad Wildmamer, was about to burst in anger.
Falstad Wildhammer was a typical dwarf with a bald head with, sole hair tied to a ponytail and a long ginger beard. He also had several blue tribal tattoos over his face and arms and also under his entire body.
"What did ya said, yu fricking goat fucker! Iron Hills are under the jurisdiction of the Aerial Peak and if yar have a problem with that say it to my axe!"
High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan Falstad Wildhammer shouted at the Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan During Longbeard.
"Shut up ya shamanistic fool! Yor axe will either shatter in my hammer as everything that trash like you forge."
It seemed that the drama in this place was beginning faster than everyone could anticipate because it had been only a few minutes and they already started shouting at one another and trading insults.
Some members of the Landsraad who came here just for the drama were already enjoying the show greatly because it was a good show. Naturally, it seemed that right now, Falstad Wilhammer was about to attack outright because the worst of the worst insults one can say to a dwarf was an insult to his craft.
Such insults were often met with swift retaliation in the form of life-and-death duels.
But to the expectations of the many present here, there was nothing, but that was also understandable because attacking anyone within the premises of the Landsraad would be a grave offense.
Perhaps only Elector Counts would be fined with some fine, that would still hurt their pockets a bit, but for them, who were maximally on the standing of the Viceroy in the case of the Wildhammer Clan and Baron in the case of Longbeard Clan, the consequences were something that they couldn't really bear lightly.
"High Thane Falstad Wildhammer, according to the investigations conducted by the Conclave of Forge, Bronzebeard Clan and Dark Iron Clan it is indeed true that the Longbeard Clan built the fortress before the Wildhammer Clan arrived at the Iron Hills... according to the territorial division between the Clans of Khaz-Modan, area of the Iron Hills belong to the unclaimed territories of the Khaz-Modan."
High Chancellor then turned his sight at the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan as he stated these, things. In fact, most of the higher-ups within the Imperium knew that this was rather a grey area, and neither the Wildhammer Clan nor the Longbeard Clan were right in their statements.
In truth, even though the area of the Iron Hills was the so-called terra nullius, they were as close to the jurisdiction of the Wildhammer Clan as they were to the Longbeard Clan.
Terrae nullius were territories that were unclaimed and nobody ruled them; it essentially meant no state or power had sovereignty over the territory and nobody applied their jurisdiction to rule it.
Even within the Lordran, there were not many of such places and they could be counted on one hand, if we are not including the World Edge Mountains, Orklands, Badlands of Stormwind and Dark Lands that were beyond the World Edge Mountains.
Some were like this only from the perspective of the Holy Arcadia Empire because some were already occupied by Orks, Barbarians, Daemons, Heretics and so on, but the Imperials saw not as legitimate rulers and just as empty territories taken from them by hostile force.
Technically speaking, both of the Clans had an almost equal claim on it, with the Wildhammer Clan maybe a bit higher, as they were much older and were living there for longer than the Longbeard Clan.
Erebor was created only two hundred years ago and it was finished around fifty years ago, so the Wildhammer of the Aerial Peak had the better claim on the Iron Hills to a certain degree.
But everyone could see that it was a sham because there was no way that the Iron Hills would be left to the Wildhammer Clan because the Imperium didn't like the prospects of the cartel agreements on the business with weapons and armor between the three strongest dwarven clans.
While it wasn't that much touching the Imperial House and the Imperium itself, another problem were the ordinary citizens and Lesser Noble Houses that would suffer greatly from such things, as they would need to pay more for the crucial war equipment.
Even the Elector Counts, depending on the Grand Province they ruled and their personal strength, would may be in a disadvantageous position when it came to the negotiation with the Council of Three Hammers in regard to bigger shipments of wargear.
The proceedings in this case went on for some time and after another hour of curses, insults, and presenting evidence and arguments, the High Chancellor said that the High Council needed to discuss the things among themselves to make the final decision.
After ten minutes of discussion over that matter, the High Chancellor Luca Brewster stepped forward to read the Imperial Decree that was signed by the Holy Imperator himself, giving the situation an entirely new level of legitimacy.
"In the case of a territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan of Erebor and Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak over the disputed territory of the Iron Hills and surrounding areas, the High Council has decided as follows under the approval of the authority of Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. The High Council acknowledges the situation as pressing and serious and the claims of both Clans. At the same time, due to the first occupation by the Longbeard Clan, the Iron Hills themselves would belong to the Longbeard Clan of dwarves. At the same time, to not offense and harm to the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak, the Longbeard Clan is forbidden to expand outside of the border of the Iron Hills and the High Council of the Landsraad affirms the jurisdiction over the surrounding areas of the Iron Hills eastwards. By the Will of his Holy Imperial Majesty, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor and High Council of the Landsraad of the Holy Arcadia Empire."
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster read the lengthy announcement of the High Council of the Landsaar that was also given form of the Imperial Decree, as both Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan and High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan were rather satisfied with the outcome.
At least to the extent they could be, because some more politically apt, could see the balance was greatly leaning toward the Longbeard Clan of Erebor. They obtained the Iron Hills, something they wanted from the start.
While they lost the surrounding areas and were forbidden to expand from the Iron Hills, that was a small price to pay for the greater one.
The surrounding areas of the Iron Hills didn't hold much value, aside from some security purposes and expansion wasn't in the plan because with the addition of the Iron Hills the dwarves of Erebor had more than enough space for now and near or far future.
"Now, I call forward Melkihor Necrarch Viceroy of the House Necrarch of the Sylvania and Viggo Hexensohn Magister of the Amethyst Order of the Eight Orders of Magic of the Byrgenwerth."
Now the time for the next case was coming; another two people exacted their places with the dwarves at the podium. One of them was a typical gloomy-looking necromancer whose black hood was covering his entire face, while another one was a vampire aristocrat in fancy clothes, pale bluish skin, and a bald head.
"The case present, according to all available information that was presented to the Landsraad, House Necrarch financed and conducted the expedition into the World Edge Mountain for the excavation and archeological works. During this concrete expedition, they managed to find the old headquarters of the Cult of Rot which was headed by ancient necromancer Dracheis, and obtained the legacy. On the contrary, the Amethyst Order is accusing the House Necrarch that they stole the information from the Amethyst Order and are demanding the Legacy of Dracheis and Cult of Rot."
Excavations and archeological expeditions were very common across the Lands of Ancients, some of the braver ones were venturing to the World Edge Mountains and there was also a good deal of people that dwelled in the Dark Lands of Ruin...
There were many legacies and powerful artifacts hidden across the Lands of Ancients, as these lands hid many things; some deepest secrets and mysteries are yet to be discovered and thus many were searching for them.
"Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order, as you have brought the case before the Landsraad, you have the first word."
High Chancellor then looked at the Magister of the Amethyst Order who then stepped forward to present his case.
"Your Excellency, the Amethyst Order has been serving the Imperium for centuries and dealing with the Undead and has been the loyal subject of the Imperium. The information about the Legacy of the Cult of Rot has been within our archives for decades and just one year before the expedition into the World Edge Mountains by the House Necrarch it went missing together with the maps and also the penetrator of the incident, one of the librarians that were working in the secret Archive. The Amethyst Order has also presented the proof of this fact to the High Council of Landsraad and we are asking for nothing more than that, what is rightfully belonging to the Amethyst Order. If it was not for our research and efforts, then the Necrarchs would have never found the hidden headquarters of the Cult of Rot within the World Edge Mountains on their first try."
With that being said, the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order stepped down from the speech desk and returned to the podium, as his every movement was observed by everyone within the Landsraad.
Especially the Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Magic Orders and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt and Elector Count of the Sylvania Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes.
Both of these men were being here as support for their respective subjects, though this was also the real reason why this situation was brought in front of the Landsraad. Without the support of the Supreme Patriarch and Elector Count, they would be forced to solve it somehow by themselves, but this changed the situation entirely.
"We have heard the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order, now I call for the Viceroy of the House Necrarch, Melkihor Necrarch to make his case."
The next person to step in front of the speech desk was the Viceroy Necrarch who was holding his cane while he adjusted his suit a bit.
"Honorable members of the Landsraad. I thank you for the opportunity to clean the suspicion about this matter and the lies that are being told about the Expedition and slander toward the House Necrarch by the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order. On the first note, I want to say that the information about the headquarters of the Cult of Rot originated from the ancestral records of the House Necrarch from approximately two thousand years ago and most importantly... Amethyst Order couldn't present the solid evidence that their map and information about the Cult of Rot disappeared from the library and neither could they prove that they were stolen and that the stolen records were passed to the House Necrarch."
Viceroy Melkihor Necrarch explained the situation as the High Chancellor and several members of the High Council of the Landsraad raised their brows hearing that because that was indeed a possibility.
In the end, the Amethyst Order didn't have solid proof that the records about the Cult of Rot that according to their words led to the Legacy of the Cult of Rot were indeed stolen by one of their traitors and were then passed to the House Necrarch.
The burden of proof to prove this lay within the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order and he didn't do so. At the same time, many could see the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order shift in his place uncomfortably.
Simultaneously, Melkihor Necrarch shot a challenging look toward the Magister Viggo Hexensohn who was right now pretty much unsure of what to say. They had crafted some solid accusations toward the House Necrarch, but they lacked some solid proof.
They had some indirect proofs and statements that created some image about the situation, and with a great deal of luck, they could win, but at the same time, if the High Council of the Landsraad was strict on this matter, without solid proof, it would be hard.
"Magister Viggo Hexensohn is the statement of the Viceroy House Necrarch truth?"
High Chancellor then looked at the Magister of the Amethyst Order.
"Your Excellency, the records of the Cult of Rot were missing approximately one year before the start of the Expedition, something that never happened before and neither the House Necrarch deny the accusations entirely because to our knowledge they also don't have proof of origin of their so-called records of the Cult of Rot."
Hearing the answer, several members of the High Council whispered something between each other before one of them started writing something. He then subsequently took out a piece of parchment paper.
"But this is not entirely true, Magister, because before the proceedings started, the House Necrarch presented to the Landsraad their own written records of the Cult of Rot by Norgul Necrarch from 2,122 years ago, and the authenticity of the documents have been proved."
One of the members of the High Council said as Magister's expression visibly shifted, while Melkihor Necrarch revealed a victorious expression because this went well with their statements that the Amethyst Order was making use of their incompetence to obtain the legacy of Cult of Rot and necromancer Dracheis.
"Honorable members of the Landsraad and High Council, Your Holy Majesty Imperator, the situation is clearly as follows. Some 'expert' from the Amethyst Order lost the records of the Cult of Rot and when they found out about it and found about our expedition into the World Edge Mountains, the Amethyst Order decided to make use of the situation to get their hands on the Legacy."
Indeed, as many of the members of the Landsraad heard about this, it made sense to them because it was a plausible theory.
Magister Viggo Hexensoh of the Amethyst Order grits his teeth because he suspected that this might be lost cause and that the Amethyst Order would lose access to the Legacy. Time has passed, and soon enough the members of the High Council have reached the decision.
"Due to the inability of the Amethyst Order to present solid proof to the High Council of the Landsraad about the situation and due to the fact that the House Necrarch presented the solid proof of their origin, the Legacy of the Cult of Rot and Necromancer Dracheis by default falls to the House Necrarch."
If there was one thing that the Amethyst Order didn't count with it were the records of the House Necrarch.
Without them, they predicted that the case would end in favor of neither and that the House Necrarch would be forced to share at least part of the Legacy with the Amethyst Order because they wouldn't be able to prove the origin of their own research and information about the locations of the headquarters of the Cult of Rot.
In the background, Karl Franz was already tired because he had been sitting here for more than five hours, listening to the issues, boring things and some useless things in his opinion.
"Now on the last point of the meeting of the Landsraad... petition signed by several chambers of commerce about opening the public voyages to the Westeros and at the later date to the Essos. I now call for the representative Bertram Honigmann."
Bertram Honigmann was a middle-aged man with rather an average appearance, clothed in a luxurious outfit as he stepped forward and went to the speech desk to make his case in front of the Landsraad.
"Honorable members of the Landsraad, continents of Westeros and Essos represented unprecedented and enormous business opportunities for the various chambers of commerce to make money and enrich the whole Holy Arcadia Empthe time span that reason, I beseech the honorable members of the Landraad to lift the ban on traveling and allow for private corporations to operate within the Westeros and Essos without the interference of the CHOAM."
Bertram Honigmann presented his case with the elegance and eloquence of the merchants and businessmen.
In the end, this one was relatively simple because the Landsraad decided to lift the ban in timepsan of one year, which was more than enough for the petitioners of the merchants and chambers of commerce.
***
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Anor Londo, the City of Gods, is ruled by The Holy Imperator personally and the Imperial House. The City of Gods was built by Lord of Cinder and Sunlight, Lord Gwyn, in the first Age of Lordran; till this day, it remains the most important place within the Lordran and is the symbol of power and majesties of the Imperial House and Holy Imperator.
***
I literarily spent several hours studying the case of the conflict between the Wildhammer Dwarves of the Aerial Peak and the Longbeard Clan of the Erebor, the Lonely Mountain.
And naturally, as it was almost a tradition when it came to the dwarves, there was a lot of cursing and alcohol involved in everything. Basically, the entire premise was that, not really far from the Lonely Mountain Erebor, there were small hills named Iron Hills.
It was a distance of around 300km, so it was rather close to the Erebor, but at the same time, it was also on the borders of the territory belonging to the Aerial Peak under the Wildhammer Clan.
Within the Iron Hills, there were evidently huge lodges of special Iron Ore that was stronger than the average Iron Ore, and the dwarves attributed it to the Great Resurgence of the Magic.
Now, the deal was Erebor pressed its claim on the Iron Hills, and the Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan even sent part of their army and countless dwarves to make their stand and outôost.
But the same thing was done by the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak, who said that the Iron Hills are part of the mountain range that falls under the jurisdiction of the Aerial Peak; even technically speaking, it were not the mountains, just the hills.
This showed the political division between the dwarves, as it was clear that the Longbeard Clan was aiming for the position on the Council of Three Hammers during the Conclave of the Forge.
As the Bronzebeard Clan was still untouchable, there were only two suitable targets for the Longbeard Clan to compete with. One of them was the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge and the second was the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak.
It seemed that the Longbeards have, in the end, chosen the Wildhammer Clan, though that sounded logical because the Dark Iron Clan has rather a close relationship with the Sorcderes of the Sylvania and some of the Magic Orders of the Byrgenwerth.
And back to the topic...
When the dwarves started squabbling about who was right and who was wrong, it grew to a series of duels and competitions between them, but the tension were rising to the point where Magni Bronzebeard, leader of the Council of Three Hammers and Elector Count of Khaz-Modan tried to mediate the situation.
Unfortunately, it was futile because even he, due to their traditions, couldn't really force them to back down, so the sole thing he could do was ask the Landsraad to solve the situation.
My head was hurting just as I was thinking about this, but in the end, I was leaning more toward the Longbeard Clan. Just for political reasons, it would be a good opportunity to bring the three Clans on the edge because, among all of the dwarven clans, their position was almost unshakable.
Be it the Bronzebeard Clan, Dark Iron Clan or Wildhammer Clan, their position within the dwarven Clan was getting too strong, so it would be most productive to undermine their growing position subtly.
If not, it would become a serious problem for the Imperium because the dwarves are often the sole suppliers of the wargear and it would be a bad thing to let them be controlled by just three of them.
Naturally, there was also a Gnomeregan, but the Gnomes had rather a unique position within the Imperium because they were technically speaking a City State, something like the Free Cities in Essos.
With their High Thinker having the position of City Lord that was equivalent to the Viceroy.
It reminded me of cartel agreements on the Earth or some merchants getting together to squeeze as many benefits as possible.
Naturally, I wasn't a single one who was aware of this fact because, with the case, there was also an analysis of the case attached and a written recommendation for my decision by the High Chancellor, where he suggested favoring the Longbeard Clan.
However, at the same time, it needed to be done subtly so as not to create any suspicion from the disputed parties.
The other two cases that would be presented at the Landsraad were not as problematic as the first one, at least to a certain degree. The personal feud between some chambers of commerce would be solved rather quickly because I would just give it to one of mine and be done with it if they couldn't behave.
And the last one was another pain in the ass that I wanted to have nothing to do with because I had my share of squabbles and conflicts between the various magic organizations and it was always a nightmare.
Those fanatical researchers of Magic and pursuers of the depths of Arcane were sometimes even more zealous than the most fanatical priests and worshippers of the Healing Church.
The meeting of the Landsraad about these topics would be tomorrow and unfortunately, once again such a thing would take up probably the entire day if it went without a hitch and complications.
So I was already counting on the next two days or so, maybe even more sitting within the Landsraad and listening to the arguments, insults, curses and gods know what more...
Thought a certain part of me was eager for the new form of entertainment that it would provide me because sometimes it was funny to see them fighting for the things. Sometimes, they were literarily fighting for things, as most conflicts within the Holy Arcadia Empire were resolved through duels and fights.
"Now this is done... I can finally have some time of peace and move on convincing Maria to take the position of Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals..."
I muttered, but before that, I would go tend a Deathclaw for some time and take him on a flight. My most loyal companion, the Griffon Deathclaw, must be a bit bored because it has been some time since we have been flying over the Reikland.
***
3rd POV
Landsraad, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lands of Ancient Lordran
The administrative building where the Landsraad was located was bustling once again with people, but this time, most of the attendees were not the Imperial Nobles themselves but rather the representatives of the Noble Houses and other members of the Landsraad.
Because this wasn't one of the more important meetings of the Landsraad but rather one that was more or like the standard ones, not many of the Imperial Nobles attended personally.
The personal attendance was as usual, mostly from the Reikland, some from the Klandor, Fenris, Bretonnia, and Faelor. The ones that came personally were from the Khaz-Modan as all of the Dwarven Clans were in full attendance and also all of the Noble Houses of the Sylvania were also present.
However, that was natural because there were cases presented before the Landsraad, so their attendance was necessary. The dwarves were already arguing because, among their forty Dwarven Clans that were part of the Conclave of Forge, there were already factions.
Some supported the Longbeard Clan, some supported the Wildhammer Clan and some were neutral and didn't care about the situation that was present and just came to enjoy the show.
"Order!"
"Order!"
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster shouted when the members of the Landsraad were chattering with each other, as the entire place was getting noisy with how many people were already present.
"Now that we have all calmed down, we can start with the program and first voting. The program shall be as follows. 1st point of the program is the territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan over the territory known as Iron Hills within the Grand Province of Khaz-Modan."
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster started reading the point of the program of the Landsraad meeting. The very moment he read the 1st point on the program, the Dwarves started screaming at each other because some were supporting one side and others were supporting the other side.
"Order!"
"Order!"
"Order!"
After he said the word "Order" thrice, the entire Landsraad slowly quieted down as the High Chancellor of the Imperium proceeded to read the other two points on the program. Karl Franz sat on his throne with a bored look as he oversaw the meeting from the highest place within the Landsraad.
"The 2nd point of the meeting is to decide the ownership of the legacy of great necromancer Dracheis that was found within the ruins of the castle during the expedition into the World Edge Mountains. This dispute is between the Viceroy House Necrarch of the Sylvania and the Amethyst Order of the Eight Order of Magic of the Byrgenwerth. On the down note, both Byrgenwerth and Elector Count House Draculya-Tepes have backed up their subjects."
Viceroy of the House Necrarch looked at the representative of the Amethyst Order with a daring look as his pale white skin almost reflected light and his red eyes shone dangerously.
Dracheis was a legendary necromancer who terrorized the areas that are today known as Sylvania and Klandor and even often wandered into the Dark Lands. He was one of the very few necromancers that had raised several Level 7 Undead a long time ago, but as it goes, he was too defeated and killed.
Most shockingly, the one who killed one of the greatest necromancers was a rather ordinary man of faith who took the opportunity when the Dracheis were terrorizing some of the settlements with a smaller contingent of the Undead.
"And the last point, the 3rd in the row, is the dispute over the right to conduct the voyages into the Westeros."
This was another lucrative topic for countless merchants that wanted to do business, as the continent of Westeros was opening an entirely new market and if the Westeros were making them salvitate over it, then Essos was making them go mad.
Essos was big as several Grand Provinces together and the market there was enormous, as it was potential for the business. So, nobody was surprised that the merchants and other business organizations wanted to obtain their share there.
Naturally, nobody could compete with CHOAM because everyone knew that CHOAM would be the first one to obtain market share and several other companies were under the most important figures within the wider Imperium.
No, what was important for them, was the fact that they wanted to fight for the scraps that won't be taken by CHOAM or other import high-profile figures within the Imperium.
At the same time, some were already deeply distraught about the Golden Circle Company that was established by the Holy Imperiator's newest fianceé, who would be dealing with the beauty products.
"Let us proceed to the voting on the program of today's meeting of the Landsraad."
After a lengthy reading of the entire program and everything around that, the reading was done as the High Chancellor, Luca Brewster opened the voting about today's proceedings, which passed with 1,000:0 in favor of today's program.
"Now that the program for today's meeting of the Landsraad has passed with the 1,000:0 we can proceed to the first topic of today's meeting. The territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan over the territory known as Iron Hills within the Grand Province of Khaz-Modan. Now I will ask for the representatives of the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan to step forward. I will ask for the representative of the Bronzebeard Clan to pass the analysis of the conflict to the High Council of the Landsraad."
When the High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked for the representatives, three dwarves stepped forward, with two were going to the podiums, where they would be presenting their case, while another one was heading before the High Council with a stack of papers and one Lacrima.
For the next ten minutes, there was silence within the Landsraad as the members of the High Council, under the leadership of the High Chancellor were, reviewed the documentation that was passed to them, and they also watched the content on Lacrima crystal.
"The High Council of the Landsraad can say, it had reviewed the documentation presented by the Bronzebeard Clan and Dark Iron Clan that was collected as a third observer in regard to the territorial dispute."
The High Chancellor said as he put down his glasses and looked at the two dwarves that were standing in front of the podium, facing the members of the High Council and the Holy Imperator himself.
"Representative of the Longbeard Clan, Patriarch Durin Longbeard, step forward."
After he said that, the dwarf with greyish-black hair stepped forward to present his case before the Landsraad.
"Honorable High Council of the Landsraad and Honorable Members of the Landraad. A grave harm and injustice has happened to the Longbeard Clan by those bastards of Wildhmamer yar telling you!"
When it came to the dwarves, everyone already gotten used to their language and thus, people tended to ignore the crass language, members of the High Council included.
"Wer were the first at the Iron Hills and then those fucker's came and took the Iron Hills and we even had there our fortress built at that place."
Everyone was listening attentively before the representative of the Wildhammer Clan, who was also the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak Falstad Wildmamer, was about to burst in anger.
Falstad Wildhammer was a typical dwarf with a bald head with, sole hair tied to a ponytail and a long ginger beard. He also had several blue tribal tattoos over his face and arms and also under his entire body.
"What did ya said, yu fricking goat fucker! Iron Hills are under the jurisdiction of the Aerial Peak and if yar have a problem with that say it to my axe!"
High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan Falstad Wildhammer shouted at the Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan During Longbeard.
"Shut up ya shamanistic fool! Yor axe will either shatter in my hammer as everything that trash like you forge."
It seemed that the drama in this place was beginning faster than everyone could anticipate because it had been only a few minutes and they already started shouting at one another and trading insults.
Some members of the Landsraad who came here just for the drama were already enjoying the show greatly because it was a good show. Naturally, it seemed that right now, Falstad Wilhammer was about to attack outright because the worst of the worst insults one can say to a dwarf was an insult to his craft.
Such insults were often met with swift retaliation in the form of life-and-death duels.
But to the expectations of the many present here, there was nothing, but that was also understandable because attacking anyone within the premises of the Landsraad would be a grave offense.
Perhaps only Elector Counts would be fined with some fine, that would still hurt their pockets a bit, but for them, who were maximally on the standing of the Viceroy in the case of the Wildhammer Clan and Baron in the case of Longbeard Clan, the consequences were something that they couldn't really bear lightly.
"High Thane Falstad Wildhammer, according to the investigations conducted by the Conclave of Forge, Bronzebeard Clan and Dark Iron Clan it is indeed true that the Longbeard Clan built the fortress before the Wildhammer Clan arrived at the Iron Hills... according to the territorial division between the Clans of Khaz-Modan, area of the Iron Hills belong to the unclaimed territories of the Khaz-Modan."
High Chancellor then turned his sight at the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan as he stated these, things. In fact, most of the higher-ups within the Imperium knew that this was rather a grey area, and neither the Wildhammer Clan nor the Longbeard Clan were right in their statements.
In truth, even though the area of the Iron Hills was the so-called terra nullius, they were as close to the jurisdiction of the Wildhammer Clan as they were to the Longbeard Clan.
Terrae nullius were territories that were unclaimed and nobody ruled them; it essentially meant no state or power had sovereignty over the territory and nobody applied their jurisdiction to rule it.
Even within the Lordran, there were not many of such places and they could be counted on one hand, if we are not including the World Edge Mountains, Orklands, Badlands of Stormwind and Dark Lands that were beyond the World Edge Mountains.
Some were like this only from the perspective of the Holy Arcadia Empire because some were already occupied by Orks, Barbarians, Daemons, Heretics and so on, but the Imperials saw not as legitimate rulers and just as empty territories taken from them by hostile force.
Technically speaking, both of the Clans had an almost equal claim on it, with the Wildhammer Clan maybe a bit higher, as they were much older and were living there for longer than the Longbeard Clan.
Erebor was created only two hundred years ago and it was finished around fifty years ago, so the Wildhammer of the Aerial Peak had the better claim on the Iron Hills to a certain degree.
But everyone could see that it was a sham because there was no way that the Iron Hills would be left to the Wildhammer Clan because the Imperium didn't like the prospects of the cartel agreements on the business with weapons and armor between the three strongest dwarven clans.
While it wasn't that much touching the Imperial House and the Imperium itself, another problem were the ordinary citizens and Lesser Noble Houses that would suffer greatly from such things, as they would need to pay more for the crucial war equipment.
Even the Elector Counts, depending on the Grand Province they ruled and their personal strength, would may be in a disadvantageous position when it came to the negotiation with the Council of Three Hammers in regard to bigger shipments of wargear.
The proceedings in this case went on for some time and after another hour of curses, insults, and presenting evidence and arguments, the High Chancellor said that the High Council needed to discuss the things among themselves to make the final decision.
After ten minutes of discussion over that matter, the High Chancellor Luca Brewster stepped forward to read the Imperial Decree that was signed by the Holy Imperator himself, giving the situation an entirely new level of legitimacy.
"In the case of a territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan of Erebor and Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak over the disputed territory of the Iron Hills and surrounding areas, the High Council has decided as follows under the approval of the authority of Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. The High Council acknowledges the situation as pressing and serious and the claims of both Clans. At the same time, due to the first occupation by the Longbeard Clan, the Iron Hills themselves would belong to the Longbeard Clan of dwarves. At the same time, to not offense and harm to the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak, the Longbeard Clan is forbidden to expand outside of the border of the Iron Hills and the High Council of the Landsraad affirms the jurisdiction over the surrounding areas of the Iron Hills eastwards. By the Will of his Holy Imperial Majesty, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor and High Council of the Landsraad of the Holy Arcadia Empire."
The High Chancellor Luca Brewster read the lengthy announcement of the High Council of the Landsaar that was also given form of the Imperial Decree, as both Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan and High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan were rather satisfied with the outcome.
At least to the extent they could be, because some more politically apt, could see the balance was greatly leaning toward the Longbeard Clan of Erebor. They obtained the Iron Hills, something they wanted from the start.
While they lost the surrounding areas and were forbidden to expand from the Iron Hills, that was a small price to pay for the greater one.
The surrounding areas of the Iron Hills didn't hold much value, aside from some security purposes and expansion wasn't in the plan because with the addition of the Iron Hills the dwarves of Erebor had more than enough space for now and near or far future.
"Now, I call forward Melkihor Necrarch Viceroy of the House Necrarch of the Sylvania and Viggo Hexensohn Magister of the Amethyst Order of the Eight Orders of Magic of the Byrgenwerth."
Now the time for the next case was coming; another two people exacted their places with the dwarves at the podium. One of them was a typical gloomy-looking necromancer whose black hood was covering his entire face, while another one was a vampire aristocrat in fancy clothes, pale bluish skin, and a bald head.
"The case present, according to all available information that was presented to the Landsraad, House Necrarch financed and conducted the expedition into the World Edge Mountain for the excavation and archeological works. During this concrete expedition, they managed to find the old headquarters of the Cult of Rot which was headed by ancient necromancer Dracheis, and obtained the legacy. On the contrary, the Amethyst Order is accusing the House Necrarch that they stole the information from the Amethyst Order and are demanding the Legacy of Dracheis and Cult of Rot."
Excavations and archeological expeditions were very common across the Lands of Ancients, some of the braver ones were venturing to the World Edge Mountains and there was also a good deal of people that dwelled in the Dark Lands of Ruin...
There were many legacies and powerful artifacts hidden across the Lands of Ancients, as these lands hid many things; some deepest secrets and mysteries are yet to be discovered and thus many were searching for them.
"Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order, as you have brought the case before the Landsraad, you have the first word."
High Chancellor then looked at the Magister of the Amethyst Order who then stepped forward to present his case.
"Your Excellency, the Amethyst Order has been serving the Imperium for centuries and dealing with the Undead and has been the loyal subject of the Imperium. The information about the Legacy of the Cult of Rot has been within our archives for decades and just one year before the expedition into the World Edge Mountains by the House Necrarch it went missing together with the maps and also the penetrator of the incident, one of the librarians that were working in the secret Archive. The Amethyst Order has also presented the proof of this fact to the High Council of Landsraad and we are asking for nothing more than that, what is rightfully belonging to the Amethyst Order. If it was not for our research and efforts, then the Necrarchs would have never found the hidden headquarters of the Cult of Rot within the World Edge Mountains on their first try."
With that being said, the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order stepped down from the speech desk and returned to the podium, as his every movement was observed by everyone within the Landsraad.
Especially the Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Magic Orders and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt and Elector Count of the Sylvania Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes.
Both of these men were being here as support for their respective subjects, though this was also the real reason why this situation was brought in front of the Landsraad. Without the support of the Supreme Patriarch and Elector Count, they would be forced to solve it somehow by themselves, but this changed the situation entirely.
"We have heard the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order, now I call for the Viceroy of the House Necrarch, Melkihor Necrarch to make his case."
The next person to step in front of the speech desk was the Viceroy Necrarch who was holding his cane while he adjusted his suit a bit.
"Honorable members of the Landsraad. I thank you for the opportunity to clean the suspicion about this matter and the lies that are being told about the Expedition and slander toward the House Necrarch by the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order. On the first note, I want to say that the information about the headquarters of the Cult of Rot originated from the ancestral records of the House Necrarch from approximately two thousand years ago and most importantly... Amethyst Order couldn't present the solid evidence that their map and information about the Cult of Rot disappeared from the library and neither could they prove that they were stolen and that the stolen records were passed to the House Necrarch."
Viceroy Melkihor Necrarch explained the situation as the High Chancellor and several members of the High Council of the Landsraad raised their brows hearing that because that was indeed a possibility.
In the end, the Amethyst Order didn't have solid proof that the records about the Cult of Rot that according to their words led to the Legacy of the Cult of Rot were indeed stolen by one of their traitors and were then passed to the House Necrarch.
The burden of proof to prove this lay within the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order and he didn't do so. At the same time, many could see the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order shift in his place uncomfortably.
Simultaneously, Melkihor Necrarch shot a challenging look toward the Magister Viggo Hexensohn who was right now pretty much unsure of what to say. They had crafted some solid accusations toward the House Necrarch, but they lacked some solid proof.
They had some indirect proofs and statements that created some image about the situation, and with a great deal of luck, they could win, but at the same time, if the High Council of the Landsraad was strict on this matter, without solid proof, it would be hard.
"Magister Viggo Hexensohn is the statement of the Viceroy House Necrarch truth?"
High Chancellor then looked at the Magister of the Amethyst Order.
"Your Excellency, the records of the Cult of Rot were missing approximately one year before the start of the Expedition, something that never happened before and neither the House Necrarch deny the accusations entirely because to our knowledge they also don't have proof of origin of their so-called records of the Cult of Rot."
Hearing the answer, several members of the High Council whispered something between each other before one of them started writing something. He then subsequently took out a piece of parchment paper.
"But this is not entirely true, Magister, because before the proceedings started, the House Necrarch presented to the Landsraad their own written records of the Cult of Rot by Norgul Necrarch from 2,122 years ago, and the authenticity of the documents have been proved."
One of the members of the High Council said as Magister's expression visibly shifted, while Melkihor Necrarch revealed a victorious expression because this went well with their statements that the Amethyst Order was making use of their incompetence to obtain the legacy of Cult of Rot and necromancer Dracheis.
"Honorable members of the Landsraad and High Council, Your Holy Majesty Imperator, the situation is clearly as follows. Some 'expert' from the Amethyst Order lost the records of the Cult of Rot and when they found out about it and found about our expedition into the World Edge Mountains, the Amethyst Order decided to make use of the situation to get their hands on the Legacy."
Indeed, as many of the members of the Landsraad heard about this, it made sense to them because it was a plausible theory.
Magister Viggo Hexensoh of the Amethyst Order grits his teeth because he suspected that this might be lost cause and that the Amethyst Order would lose access to the Legacy. Time has passed, and soon enough the members of the High Council have reached the decision.
"Due to the inability of the Amethyst Order to present solid proof to the High Council of the Landsraad about the situation and due to the fact that the House Necrarch presented the solid proof of their origin, the Legacy of the Cult of Rot and Necromancer Dracheis by default falls to the House Necrarch."
If there was one thing that the Amethyst Order didn't count with it were the records of the House Necrarch.
Without them, they predicted that the case would end in favor of neither and that the House Necrarch would be forced to share at least part of the Legacy with the Amethyst Order because they wouldn't be able to prove the origin of their own research and information about the locations of the headquarters of the Cult of Rot.
In the background, Karl Franz was already tired because he had been sitting here for more than five hours, listening to the issues, boring things and some useless things in his opinion.
"Now on the last point of the meeting of the Landsraad... petition signed by several chambers of commerce about opening the public voyages to the Westeros and at the later date to the Essos. I now call for the representative Bertram Honigmann."
Bertram Honigmann was a middle-aged man with rather an average appearance, clothed in a luxurious outfit as he stepped forward and went to the speech desk to make his case in front of the Landsraad.
"Honorable members of the Landsraad, continents of Westeros and Essos represented unprecedented and enormous business opportunities for the various chambers of commerce to make money and enrich the whole Holy Arcadia Empthe time span that reason, I beseech the honorable members of the Landraad to lift the ban on traveling and allow for private corporations to operate within the Westeros and Essos without the interference of the CHOAM."
Bertram Honigmann presented his case with the elegance and eloquence of the merchants and businessmen.
In the end, this one was relatively simple because the Landsraad decided to lift the ban in timepsan of one year, which was more than enough for the petitioners of the merchants and chambers of commerce.
***
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Chapter 22 – Chapter 22 – Westerlands and Greenskins (1)
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Year 280 AC of Westerosi Callendar, August
Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Westerlands, Casterley's Rock
Indeed, as most of the leadership among the House Lannister predicted, soon after the news about the Imperial Delegation arriving at the shores of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, there was only so long that they could hold the Mad King on bay.
It took a long time for the members of the Small Council and the Crown Prince to calm down the raging King, who was spouting nonsense about treason and other accusations.
In the end, it only resulted in Lord Tywin Lannister stepping down as the Hand of the King on his own, but that was still the best outcome that was possible.
It was way better than the possible civil war because the outcome of it would be rather... uncertain, one could say in the most diplomatic way.
After he stepped down from his position as the Hand of the King, Lewyn Martell uncle of the Elia Martel, was named as the new Hand of the King.
In truth, Tywin Lannister himself planned to step down in the near future, so the situation that happened with the mad king wasn't entirely bad because he was forced to step down so he could make use of it to obtain some benefits from it.
From that day on, the Westerlands have mostly closed its borders and kept to themselves, but everyone could see the increasing tension between the various kingdoms of the Westeros.
And one could also see the increasing division between them as various power blocks started appearing within Westeros because of the rule of the Mad King Aerys II. Targaryen.
North was becoming a block on their own, as it grew more and more isolated from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, though there existed some sort of pseudo-block of the Seven Kingdoms with the Vale of Arryn and Stormlands, mainly through the person of John Arryn, Warden of the Vale.
Westerlands was entering a new age of isolation and a closer relationship with the Empire from beyond the Sunset Sea, which was making everyone nervous and scared because many could see the dangers of it.
And naturally, then there was were the last two remaining power blocks within the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros. One of them were the reavers of the Iron Islands who were once again alone as they always were.
And the last power block was the so-called Royal Faction which consisted of the Crownlands directly under the rule of the Targaryen and the Lordship of Dragonstone, together with the support of their in-laws of Martels of Dorne, Kingdom of Reach, and Riverlands.
Those who were most politically apt could see that this was a tickling bomb, especially after Lord Rickard Stark decided to call off any further engagement with the Tullys of the Riverlands and the betrothal between his Heir Brandon Stark and eldest daughter of Hoster Tully was annulled.
It was clear that John Arryn was trying to create something that could rival the Royal Faction in case the mand king went entirely out of control and the nation developed into a full-scale civil war.
From that perspective, his moves of fostering the second son of Lord Rickard Stark and also the Heir of the Stormlands, Robert Baratheon, made sense.
Meanwhile, the Lannisters of the Westerlands were slowly growing in power because after they had established a standing military, Tywin obtained the means to solidify his control over the nobles completely.
After he stripped all of his vassals of the right to call levies, some tried to not so subtly protest, but they were swiftly disposed of and now, the Westerlands had five fewer Noble Houses.
And in their places, he raised the two most loyal cutthroats, and three members of the House Lannister were awarded the former holds of the extinguished noble houses.
From then on, nobody dared to say a single word about it anymore.
But not everything was just positive because there were also some problems that the Westerlands were facing, which was the increasing danger from the Greenskisn that took hold within the mountains and hills of the Westerlands.
"Have we found their headquarters?"
For the past few weeks, the scouts of the army were searching for the headquarters of the Orkish Klan that appeared within the Westerlands. Just a few days after the Greenskisn were first sighed, they were already raiding villages, which prompted Tywin to increase the patrols over the Westerlands.
At first, he even managed to strike a deal with the Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who sent a few hundred of his Silver Knights to help the Westerosi to search for the Greenskins and to search for their holds.
"Yes, right now General Greiss is creating the battle strategy for the siege of the headquarters of the Klan; there should be something between 20,000 to 25,000 Greenskins... which is a rather outrageous number considering the situation in the Westeros right now."
Kevan Lannister acted as the liaison between the administration of the Casterly Rock and the Army that was seated within the Castemere that was currently undergoing renovations, but large parts were already used by the army.
"That is certainly more than were initial anticipations..."
Indeed, it seemed that the Greenskins were a bit overpopulated within the Westerlands; it seemed that they had given them a lot of time and now they were a bit overpopulated. Yet, at the same time, they at least were mostly Gretchen, some goblins and ordinary Boyz.
"Yes, it is, but we have the support of the Silver Knights and even some of the Wizards said that they would support us and the Chapter Master would also send a good number of the Silver Knights with us, perhaps even participate in the expedition to destroy the Greenskins."
Kevan Lannister said as he was sitting together with his eldest brother in his solar. During the time, they had a good encounter with the Greenskins and many of their soldiers, and they learned that dealing with the Grentchen or Goblins was relatively easy.
They were practically weaker than trainer adult human soldiers, so killing the Grentchen and Goblins wasn't that big of a problem. When it came to the Ork Boyz, it was rather problematic because Orks were innately stronger than humans, but Orks within the Westeralnds were even in a poorer state than those in the Lordran.
As the Greenskins were never known for their crafting abilities and capability to create things, they were fighting mostly with the scraps that they found, pillaged or scavaged and it was no different within the Westeros.
"We need to root them out before they start building some fortifications in the mountains; then it would be a nightmare to push them out of there."
Fortunately, as they were right, the Orks didn't build anything beyond some primitive wooden palisades and tents, but when their population got enough resources and numbers, they could build fortifications from stone and metal.
Even though it was mostly patched up together and looked terrible, when it counted with the terrain it was located, then the problem was significant because the rocky terrain would be greatly easing them to do so.
"We would be ready to march on them in a few days according to General Greiss."
Tywin then wrote something on the paper before he finished with all of the paperwork for the day.
"And the next things? What is the situation in the other Kingdoms?"
Initially, he wouldn't really believe if someone told him that the Seven Kingdoms were facing the possibility of a rebellion, but now, as more and more time passed, it seemed increasingly possible.
"As expected... with the recent happenings, the King has gone entirely mad, and only last week he wanted to declare Westerlands and North traitors at least three times or four, but he was held back by the Small Council and the Crown Prince. His mood is getting worse and worse and he is getting increasingly paranoid and burning people with the Wildfire as capital punishment."
Many things were happening in Westeros since the first contact with the Holy Arcadia Empire and after Lord Ornstein met with Lord Stark.
"In the end, it was only a matter of time... Targaryens never unified Westeros, they left the former Kings too much authority and right, everyone has their own armies and basically do what they want. When they still controlled Wyverns, it didn't really represent a problem due to the lack of Magic and means of combating them on the larger scale..."
Tywin said as he looked through the window and Kevan couldn't help but agree with him. The gravest mistake that the Targaryens made was that they never unified the Westeros. Every single Lord Paramount had their own armies and they were basically kings on their own.
However, at the same time, Aegon the Conqueror didn't have the resources to do so because he was just lucky to conquer Westeros; everyone put down their weapons and his rule was stable and unstable at the same time.
"There is also another interesting thing to report brother."
But now that the Magic was returning back, it brought with it countless challenges and opportunities.
"What is it this time?"
There were too many things happening in the past months and weeks, and it was already getting annoying that something was constantly happening.
"The Wizards have confirmed that the Magic has officially started recovering within the Westeros and it seems that the news is now spreading through the Westeros. We have noticed that there have been several attacks on the Septs of the Faith of Seven, mainly on those that were holding some forbidden books and there are right now many Lords who are seeking the knowledge about Magic."
Something like this didn't really surprise him because Faith of Seven was someone who was destroying any mentions of Magic within Westeros for centuries, for many, many centuries, but many of the things they confiscated were not destroyed but rather stored.
"And that is not all... it seems that the return of Magic is prompting some of the Lords to become pretty much rebellious... exactly as the Imperator predicted."
This made Tywin raise his brow hearing that because this was pretty interesting news.
"Who exactly?"
The House, Lannister wanted to make use of this fact to increase his power and, at the same time, to weaken his potential rivals to a great degree. He was warned by the Imperator that those who didn't grasp the Magic would lose forever and either fall into obscurity or be extinguished.
"Hightowers of the Oldtown are showing some weird movements..."
The Hightowers were always the one House within the Reach that had too much influence, and due to their close relationship with the Maester Order of the Citadel, which was headquartered within the Oldtown, they were also the best-informed ones.
Tywin, in all of his experience and knowledge, didn't doubt for even a second that the House Hightower didn't have very significant influence within the Maester Order.
He even predicted that Heads of the House Hightower may be even one of the decision makers within the Maester Order, but that was just his own speculation.
If there was someone who would be creating a mess within the Kingdom of Reach, then it would be the Hightowers because the moment the House Tyrrel got weaker, then they would jump at the opportunity to plunge them down.
In the end, House Tyrrell were just upstarts with no history to tell in the eyes of many and it was one of the most foolish decisions of the Aegon Conqueror to give the Tyrells former castellans of the High Garden, Lordship over the entire Kingdom of Reach.
And the same thing could be said about the House Tully in the Riverlands. The return of Magic told many who were living on borrowed time, and Tywin knew that chances were slim for them to turn the tides.
But for now, his main aim was the Riverlands because from all of the Kingdoms in Westeros, it was the weakest one and at the same time, it was destined to fall sooner or later, thus it would be the most prudent to take the planning for the future expansion of the Westerlands.
"Hypothetically speaking, if the rebellion happened in Westeros, what are the chances of the Riverlands remaining loyal to the Iron Throne? I would say that they are at the 100%..."
Compared to the Kingdom of Reach which had a few powerful Noble Houses that would create a problem when it came to the expansion of the territory, the Riverlands had none and their military potential was poor.
"And due to that, if the potential rebellion broke out we can take some of the border territories from the Riverlands and merge them into the Westerlands."
After the Aegon's Conquest, it was night impossible to obtain more territories for the Kingdoms of the Seven Kingdoms because it would be breaking the King's Peace. Even during the previous military engagements within the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, it wasn't possible.
"There have been already thoughts about that... the stance of the North would be most probably neutrality over the matter if they are not included."
Indeed in this one, Tywin thought that Kevan was right because Northmen would not intervene in what they called Southern Politics. They never did and when they did it was only when there was no other solution.
They were pretty isolated from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms as they greatly disdained politics and other things, mainly the backstabbing that was rather common within the South.
One could say that the North was a "Kingdom" within the Kingdom.
"No matter the end of the rebellion, the one who will be seated on the Throne will be either weakened or weak and the rule would be unstable, giving us a greater leverage against the Iron Throne."
If the Rebellion erupted within the Seven Kingdoms, then there were two possible scenarios that could happen.
Either the rebels won, which would then create the question on who would rule and with that, and there was very high certainty that the new ruler of the Seven Kingdoms would have a very weak grip on the nation as a whole.
Or the Iron Throne won, but considering the current division of the Nobles and other factors that Tywin was accounting for, it left there a high possibility that, even though the Iron Throne would win, they would be greatly weakened.
***
Six Days Later, Somewhere at the Pendric Hills
The gathering point for the Lannister army was not far from the Ashemark, as they identified the headquarters of the Greenkins to be at the Nun's Deep at the Pendric Hills.
Nun's Deep was a newly discovered and established mine, that wasn't even fully operational; it was only a place that was designed to be transformed into a mine and thus nobody thought about it as a possible headquarters of the Greenskins.
Even though they were brutes, some of them had rather strong gifts for cunning and it seemed that the Boss of the Klan was relatively smart of the Orkish standards at least, because he had chosen a suitable base for his Klan.
Not far from the Ahsemark, close to the Thumblestone River, approximately only a few tens kilometers from the Nun's Deep the Lannister Army was gathering.
There were thousands of them, all of them being clad in the signature red armors, looking more like standardized military compared to the previous appearance of the conscripted peasants and Household Guards of various Noble Houses.
Yet the most eye-catching were only two units within the military camp.
One of them were hundreds of silver armored knights that were in their own part of the camp; they were either practicing their stances and sparring or standing vigil as any proper Imperial Knight of the Holy Arcadia Empire would be.
The second one were heavily armored troops clad in red armor with a golden pattern of Lion, also known as the Red Guards and even the Knights of the Westerlands that were grouped together into the Golden Lion Knights led by Kevan Lannister personally.
The Red Guards and Golden Lion Knights were the core of the Lannister Army of the Westerlands. Together with the Silver Knight Order, they would be the core of the invasion force against the Orks.
Naturally, after the Magic started returning to the Westeros, the people were already feeling it, especially those who had some dormant Magical Blood flowing through their veins.
There were also a good number of Level 1s according to the Imperial Classification within the Golden Lion Knights and there were also a few within the Red Guards. And naturally, that was not counting the mercenaries from the Lands of Ancients that became part of the Lannister Army.
Everybody was rather nervous about the incoming assault on the holds of the Greenskins, something that even the commanders of the army were aware of, but the presence of the Silver Knights and Priests of the Healing Church was tremendously boosting morale.
After several weeks, the Faith of the Great Ones and the authority of the Healing Church was spreading like wildfire within the Westerlands. After the events that took place at the Lannisport were witnessed by countless people, commoners began to change their Faith massively.
The Septs began to disappear, the Septons were often chased off or were even killed in some cases, as this was certainly causing the headache to the Tywin Lannister and apparently the High Septon was furious about this.
To the point where he went to petition the King to do something with it, but this was the situation where the King's madness finally brought something positive when Aerys II. sent High Septon away and threatened to burn him with fire if he bothered him again.
So much for the Defender of Faith in the real action, yet there were not many things that could be done about the situation truthfully.
But such was the danger of the religion; it only required a little to take root within someplace and once it took root, it was almost impossible to dispose of. And now that the Healing Church has taken root within Westeros, they would never leave willingly.
Not like somebody could force them as they were technically speaking part of the Holy Arcadia Empire, so an attack against the Healing Church would be an attack on the nation on itself.
"Has the Greenskins noticed us?"
Within the command tent where the provisionary headquarters of their army that was tasked with the extermination of the Greenskins.
Within the commanding tent, aside from the official leader who was Tywn Lannister, were his brother Kevan Lannister, Reban Greiss, a few of his officers and several Silver Knight Order Officers together with the Agamemnon Atreides.
Surprisingly there were also several Priests of the Healing Church present in case shamans and someone with a connection to the Green Gods appeared, so they could be ready to combat them.
And there were also a few Battle Wizards that remained within the Westerlands after the Imperial Delegation departed back to the Lordran. The Wizards would be playing a crucial role in combating the Shamans of the Greenskins and their Magicians, or if they were none, then they would be tasked with the Control of the Battlefield.
"Unsure; we are rather far away from their position, but it is possible that they have some scouts within the area... we can't notice every single Gretchen and Goblins, as we don't have enough scouts."
General Reban Greiss said, but in his opinion, they would be able to approach closely to the Nun's Deep a lot without being noticed by the Greenskins. Every meter they managed to approach the Nun's Deep unnoticed was increasing their chances for a successful ambush.
"We managed to confirm that the majority of the Greenskins within the Nun's Deep are Gretchen and Goblins, with approximately around 30% of the Klan are Orks, which is greatly playing straight into our cards."
Then General Reban Greiss read the latest reports about the Orkish Klan that was residing within the Pendric Hills. This was a very good piece of news because their number was too high and they were outnumbered.
Even with the addition of the Silver Knights, because Agamemnon Atreides mobilized 1,000 Silver Knights for this operation, something that was relatively a grey zone from the perspective of the Imperial Law.
Still, if they considered the worst variant, then 30% of the overall number would be approximately something around 9,000 Ork Boyz, which was a lot... very lot, considering the individual physical strength of one Ork was superior to that of the human.
"Fighting within the mines would be sure death... we need to lure them out or force them to fight us on the plains before the mine."
Tywin remarked as he looked over the battle plans and everyone agreed with him, because nobody wanted to commence the true siege and enter the Nun's Deep to fight the Orks there.
"Yes... we have prepared several plans to lure the Orks out from the Nun's Deep; hopefully, we will succeed with the first method because the other ones are more costly on time, which would be against us in the combat engagement."
General Reban Greiss was well acquainted with combating the Greenskins because one of the most common contracts for the mercenaries and Free Companies within the Holy Arcadia Empire was the fight against the Greenskins.
So most mercenaries had plenty of experience with the Greenskins and knew their weak and strong sides. Due to this, he didn't have much problems when formulating strategies against the Greenskins, as he knew where to strike.
"Considering the number of the Gretchen and Goblins they have among their numbers, we can await perhaps even some more advanced fortification for their kind, as much as they could get for the Greenkin standards."
If there were some subspecies of the Greenskins that even knew to build something, then it were naturally the Gretchen and Goblins. Even though from the viewpoint of more advanced civilizations, it was primitive, for the Greenskins, it was pretty advanced.
Orks were never known for their capabilities to build something. Actually, they were only known for their capability of destruction and slaughter. It was what they were, but there was a semblance of balance in everything, it seemed, and even the Greenskins had some in their own kind.
"So we can await traps... a lot of traps and their typical mashed-up barriers and other things to prevent us from advancing. With that, entering the mine without killing the Boss and Nobz is no, no..."
General Greiss said quietly because the most common strategy of Gretchen and Goblin was building traps. As both of these subspecies of the Greenskins were much smaller and weaker than their larger and angrier cousins, they reveled in deception and sneakiness, never fighting head-on with their enemy and preferring to use underhanded tactics.
That was the reason why he would rather deal with the Orks only, compared to the Gretchin or Goblins, because while weaker they may be, they were problematic to deal with, especially if the terrain was favorable to them.
And Goblins thrived within the mountain areas, especially underground, where there were dark, many tunnels, paths, various subterranean spaces and so on. Some scholars from the Imperial Universities would even argue that it was their natural habitat just because of how efficient they were within these places.
"The area in front of the Nun's Deep is rather suitable for combat, but we need to create portable walls to stop the mad charge of the Orks in case they already had Squigs."
A Squig was short for "Squiggly Beast". It is the simplest known form of Orkoid life. There are many types of Squig, each generally filling some functional or utilitarian role in the Ork ecosystem.
The Squid's primary purposes were mainly two.
One of them was the primary source of the Ork's food, much like herd animals were for the humans or other more civilized species. The second one, some variants of the Squigs were bred for the war; they could become nightmares on the battlefield if left unchecked.
There are many types of Squigs, but each can be generalized into a single variety, such as edible, musical, hair, medical, parasite-hunting, face-eaters, pet, buzzing and paint Squigs.
Some, like the face-eater types, are little more than snapping, fanged mouths on legs.
Squigs naturally grow and breed within the cesspits of Ork settlements, subsisting on Ork refuse. Tending the Squigs is the duty of the low-caste Orkoids known as Snotlings, whose social standing within the Greenskins was even lower than that of the Gretchin or Goblins.
"That is indeed a great possibility... there are too many of them, so the chances that they already bred a good number of Attack Squigs is very high."
Attack Squigs are one of the most common types of Squig. An Attack Squig is a bouncing ball of claws and razor-sharp teeth, with immense variations in morphology between individuals, with some having horns and a devil-like tail, while others are single-eyed or single-nosed creatures.
Gretchin use them as both a food source if the Squig doesn't eat them first or as a weapon of war, pushing herds of them into the enemy. Orks like to keep them as pets, and sometimes even as weapons as well.
Basically, the Squids were the weapon on their own, as they were pretty hard to kill and were powerful creatures. The Attack Squig was the most common variant that the Orks were using in combat, so it was very unprobable that with their presence number, they didn't have any Squigs.
"Then we shall fish all of the remaining preparations and start the assault, as we still have some surprise on our side."
There were several methods of dealing with the Squids that the Imperium developed over the centuries, such as fighting against the Green Menace. One of the more primitive methods and also it was one of the first ones to be developed, was to use the Barriers to stop their charge.
They would build a portable shield wall that would be etched onto the ground, inscribed with strengthening runes and with holes for the spears that would strike at the weak points of the Squigs when they are charging.
One of the weakest points was naturally their neck, as it was the softest place within their body and it was often not well protected from potential harm. While this method wasn't the best one, as some more experienced Orks and Bosses could find their way around it with strategy as much as it hurt to say that in the same sentence, it was the best one that they had.
Normally, the Imperium was dealing with the Squids purely either through the usage of Magic or Artillery Bombardment from some of their weapons, but those options were not really available for the Westeros and everyone knew it would be a very long time till they would be.
***
Several kilometers away from the Nun's Deep, Pendrick Hills, Westerlands.
Several hours later, the Ork extermination army finally arrived not that far from the Nun's Deep, when their enormous march was finally being noticed by the Orkish scouts that were all around the nearby areas.
In they couldn't commence the surprise attack, but that was something that nobody even anticipated, so they were pretty much lucky that they managed to approach this far without rousing a suspicion.
When they were far enough from the place, as they started moving themselves into the battle formation while keeping the portable shield walls hidden, as they planned to use them in a moment of surprise.
With a single spell from a Wizards, it was pretty easy to keep them hidden from the sight of the Orks unless they sent some Sorcerers or Shamans to scout the area personally, but that will not happen.
Usually, Shamans and Sorcerers had one of the highest social standing within any organization unit of the Greenskins, so they would never lower themselves to an inferior activity that was normally reserved only for the Gretchin or Goblins.
The one fascinating about the Greenskins was that they entire society was strictly hierarchical and organized. Every single Greenskins had someplace on that Hierarchy and normally speaking, when they were somewhere, they could almost never move to other places within the already mentioned Hierarchy.
Stratified society at its best.
But that was also playing to their advantage right now...
"We should make our stand here..."
General Reban Greiss dismounted from his horse, together with other leaders of the expedition army. The place here was suitable to fight against the Greenskins, so they started getting into the formation and laying down the equipment they brought with them.
"We should also start luring the Greenskins out from the Nun's Deep."
This concrete activity was left to lure the Greenskins out, which would be done in a more traditional way. All that was needed to be done was to issue a formal challenge to the Orks, and due to how their society functioned, they would not be able to refuse the challenge.
The greatest cowardice and disgrace for the Ork was not fighting, something like that was completely unacceptable and if the Boss refused the challenge, then even his own authority within the Klan could be challenged by someone else.
In regard to this method, there was a very low possibility of the method not working properly as it should be extremely low or null, so there would be hopefully no need to result in the other methods of "smoking out" the Orks from the mine.
After approximately one hour, everyone could see movements taking place in the distance as the Orks have mobilized to their limits and were already marching on them with great speed and ferocity found.
***
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Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Westerlands, Casterley's Rock
Indeed, as most of the leadership among the House Lannister predicted, soon after the news about the Imperial Delegation arriving at the shores of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, there was only so long that they could hold the Mad King on bay.
It took a long time for the members of the Small Council and the Crown Prince to calm down the raging King, who was spouting nonsense about treason and other accusations.
In the end, it only resulted in Lord Tywin Lannister stepping down as the Hand of the King on his own, but that was still the best outcome that was possible.
It was way better than the possible civil war because the outcome of it would be rather... uncertain, one could say in the most diplomatic way.
After he stepped down from his position as the Hand of the King, Lewyn Martell uncle of the Elia Martel, was named as the new Hand of the King.
In truth, Tywin Lannister himself planned to step down in the near future, so the situation that happened with the mad king wasn't entirely bad because he was forced to step down so he could make use of it to obtain some benefits from it.
From that day on, the Westerlands have mostly closed its borders and kept to themselves, but everyone could see the increasing tension between the various kingdoms of the Westeros.
And one could also see the increasing division between them as various power blocks started appearing within Westeros because of the rule of the Mad King Aerys II. Targaryen.
North was becoming a block on their own, as it grew more and more isolated from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, though there existed some sort of pseudo-block of the Seven Kingdoms with the Vale of Arryn and Stormlands, mainly through the person of John Arryn, Warden of the Vale.
Westerlands was entering a new age of isolation and a closer relationship with the Empire from beyond the Sunset Sea, which was making everyone nervous and scared because many could see the dangers of it.
And naturally, then there was were the last two remaining power blocks within the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros. One of them were the reavers of the Iron Islands who were once again alone as they always were.
And the last power block was the so-called Royal Faction which consisted of the Crownlands directly under the rule of the Targaryen and the Lordship of Dragonstone, together with the support of their in-laws of Martels of Dorne, Kingdom of Reach, and Riverlands.
Those who were most politically apt could see that this was a tickling bomb, especially after Lord Rickard Stark decided to call off any further engagement with the Tullys of the Riverlands and the betrothal between his Heir Brandon Stark and eldest daughter of Hoster Tully was annulled.
It was clear that John Arryn was trying to create something that could rival the Royal Faction in case the mand king went entirely out of control and the nation developed into a full-scale civil war.
From that perspective, his moves of fostering the second son of Lord Rickard Stark and also the Heir of the Stormlands, Robert Baratheon, made sense.
Meanwhile, the Lannisters of the Westerlands were slowly growing in power because after they had established a standing military, Tywin obtained the means to solidify his control over the nobles completely.
After he stripped all of his vassals of the right to call levies, some tried to not so subtly protest, but they were swiftly disposed of and now, the Westerlands had five fewer Noble Houses.
And in their places, he raised the two most loyal cutthroats, and three members of the House Lannister were awarded the former holds of the extinguished noble houses.
From then on, nobody dared to say a single word about it anymore.
But not everything was just positive because there were also some problems that the Westerlands were facing, which was the increasing danger from the Greenskisn that took hold within the mountains and hills of the Westerlands.
"Have we found their headquarters?"
For the past few weeks, the scouts of the army were searching for the headquarters of the Orkish Klan that appeared within the Westerlands. Just a few days after the Greenskisn were first sighed, they were already raiding villages, which prompted Tywin to increase the patrols over the Westerlands.
At first, he even managed to strike a deal with the Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who sent a few hundred of his Silver Knights to help the Westerosi to search for the Greenskins and to search for their holds.
"Yes, right now General Greiss is creating the battle strategy for the siege of the headquarters of the Klan; there should be something between 20,000 to 25,000 Greenskins... which is a rather outrageous number considering the situation in the Westeros right now."
Kevan Lannister acted as the liaison between the administration of the Casterly Rock and the Army that was seated within the Castemere that was currently undergoing renovations, but large parts were already used by the army.
"That is certainly more than were initial anticipations..."
Indeed, it seemed that the Greenskins were a bit overpopulated within the Westerlands; it seemed that they had given them a lot of time and now they were a bit overpopulated. Yet, at the same time, they at least were mostly Gretchen, some goblins and ordinary Boyz.
"Yes, it is, but we have the support of the Silver Knights and even some of the Wizards said that they would support us and the Chapter Master would also send a good number of the Silver Knights with us, perhaps even participate in the expedition to destroy the Greenskins."
Kevan Lannister said as he was sitting together with his eldest brother in his solar. During the time, they had a good encounter with the Greenskins and many of their soldiers, and they learned that dealing with the Grentchen or Goblins was relatively easy.
They were practically weaker than trainer adult human soldiers, so killing the Grentchen and Goblins wasn't that big of a problem. When it came to the Ork Boyz, it was rather problematic because Orks were innately stronger than humans, but Orks within the Westeralnds were even in a poorer state than those in the Lordran.
As the Greenskins were never known for their crafting abilities and capability to create things, they were fighting mostly with the scraps that they found, pillaged or scavaged and it was no different within the Westeros.
"We need to root them out before they start building some fortifications in the mountains; then it would be a nightmare to push them out of there."
Fortunately, as they were right, the Orks didn't build anything beyond some primitive wooden palisades and tents, but when their population got enough resources and numbers, they could build fortifications from stone and metal.
Even though it was mostly patched up together and looked terrible, when it counted with the terrain it was located, then the problem was significant because the rocky terrain would be greatly easing them to do so.
"We would be ready to march on them in a few days according to General Greiss."
Tywin then wrote something on the paper before he finished with all of the paperwork for the day.
"And the next things? What is the situation in the other Kingdoms?"
Initially, he wouldn't really believe if someone told him that the Seven Kingdoms were facing the possibility of a rebellion, but now, as more and more time passed, it seemed increasingly possible.
"As expected... with the recent happenings, the King has gone entirely mad, and only last week he wanted to declare Westerlands and North traitors at least three times or four, but he was held back by the Small Council and the Crown Prince. His mood is getting worse and worse and he is getting increasingly paranoid and burning people with the Wildfire as capital punishment."
Many things were happening in Westeros since the first contact with the Holy Arcadia Empire and after Lord Ornstein met with Lord Stark.
"In the end, it was only a matter of time... Targaryens never unified Westeros, they left the former Kings too much authority and right, everyone has their own armies and basically do what they want. When they still controlled Wyverns, it didn't really represent a problem due to the lack of Magic and means of combating them on the larger scale..."
Tywin said as he looked through the window and Kevan couldn't help but agree with him. The gravest mistake that the Targaryens made was that they never unified the Westeros. Every single Lord Paramount had their own armies and they were basically kings on their own.
However, at the same time, Aegon the Conqueror didn't have the resources to do so because he was just lucky to conquer Westeros; everyone put down their weapons and his rule was stable and unstable at the same time.
"There is also another interesting thing to report brother."
But now that the Magic was returning back, it brought with it countless challenges and opportunities.
"What is it this time?"
There were too many things happening in the past months and weeks, and it was already getting annoying that something was constantly happening.
"The Wizards have confirmed that the Magic has officially started recovering within the Westeros and it seems that the news is now spreading through the Westeros. We have noticed that there have been several attacks on the Septs of the Faith of Seven, mainly on those that were holding some forbidden books and there are right now many Lords who are seeking the knowledge about Magic."
Something like this didn't really surprise him because Faith of Seven was someone who was destroying any mentions of Magic within Westeros for centuries, for many, many centuries, but many of the things they confiscated were not destroyed but rather stored.
"And that is not all... it seems that the return of Magic is prompting some of the Lords to become pretty much rebellious... exactly as the Imperator predicted."
This made Tywin raise his brow hearing that because this was pretty interesting news.
"Who exactly?"
The House, Lannister wanted to make use of this fact to increase his power and, at the same time, to weaken his potential rivals to a great degree. He was warned by the Imperator that those who didn't grasp the Magic would lose forever and either fall into obscurity or be extinguished.
"Hightowers of the Oldtown are showing some weird movements..."
The Hightowers were always the one House within the Reach that had too much influence, and due to their close relationship with the Maester Order of the Citadel, which was headquartered within the Oldtown, they were also the best-informed ones.
Tywin, in all of his experience and knowledge, didn't doubt for even a second that the House Hightower didn't have very significant influence within the Maester Order.
He even predicted that Heads of the House Hightower may be even one of the decision makers within the Maester Order, but that was just his own speculation.
If there was someone who would be creating a mess within the Kingdom of Reach, then it would be the Hightowers because the moment the House Tyrrel got weaker, then they would jump at the opportunity to plunge them down.
In the end, House Tyrrell were just upstarts with no history to tell in the eyes of many and it was one of the most foolish decisions of the Aegon Conqueror to give the Tyrells former castellans of the High Garden, Lordship over the entire Kingdom of Reach.
And the same thing could be said about the House Tully in the Riverlands. The return of Magic told many who were living on borrowed time, and Tywin knew that chances were slim for them to turn the tides.
But for now, his main aim was the Riverlands because from all of the Kingdoms in Westeros, it was the weakest one and at the same time, it was destined to fall sooner or later, thus it would be the most prudent to take the planning for the future expansion of the Westerlands.
"Hypothetically speaking, if the rebellion happened in Westeros, what are the chances of the Riverlands remaining loyal to the Iron Throne? I would say that they are at the 100%..."
Compared to the Kingdom of Reach which had a few powerful Noble Houses that would create a problem when it came to the expansion of the territory, the Riverlands had none and their military potential was poor.
"And due to that, if the potential rebellion broke out we can take some of the border territories from the Riverlands and merge them into the Westerlands."
After the Aegon's Conquest, it was night impossible to obtain more territories for the Kingdoms of the Seven Kingdoms because it would be breaking the King's Peace. Even during the previous military engagements within the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, it wasn't possible.
"There have been already thoughts about that... the stance of the North would be most probably neutrality over the matter if they are not included."
Indeed in this one, Tywin thought that Kevan was right because Northmen would not intervene in what they called Southern Politics. They never did and when they did it was only when there was no other solution.
They were pretty isolated from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms as they greatly disdained politics and other things, mainly the backstabbing that was rather common within the South.
One could say that the North was a "Kingdom" within the Kingdom.
"No matter the end of the rebellion, the one who will be seated on the Throne will be either weakened or weak and the rule would be unstable, giving us a greater leverage against the Iron Throne."
If the Rebellion erupted within the Seven Kingdoms, then there were two possible scenarios that could happen.
Either the rebels won, which would then create the question on who would rule and with that, and there was very high certainty that the new ruler of the Seven Kingdoms would have a very weak grip on the nation as a whole.
Or the Iron Throne won, but considering the current division of the Nobles and other factors that Tywin was accounting for, it left there a high possibility that, even though the Iron Throne would win, they would be greatly weakened.
***
Six Days Later, Somewhere at the Pendric Hills
The gathering point for the Lannister army was not far from the Ashemark, as they identified the headquarters of the Greenkins to be at the Nun's Deep at the Pendric Hills.
Nun's Deep was a newly discovered and established mine, that wasn't even fully operational; it was only a place that was designed to be transformed into a mine and thus nobody thought about it as a possible headquarters of the Greenskins.
Even though they were brutes, some of them had rather strong gifts for cunning and it seemed that the Boss of the Klan was relatively smart of the Orkish standards at least, because he had chosen a suitable base for his Klan.
Not far from the Ahsemark, close to the Thumblestone River, approximately only a few tens kilometers from the Nun's Deep the Lannister Army was gathering.
There were thousands of them, all of them being clad in the signature red armors, looking more like standardized military compared to the previous appearance of the conscripted peasants and Household Guards of various Noble Houses.
Yet the most eye-catching were only two units within the military camp.
One of them were hundreds of silver armored knights that were in their own part of the camp; they were either practicing their stances and sparring or standing vigil as any proper Imperial Knight of the Holy Arcadia Empire would be.
The second one were heavily armored troops clad in red armor with a golden pattern of Lion, also known as the Red Guards and even the Knights of the Westerlands that were grouped together into the Golden Lion Knights led by Kevan Lannister personally.
The Red Guards and Golden Lion Knights were the core of the Lannister Army of the Westerlands. Together with the Silver Knight Order, they would be the core of the invasion force against the Orks.
Naturally, after the Magic started returning to the Westeros, the people were already feeling it, especially those who had some dormant Magical Blood flowing through their veins.
There were also a good number of Level 1s according to the Imperial Classification within the Golden Lion Knights and there were also a few within the Red Guards. And naturally, that was not counting the mercenaries from the Lands of Ancients that became part of the Lannister Army.
Everybody was rather nervous about the incoming assault on the holds of the Greenskins, something that even the commanders of the army were aware of, but the presence of the Silver Knights and Priests of the Healing Church was tremendously boosting morale.
After several weeks, the Faith of the Great Ones and the authority of the Healing Church was spreading like wildfire within the Westerlands. After the events that took place at the Lannisport were witnessed by countless people, commoners began to change their Faith massively.
The Septs began to disappear, the Septons were often chased off or were even killed in some cases, as this was certainly causing the headache to the Tywin Lannister and apparently the High Septon was furious about this.
To the point where he went to petition the King to do something with it, but this was the situation where the King's madness finally brought something positive when Aerys II. sent High Septon away and threatened to burn him with fire if he bothered him again.
So much for the Defender of Faith in the real action, yet there were not many things that could be done about the situation truthfully.
But such was the danger of the religion; it only required a little to take root within someplace and once it took root, it was almost impossible to dispose of. And now that the Healing Church has taken root within Westeros, they would never leave willingly.
Not like somebody could force them as they were technically speaking part of the Holy Arcadia Empire, so an attack against the Healing Church would be an attack on the nation on itself.
"Has the Greenskins noticed us?"
Within the command tent where the provisionary headquarters of their army that was tasked with the extermination of the Greenskins.
Within the commanding tent, aside from the official leader who was Tywn Lannister, were his brother Kevan Lannister, Reban Greiss, a few of his officers and several Silver Knight Order Officers together with the Agamemnon Atreides.
Surprisingly there were also several Priests of the Healing Church present in case shamans and someone with a connection to the Green Gods appeared, so they could be ready to combat them.
And there were also a few Battle Wizards that remained within the Westerlands after the Imperial Delegation departed back to the Lordran. The Wizards would be playing a crucial role in combating the Shamans of the Greenskins and their Magicians, or if they were none, then they would be tasked with the Control of the Battlefield.
"Unsure; we are rather far away from their position, but it is possible that they have some scouts within the area... we can't notice every single Gretchen and Goblins, as we don't have enough scouts."
General Reban Greiss said, but in his opinion, they would be able to approach closely to the Nun's Deep a lot without being noticed by the Greenskins. Every meter they managed to approach the Nun's Deep unnoticed was increasing their chances for a successful ambush.
"We managed to confirm that the majority of the Greenskins within the Nun's Deep are Gretchen and Goblins, with approximately around 30% of the Klan are Orks, which is greatly playing straight into our cards."
Then General Reban Greiss read the latest reports about the Orkish Klan that was residing within the Pendric Hills. This was a very good piece of news because their number was too high and they were outnumbered.
Even with the addition of the Silver Knights, because Agamemnon Atreides mobilized 1,000 Silver Knights for this operation, something that was relatively a grey zone from the perspective of the Imperial Law.
Still, if they considered the worst variant, then 30% of the overall number would be approximately something around 9,000 Ork Boyz, which was a lot... very lot, considering the individual physical strength of one Ork was superior to that of the human.
"Fighting within the mines would be sure death... we need to lure them out or force them to fight us on the plains before the mine."
Tywin remarked as he looked over the battle plans and everyone agreed with him, because nobody wanted to commence the true siege and enter the Nun's Deep to fight the Orks there.
"Yes... we have prepared several plans to lure the Orks out from the Nun's Deep; hopefully, we will succeed with the first method because the other ones are more costly on time, which would be against us in the combat engagement."
General Reban Greiss was well acquainted with combating the Greenskins because one of the most common contracts for the mercenaries and Free Companies within the Holy Arcadia Empire was the fight against the Greenskins.
So most mercenaries had plenty of experience with the Greenskins and knew their weak and strong sides. Due to this, he didn't have much problems when formulating strategies against the Greenskins, as he knew where to strike.
"Considering the number of the Gretchen and Goblins they have among their numbers, we can await perhaps even some more advanced fortification for their kind, as much as they could get for the Greenkin standards."
If there were some subspecies of the Greenskins that even knew to build something, then it were naturally the Gretchen and Goblins. Even though from the viewpoint of more advanced civilizations, it was primitive, for the Greenskins, it was pretty advanced.
Orks were never known for their capabilities to build something. Actually, they were only known for their capability of destruction and slaughter. It was what they were, but there was a semblance of balance in everything, it seemed, and even the Greenskins had some in their own kind.
"So we can await traps... a lot of traps and their typical mashed-up barriers and other things to prevent us from advancing. With that, entering the mine without killing the Boss and Nobz is no, no..."
General Greiss said quietly because the most common strategy of Gretchen and Goblin was building traps. As both of these subspecies of the Greenskins were much smaller and weaker than their larger and angrier cousins, they reveled in deception and sneakiness, never fighting head-on with their enemy and preferring to use underhanded tactics.
That was the reason why he would rather deal with the Orks only, compared to the Gretchin or Goblins, because while weaker they may be, they were problematic to deal with, especially if the terrain was favorable to them.
And Goblins thrived within the mountain areas, especially underground, where there were dark, many tunnels, paths, various subterranean spaces and so on. Some scholars from the Imperial Universities would even argue that it was their natural habitat just because of how efficient they were within these places.
"The area in front of the Nun's Deep is rather suitable for combat, but we need to create portable walls to stop the mad charge of the Orks in case they already had Squigs."
A Squig was short for "Squiggly Beast". It is the simplest known form of Orkoid life. There are many types of Squig, each generally filling some functional or utilitarian role in the Ork ecosystem.
The Squid's primary purposes were mainly two.
One of them was the primary source of the Ork's food, much like herd animals were for the humans or other more civilized species. The second one, some variants of the Squigs were bred for the war; they could become nightmares on the battlefield if left unchecked.
There are many types of Squigs, but each can be generalized into a single variety, such as edible, musical, hair, medical, parasite-hunting, face-eaters, pet, buzzing and paint Squigs.
Some, like the face-eater types, are little more than snapping, fanged mouths on legs.
Squigs naturally grow and breed within the cesspits of Ork settlements, subsisting on Ork refuse. Tending the Squigs is the duty of the low-caste Orkoids known as Snotlings, whose social standing within the Greenskins was even lower than that of the Gretchin or Goblins.
"That is indeed a great possibility... there are too many of them, so the chances that they already bred a good number of Attack Squigs is very high."
Attack Squigs are one of the most common types of Squig. An Attack Squig is a bouncing ball of claws and razor-sharp teeth, with immense variations in morphology between individuals, with some having horns and a devil-like tail, while others are single-eyed or single-nosed creatures.
Gretchin use them as both a food source if the Squig doesn't eat them first or as a weapon of war, pushing herds of them into the enemy. Orks like to keep them as pets, and sometimes even as weapons as well.
Basically, the Squids were the weapon on their own, as they were pretty hard to kill and were powerful creatures. The Attack Squig was the most common variant that the Orks were using in combat, so it was very unprobable that with their presence number, they didn't have any Squigs.
"Then we shall fish all of the remaining preparations and start the assault, as we still have some surprise on our side."
There were several methods of dealing with the Squids that the Imperium developed over the centuries, such as fighting against the Green Menace. One of the more primitive methods and also it was one of the first ones to be developed, was to use the Barriers to stop their charge.
They would build a portable shield wall that would be etched onto the ground, inscribed with strengthening runes and with holes for the spears that would strike at the weak points of the Squigs when they are charging.
One of the weakest points was naturally their neck, as it was the softest place within their body and it was often not well protected from potential harm. While this method wasn't the best one, as some more experienced Orks and Bosses could find their way around it with strategy as much as it hurt to say that in the same sentence, it was the best one that they had.
Normally, the Imperium was dealing with the Squids purely either through the usage of Magic or Artillery Bombardment from some of their weapons, but those options were not really available for the Westeros and everyone knew it would be a very long time till they would be.
***
Several kilometers away from the Nun's Deep, Pendrick Hills, Westerlands.
Several hours later, the Ork extermination army finally arrived not that far from the Nun's Deep, when their enormous march was finally being noticed by the Orkish scouts that were all around the nearby areas.
In they couldn't commence the surprise attack, but that was something that nobody even anticipated, so they were pretty much lucky that they managed to approach this far without rousing a suspicion.
When they were far enough from the place, as they started moving themselves into the battle formation while keeping the portable shield walls hidden, as they planned to use them in a moment of surprise.
With a single spell from a Wizards, it was pretty easy to keep them hidden from the sight of the Orks unless they sent some Sorcerers or Shamans to scout the area personally, but that will not happen.
Usually, Shamans and Sorcerers had one of the highest social standing within any organization unit of the Greenskins, so they would never lower themselves to an inferior activity that was normally reserved only for the Gretchin or Goblins.
The one fascinating about the Greenskins was that they entire society was strictly hierarchical and organized. Every single Greenskins had someplace on that Hierarchy and normally speaking, when they were somewhere, they could almost never move to other places within the already mentioned Hierarchy.
Stratified society at its best.
But that was also playing to their advantage right now...
"We should make our stand here..."
General Reban Greiss dismounted from his horse, together with other leaders of the expedition army. The place here was suitable to fight against the Greenskins, so they started getting into the formation and laying down the equipment they brought with them.
"We should also start luring the Greenskins out from the Nun's Deep."
This concrete activity was left to lure the Greenskins out, which would be done in a more traditional way. All that was needed to be done was to issue a formal challenge to the Orks, and due to how their society functioned, they would not be able to refuse the challenge.
The greatest cowardice and disgrace for the Ork was not fighting, something like that was completely unacceptable and if the Boss refused the challenge, then even his own authority within the Klan could be challenged by someone else.
In regard to this method, there was a very low possibility of the method not working properly as it should be extremely low or null, so there would be hopefully no need to result in the other methods of "smoking out" the Orks from the mine.
After approximately one hour, everyone could see movements taking place in the distance as the Orks have mobilized to their limits and were already marching on them with great speed and ferocity found.
***
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Chapter 23 – Westerlands and Greenskins (2)
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The Orks that were charging at the forces of the Westerland Army that were mixed with the forces of the Imperium, namely the Silver Knights that were present holding the ground, were riding the Squigs.
Indeed, as was predicted by the higher-ups of the Westerland Army, the Orks were using the traditional Squig charging tactics as the first one against them, which was playing exactly into their trap.
Orks were not much known for their cunning, so when they were provoked and challenged to the "WAAAGH!" they didn't think for a second before the Boss of the Klan ordered an unconditional full-scale attack.
The Squigs were powerful when charging, but there were many methods to deal with them, even right now within Westeros, which had very limited means. Approximately four thousand Squigs were charging at the positions of the Westerland Army with great speed and calling for the "WAAAGH!".
When they were almost in front of the first ranks of the Westerland Army, mainly consisting of Shield Bearers and Silver Knights, General Greiss gave the order, as the concealment of the Shield-Walls fell off, and just a few meters away from the charging Squig Cavallery huge Shield-Wall installed in the earth appeared.
The events that followed soon could be described as extremely fast because, in the same moment after the Shield Wall appeared and the Squigs hastily started stopping just a half a meter from the Shield Wall to not crash into it, the Knights and Soldiers behind the Shield Wall started using very long spears and stabbing them into their necks.
This was the moment when the hell broke out because the Squigs used by the Orkish Klan within the Westerlands didn't have armor for the Squigs, something which was standard for those within the Lands of Ancients.
That was the reason why this strategy would be considered as obsolete within the Lordran and it would be rarely used, as the Orks would be already prepared for the eventuality and would armor their Squigs as much as possible.
While the creatures themselves were rather powerful and had thick skin, but the greatest vulnerability of the Squigs was the soft skin underneath their neck that could be pierced with little to no effort if one had a good weapon and was deadly for them.
Deadly, like instantly dead on the spot.
And thus, the soldiers and knights of the Westerland Army started striking the Squigs with the spears through the holes within the Shield Walls, as each spear was held and pushed by several men at the same time, giving it far greater striking power.
Unfortunately for the Orks, because the rest of the Klan was still relatively far away and they were the Vanguard, once their attack failed, their instantly grew disorganized and there was panic on the battlefield, and the entire chain of command fell apart.
With just a first wave of the attacks, hundreds of the Squigs were killed as their bodies were piling up, and not even moments later, the Crossbowmen of the Westerland Army started shooting off the remaining ones that were in a safe distance.
Naturally, the crossbows that they were using were not ordinary ones but were of dwarven craft, all of them being mechanical crossbows; while older models, it was still enough for them to deal with a few poorly armored Greenskins.
The dwarven mechanical crossbows had far greater penetrating power and were reloading much faster than the ordinary crossbow, which took some time to reload properly. Of course, the dwarves were selling only some of their older models, not the new ones, even though there were rumors of fully automated crossbows being developed.
These weapons were part of the investment that Tywin Lannister made in the modernization of their army because there was a need to obtain new equipment for the soldiers, as many of the old methods were becoming entirely obsolete or would be in the near future.
Fortunately, the House Lannister was right enough to afford it, but he also pressured his vassals to finance part of the expenses because while the House Lannister had absolute control over the Westerland Army, the army was also tasked with the protection of the entire territory of the Westerlands.
When the crossbowmen started firing from the crossbows, the bolts were skewering through the ranks of the Greenskins and killing one Ork after another, together with their Squigs, and in combination with the soldiers at the frontlines striking them with their spears, the numbers of the Vanguard were quickly dwindling.
And very quickly.
Just ten minutes after the start of the battle, the entire Vanguard consisting of approximately 4,000 Attack Squig Riders was decimated to a mere tens that managed to survive the onslaught because they were out of the range of the crossbow.
This was the effect of the well-planned strategy and superior equipment that the Westerland Army prepared for the incoming Ork Vanguard. The dwarvish crossbows showed their power right from the start because the armor of trash quality couldn't stop the superior power of the dwarven bolts.
For the note, the Vanguard among the Greenskins was always one of the strongest units within the Klanz or any other unit of the Greenskin society because only the strongest and bravest of the Orks were allowed to become members of the Vanguard.
Even owning a Squig was something like a personal statute of the individual Ork, for comparison, albeit a relatively poor one, was that the ones that were killed right now were somehow equivalent to the human knights.
Being a Squig Rider was a thing of prestige, honor and strength within the Orkish Klan; something like that was a great matter. So, the loss of most of them was a great loss for the Klan, something that General Reban Greiss was observing with keen interest and a satisfied smile.
***
Command Center of the Westerland Army
Meanwhile, a bit distance from the battlefield, on a small hill, there was a command tent where the higher-ups of the Westerland Army were commanding the entire operation through the Couriers and Lacrimas to pass messages.
When the Lacrimas were discovered within several minutes, directly owned by the House Lannister and one mine that was previously owned by some small noble house, but that one went extinct from the "Orks".
The Lacrimas were strategic resources within the Imperium, as they had countless uses and Tywin managed to pay some of the Wizards to create basic communication toolls from the Lacrimas that were distributed between the strategic holds of the House Lannister.
Even right now, the commanding officers have some of the Lacrimas for better communication between the various parts of the Westerland Army that were participating in the attack on the Nun's Deep.
It was already paying off greatly because they were able to transmit the information directly from the frontlines to the command tent. And the timely exchange of information in real-time was something of utmost importance.
"The Vanguard of the Orks has been completely eliminated... albeit with great luck because the Orks didn't anticipate that the natives of the new continent would know methods of combating them effectively... still, how did they manage to get here?"
This was a little question that was bugging him for a while because he didn't really understand how the Greenksins managed to get from the Lordran to the Westeros, but the most plausible theory was that some Orks from the Orklands in the Lordran wanted to invade the Imperial Territories through the ocean, but for lost on the sea.
"With the Vanguard extinguished, Lord Tywin, the Orks will start charging with everything they have and they will try to overwhelm the Shield-Wall with the sheer numbers... of course, that is unless they don't have some siege weapons or enough Magic Users."
General Reban Greiss then turned to the Lord Paramount of the West, who was standing next to him, donned in the red-golden armor of the dwarven craft, made by the blacksmiths that the House Lannister hired to create personalized weapons and armors for them.
"And the chance of them having something like that?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock asked as he looked at his general of the Westerland Army because it was still possible that the Orks had some kind of siege engines or something, but for Reban Greiss, the possibility was very low.
"Not really probable... if they indeed had some kind of siege engines, then we would have seen them from the start and due to the situation with the Magic on the Westeros, I don't really think that they would have a lot of Magic Users, so coupled with the number of the Battle Wizards and Assassins we are safe."
In the Lands of the Ancient Lords, one of the most common ways to combat Magic, without obviously using the Magic itself, was the good old assassination. Yes, the assassins were the bane of the Battle Wizards or Scholar Mages alike because it was one of the most common methods on how to deal with them.
Most commonly, when there were large-scale battles, taking out Magic Users from the other side was essential because powerful Wizards, Sorcerers and Magicians could do the "Control of the Battlefield", something that could be highly destructive for the other side without means to protect itself.
So, one of the oldest methods when it came to dealing with the Magic Users on the battlefield during the conflict was just simply to assassinate them. For that reason, the Imperium had squads of Assassins in every single military unit.
"We will send out Lord's Blades to root out the Shamans and Magic Users among the Greenskins to free our own Wizards."
This time, it was Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides who voiced his thoughts because they didn't have a lot of Battle Wizards and Magic Users overall on their side, and every single one of them would be indispensable to do Battlefield Control due to the sheer disparity within the numbers against the Orks.
2nd Legion of the Silver Knight Order were the Assassin Legion, specifically training in the arts of the assassination and its members were often chosen for the hardest assassination mission together with the people from the Imperial Military Intelligence Department.
"There should be only a few Shamans and Magic Users within the Orkish Klan of this size; they should be hiding somewhere at the ends of the horde, probably protected by some of the Nobz."
General Reban Greiss stated that, as he had his own great deal of experiences with the Orks and the Greenskins, so he knew how they fought and thought under the presumption that they were actually using their brain.
"That would present no problem... my assassins are far more capable than dealing with a few Nobz that are standing guard, not to mention, these may be even weaker than the Nobz within the Lordran due to the lower concentration of the Magic in the Westeros."
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides then took out his personal communication Lacrima to relay back the orders about the assassination of the Shamans and Magic Users within the Orkish Klan.
It wasn't that surprising to actually see Nobz protecting someone else aside from the Boss because when the Nobz were not attending to the Boss of the Klan or Tribe, they were then tasked with the protection of their Shamans and Magicians, as those were essential for the tribe to function.
Most of those who commanded the Magic couldn't often protect themselves against the sudden assassination, so the common practice was to guard them. If they were killed before the battle started by a dagger to back, then it would be a great shame and loss.
Even within the formations of the Imperium, Wizard and co were constantly protected by strong Knigths, while some Wizards had even their own guards that were pledged to them personally, like their personal bodyguards.
Even the fledgling Westerland Army was employing the same methods when it came to protecting their own Battle Wizards, as they were surrounded by a whole bunch of Silver Knights participating in invasion.
"I would be taking my strongest men to take care of the Boss and the highest ranking Nobz; once they are dead, most of the army will fall apart."
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides then said after they agreed on the rest of the matters.
Naturally, General Reban Greiss agreed with the strategy because this would be the fastest method of ending the conflict, because once the Boss was dead, then practically everything was done, as the Greenskins without Boss would swiftly turn one on another.
Such was their fundamental nature because only the authority of their Boss was keeping the Klan or any other organization unit of the Greenskins together as one whole entity, and without the Boss, it would fall apart.
The rest of the people gathered within the Command Tent of the Westerlandese Army would remain here to relay the orders, including Lord Tywin Lannister and also General Reban Greiss, whose years of direct combat had ended the moment he was appointed as General.
Something that he also partially wished for because it would bring him solace and, on top of everything he already spent too long as a mercenary risking his very own life in the most dangerous encounters, so it was time just to command troops from a safe distance.
Not to mention, according to his deal with the Lord Paramount of the West, he will get Noble Status comparable to the most powerful vassals of the Lion Lord of the Casterley Rock once he created a powerful and functioning standing military for the House Lannister.
And also obtained some glory and gains with the said army, so he had many reasons to remain alive so that he could create his own Noble House. Something that was very appealing to the seasoned mercenary from the Lordran because it would be much easier done within Westeros than in the Lordran.
Mainly because within Westeros there were zero to none competition, while within the Lands of Ancients, there were people competing for promotions to the Imperial Nobility right and left, and there were countless of them.,
***
Frontlines, Near the Nun's Deep
The Greenskins were approaching the battle formations of the Westerlandese Army; the orders were already relayed through the Lacrimas, as everyone was in the highest state of alertness and ready for combat.
Those who stood on the frontlines were the most nervous because they would be meeting head-on the core forces of the Greenskins that were right now even angrier than before after the loss of the Vanguard Force of the Attack Squigs Riders.
In the Orkish Kultur, when there was loss, it wasn't a loss because of WAAAGH! never ended until one side still breathed air and lived, so they right now, needed to dispose of all of the enemies to avenge the honor.
Still, this time the situation was a bit different because the moment of surprise was already gone and Greenskins now knew that the enemies were employing the shield-walls to hold down their advance.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides arrived at the battlefield from the Commnad Center as fast as possible together with his personal guards, who were the strongest Knights of the Silver Knight Order that were left behind by the Imperium within the lands of Westeros.
He too looked at the incoming horde of the Greenskins with wariness and even saw there several Shamans and Magic Users that were being protected by the Nobz as they predicted during their strategy meeting.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, the assassins of the Lord's Blades towards Shamans and Magic Users of the Greenskins, carrying out their orders to assassinate the Shamans and Magic Users of the Orkish Klan.
While the Orks protected their Shamans and Magic Users well for the standards of their own capabilities, but unfortunately, it was not enough to protect them from the well-experienced assassins of the Lord's Blades the 2nd Legion of the Silver Knights.
The Orkish Shamans and Magic Users were assassinated one by one, as the Lord's Blades trained personally by Ciaran, one of the most fearsome assassins that ever walked through the Lands of the Ancient Lords, someone who lived even during the age when Lord Gwyn walked the ground among the mortals.
So, she had perfected the art of assassinations to the extremes, becoming one of the greatest arts that ever existed, and it was then passed to her very own Legion of the Silver Knights.
When the Lord's Blades passed through the Geenskins and started assassinating the Shamans and Magic Users of the Greenskins, hell broke because the Shamans and Magic Users were the most powerful weapons that their Klan had.
Now all of them were one by one, being stabbed to death or decapitated, dying in sort of being the target of the assassinations. The Nobz that were tasked with the protection of the Shamans and Magic Users couldn't really protect them; sometimes they were assassinated together with their target of protection.
The assassins of the Lord's Blades were powerful and precise; there was nobody that was left for the accident, as they were very effective in their actions against the Greenskins as they killed the majority of the Shamans and Magic Users within a very short time.
Just in a few blinks of an eye, they managed to kill approximately 90% of all Shamans and Magic Users on the side of the Greenskins. In regard of the future prospects of the Battle, this greatly weakened the Greenskins Horde and for their chances looked bleak.
Yet, at the same time, the Orks never quit from the battle and they never ran from the battle they fought until their last dying breath for the ideals and concepts of the WAAAGH!, so they would never retreat even though now they lost all of their magic support.
While all of this was happening on the backlines of the Orkish Horde, this left more space for the Battle Wizards and Priests of the Healing Church who were on the side of the Westerland Army to act.
In split of a moment, all of them started casting their Spells, be it the Divine Spells of the Clergy of the Healing Church that was casting the Blessings on the soldiers, basically something that one may call "buffs" and the Battle Wizards were preparing their own spells.
Mainly to cut down the numbers of the Greenskins, which happened not even seconds later because as experienced Battle Wizards lived to the standards, they released their fire elementary spells as enormous flames appeared high in the sky and started bringing down parts of the charging Orkish Horde.
When it came to the Orks, the most effective Magic against them was actually Lore of Fire or Lore of Heaven, naturally then also Freezing them up to the block of ice, helped too, but nothing was as effective as good old fire.
Because the Orks were organisms that defied common sense itself, they were pretty hard to kill, and as they were half-fungus and half-humanoid, killing them entirely without them reproducing or releasing spores, only fire was that effective.
And the most effective was actually the Chaos Fire Sorcerery which was like the nemesis of the entire Greenskins species. Chaos Fire was something that was directly feeding on the very own essence of the Greenskins Species, thus they were the most apt when dealing with the Orks within the Lands of Ancients.
Even though some parts of the battlefield were lit on fire, it didn't at all stop the Greenskins from charging at their positions because the Orks continued their mad charge toward the battle formations of the Westerlandese Army.
But the results of the Wizards attacking with their Magic against the Greenskins paid off greatly because they managed to cut down their numbers by a great margin with this one, as the Magic proved to be very effective against the Greenskins.
The fire was still burning on the battlefield; the Orks clashed against the Westerlandese Army on the Shield-Walls, as the huge towering figures of the Orks started slashing and hacking with their weapons on the Shield-Walls.
Moment by moment, more and more Greenskins were dying at the Shield-Walls because the previous strategy against the Squig Vanguard was also working against the Greenskins en masse, but at the same time, it was also evident that the soldiers of the Westerlandese Army was being pushed back.
While the Greenskins were dying from being under the attacks from the Crossbowmen, it was also evident that their mad-like attacks on the Shield-Walls were working too well, as they were either pushing them back or causing the Shield-Walls to crack in several places.
But even that didn't really represent much of a problem yet, because the soldiers on the front lines were the strongest ones of the entire army and had the best equipment available; aside from that, there were also plenty of the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order present behind the Shield-Walls who would be taking care of the strongest and most powerful Orks.
Average Ork was Level 1 being in terms of physical strength, which meant, translated to the human language, was around the peak of the very Human Limit of strength. That was also the standard of the average Silver Knight.
Obviously, even though the Ork were physically far superior to the humans, that didn't mean that even ordinary human without any particular strength cannot kill an adult Ork warrior.
Everything that one needed was just superior equipment and some experience or knowledge on where to strike the Ork. And obviously, the Westerlandese Army was also trained on how to fight against the Greenskins.
They were taught where were their weak spots, where to attack when one was fighting against the Orks and what were their strongest sides. What to not do during the combat and what to do.
So when the Greenskins broke through the Shield-Wall and started pouring into the battle formations of the Westerlandese Army, the soldiers reacted accordingly as they put up their shields and entered the phalanx formation.
With their swords in their hands, they started striking the tendons of the Ork warriors at their legs, or striking their necks that were not well protected, basically repeating the strategy with the Squigs.
When the tendons of the Ork were cut, the Ork would fall on the ground for several seconds because their regeneration was really frightening and such small injuries would be healed within a short time, if given time to recuperate.
But during the time they were on the ground, the soldiers were using it to slit their throats, pierce their skulls or outright decapitate them, as that was the surest way to kill them.
Fortunately enough, there were no Gretchen and Goblins this time around or they were not on the battlefield yet, because those little cretins were always a pain in the ass to deal with. Whiole not particularly strong; they were pretty cunning and could wreak havoc in their lines.
The Orks were the ones that were hurrying to the combat most, leaving the Gretchen and Goblins far behind them, and due to the Magic Spells that were released by the Battle Wizards of the Army, there were almost none remaining.
The uncontrollable fires and flames that descended on the battlefield burned down the majority of the Gretchen and Goblins. While these little cousins of the bigger and angrier Orks were much weaker, their use in large-scale battles was evident, as their sole purpose was to wreak havoc.
Something that would be warmly welcomed in the present situation with the Westerlandese Army because, from the moment they transitioned to the phalanx formations from holding the Shield-Walls, they started slowly cutting down the numbers of the Greenskins present.
The shields that they were using were of the dwarven-made craft and were extremely sturdy and powerful; they even had some very basic runes inscribed on them, which allowed them to interconnect with each other, making the phalanx harder to break through.
***
Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, several tens of Silver Knights was tearing their way through the hordes of the Greenskins, slaughtering them as they were advancing toward their target, which was the Ork Boss of this particular Klan.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was someone who was at the peak of Level 3 in terms of physical prowess, he was still a bit inferior to the Ork Boss who was also a the peak of Level 3, but his physical prowess was still much higher.
The Ork Boss was a towering creature, much higher than the rest of the Orks, even much higher than that of the other Nobz. And that was something to say because Nobz already were higher than the ordinary Orks, as the Nobz were the best that the Orkind could offer.
His towering figure was eclipsing all other Orks on the battlefield, clearly signifying that he was the Boss of all of the Orks that were present, holding his choppa in his right hand as he cleaved in half one of the more unfortunate Silver Knights that was unlucky to approach him.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was from his four years of training in the art of war and combat, something that was to be expected from the House Atreides, as they prided themselves in being masterful warriors and also loyal to their duties.
As were their motto: "We are House Atreides, there is no call we do not answer, there is no fate we would betray."
So he knew very well that this was his duty and his obligation to carry out. Not to mention that the House Atreides ruled the Grand Province of Caladan, which was bordering with the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was under constant attacks from the Greenskins.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was one of the swordmasters of the Sardau Sword Style and was regarded as the youngest prodigy to reach the rank of the master with the Sardau Sword School; not only that, but he also mastered the Ginaz Sword School to a great degree.
Since a young age, he was training with the best sword masters of the Sardaukar who were present within the entire Sardaukar and were the pride and power of the Grand Province of Caladan.
Agamemnon Atreides readied his sword as he looked at the Ork Boss who was signaling his challenge for the single combat duel, which he accepted, as the rest of the Greenskisn and also the personal entourage of the Agamemnon Atreides made a place for them to fight.
Both Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides and Ork Boss of this unknown Klan clashed in the first exchange, as the Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was a bit pushed back by the fearsome physical power of the Ork Boss, who was now going all out, empowered by the collective consciousness of the entire Klan.
At the same time, Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was "buffed" by the Blessings of the Great Ones that were cast on him by the Priests of the Healing Church several moments prior he departed to slay the Boss.
While the Ork Boss was physically clearly superior and was winning the exchanges of pure power, at the same time, he was also much slower than smaller Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who was more agile and faster.
Agamemnon Atreides combined two schools of swordsmanship masterfully, as he focused purely the speed and stamina. He knew that in terms of pure physical strength, he was losing to the Ork Boss, thus he knew that the strategy that he needed to employ needed to be different.
He chose to utilize his speed to the greatest extent possible to outmaneuver the Ork Boss which was working wonderfully, as the Ork Boss couldn't really keep up with the movements and Speed overall with the Chapter Master of the Silver Knight Order.
Each strike that Agamemnon Atreides executed was aimed at slowing down the humongous Ork that was towering over the Chapter Master, as the Ork Boss had around four meters and something, together with his enormous choppa, he was a force of nature by definition.
Still, while the extraordinary strength was something, it was utterly futile if he couldn't even hit his opponent because every single time the Ork Boss was close to hitting Agamemnon Atreides, he missed and the Chapter Master of Silver Knights used the opportunity to strike back.
After five minutes or so, the board was becoming different because the entire body of the Ork Boss was full of injuries that were healing at a relatively slow rate due to the special weapon that the commander of the Silver Knights was using.
Naturally, the sword he was using was an heirloom of the House Atreides, a very powerful sentient Magic Sword, something that even the fabled regeneration ability of the Greenskins couldn't really ignore and the Ork Boss was getting slower and sluggier in his movements.
Meanwhile, the duel of the two was taking place; the rest of the Nobz that acted as the personal entourage of the Boss, the highest caste of the Klan was getting killed one by one by the Silver Knights that Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides brought with him.
All Silver Knights were experts at dealing with the Green Scourge; their movements were precise and sharp, always aiming to kill the creature as fast as possible, utilizing their weak spots to send them to the eternal warground.
Or so the Orks believed.
As the Ork Boss slashed his enormous choppa at the Chapter Master's head, Agamemnon Atreides flipped backward, as he took out a secondary smaller sword that he had attached to his leg, and threw it directly at the Ork Boss's neck, piercing through.
The humongous creature roared in pain as its neck was pierced because this was a fatal and severe injury.
Using the opportunity when the Ork Boss attempted to draw out the sword from his neck, Agamemnon Atreides rushed at the enemy, delivering a swift kick to the sword still stabbed in his neck, burying it even deeper in his flesh.
Simultaneously, he used his main sword to deliver a deep stab into his skull, piercing through the brain of the enormous Ork, effectively killing the foe.
***
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Indeed, as was predicted by the higher-ups of the Westerland Army, the Orks were using the traditional Squig charging tactics as the first one against them, which was playing exactly into their trap.
Orks were not much known for their cunning, so when they were provoked and challenged to the "WAAAGH!" they didn't think for a second before the Boss of the Klan ordered an unconditional full-scale attack.
The Squigs were powerful when charging, but there were many methods to deal with them, even right now within Westeros, which had very limited means. Approximately four thousand Squigs were charging at the positions of the Westerland Army with great speed and calling for the "WAAAGH!".
When they were almost in front of the first ranks of the Westerland Army, mainly consisting of Shield Bearers and Silver Knights, General Greiss gave the order, as the concealment of the Shield-Walls fell off, and just a few meters away from the charging Squig Cavallery huge Shield-Wall installed in the earth appeared.
The events that followed soon could be described as extremely fast because, in the same moment after the Shield Wall appeared and the Squigs hastily started stopping just a half a meter from the Shield Wall to not crash into it, the Knights and Soldiers behind the Shield Wall started using very long spears and stabbing them into their necks.
This was the moment when the hell broke out because the Squigs used by the Orkish Klan within the Westerlands didn't have armor for the Squigs, something which was standard for those within the Lands of Ancients.
That was the reason why this strategy would be considered as obsolete within the Lordran and it would be rarely used, as the Orks would be already prepared for the eventuality and would armor their Squigs as much as possible.
While the creatures themselves were rather powerful and had thick skin, but the greatest vulnerability of the Squigs was the soft skin underneath their neck that could be pierced with little to no effort if one had a good weapon and was deadly for them.
Deadly, like instantly dead on the spot.
And thus, the soldiers and knights of the Westerland Army started striking the Squigs with the spears through the holes within the Shield Walls, as each spear was held and pushed by several men at the same time, giving it far greater striking power.
Unfortunately for the Orks, because the rest of the Klan was still relatively far away and they were the Vanguard, once their attack failed, their instantly grew disorganized and there was panic on the battlefield, and the entire chain of command fell apart.
With just a first wave of the attacks, hundreds of the Squigs were killed as their bodies were piling up, and not even moments later, the Crossbowmen of the Westerland Army started shooting off the remaining ones that were in a safe distance.
Naturally, the crossbows that they were using were not ordinary ones but were of dwarven craft, all of them being mechanical crossbows; while older models, it was still enough for them to deal with a few poorly armored Greenskins.
The dwarven mechanical crossbows had far greater penetrating power and were reloading much faster than the ordinary crossbow, which took some time to reload properly. Of course, the dwarves were selling only some of their older models, not the new ones, even though there were rumors of fully automated crossbows being developed.
These weapons were part of the investment that Tywin Lannister made in the modernization of their army because there was a need to obtain new equipment for the soldiers, as many of the old methods were becoming entirely obsolete or would be in the near future.
Fortunately, the House Lannister was right enough to afford it, but he also pressured his vassals to finance part of the expenses because while the House Lannister had absolute control over the Westerland Army, the army was also tasked with the protection of the entire territory of the Westerlands.
When the crossbowmen started firing from the crossbows, the bolts were skewering through the ranks of the Greenskins and killing one Ork after another, together with their Squigs, and in combination with the soldiers at the frontlines striking them with their spears, the numbers of the Vanguard were quickly dwindling.
And very quickly.
Just ten minutes after the start of the battle, the entire Vanguard consisting of approximately 4,000 Attack Squig Riders was decimated to a mere tens that managed to survive the onslaught because they were out of the range of the crossbow.
This was the effect of the well-planned strategy and superior equipment that the Westerland Army prepared for the incoming Ork Vanguard. The dwarvish crossbows showed their power right from the start because the armor of trash quality couldn't stop the superior power of the dwarven bolts.
For the note, the Vanguard among the Greenskins was always one of the strongest units within the Klanz or any other unit of the Greenskin society because only the strongest and bravest of the Orks were allowed to become members of the Vanguard.
Even owning a Squig was something like a personal statute of the individual Ork, for comparison, albeit a relatively poor one, was that the ones that were killed right now were somehow equivalent to the human knights.
Being a Squig Rider was a thing of prestige, honor and strength within the Orkish Klan; something like that was a great matter. So, the loss of most of them was a great loss for the Klan, something that General Reban Greiss was observing with keen interest and a satisfied smile.
***
Command Center of the Westerland Army
Meanwhile, a bit distance from the battlefield, on a small hill, there was a command tent where the higher-ups of the Westerland Army were commanding the entire operation through the Couriers and Lacrimas to pass messages.
When the Lacrimas were discovered within several minutes, directly owned by the House Lannister and one mine that was previously owned by some small noble house, but that one went extinct from the "Orks".
The Lacrimas were strategic resources within the Imperium, as they had countless uses and Tywin managed to pay some of the Wizards to create basic communication toolls from the Lacrimas that were distributed between the strategic holds of the House Lannister.
Even right now, the commanding officers have some of the Lacrimas for better communication between the various parts of the Westerland Army that were participating in the attack on the Nun's Deep.
It was already paying off greatly because they were able to transmit the information directly from the frontlines to the command tent. And the timely exchange of information in real-time was something of utmost importance.
"The Vanguard of the Orks has been completely eliminated... albeit with great luck because the Orks didn't anticipate that the natives of the new continent would know methods of combating them effectively... still, how did they manage to get here?"
This was a little question that was bugging him for a while because he didn't really understand how the Greenksins managed to get from the Lordran to the Westeros, but the most plausible theory was that some Orks from the Orklands in the Lordran wanted to invade the Imperial Territories through the ocean, but for lost on the sea.
"With the Vanguard extinguished, Lord Tywin, the Orks will start charging with everything they have and they will try to overwhelm the Shield-Wall with the sheer numbers... of course, that is unless they don't have some siege weapons or enough Magic Users."
General Reban Greiss then turned to the Lord Paramount of the West, who was standing next to him, donned in the red-golden armor of the dwarven craft, made by the blacksmiths that the House Lannister hired to create personalized weapons and armors for them.
"And the chance of them having something like that?"
The Lord of the Casterly Rock asked as he looked at his general of the Westerland Army because it was still possible that the Orks had some kind of siege engines or something, but for Reban Greiss, the possibility was very low.
"Not really probable... if they indeed had some kind of siege engines, then we would have seen them from the start and due to the situation with the Magic on the Westeros, I don't really think that they would have a lot of Magic Users, so coupled with the number of the Battle Wizards and Assassins we are safe."
In the Lands of the Ancient Lords, one of the most common ways to combat Magic, without obviously using the Magic itself, was the good old assassination. Yes, the assassins were the bane of the Battle Wizards or Scholar Mages alike because it was one of the most common methods on how to deal with them.
Most commonly, when there were large-scale battles, taking out Magic Users from the other side was essential because powerful Wizards, Sorcerers and Magicians could do the "Control of the Battlefield", something that could be highly destructive for the other side without means to protect itself.
So, one of the oldest methods when it came to dealing with the Magic Users on the battlefield during the conflict was just simply to assassinate them. For that reason, the Imperium had squads of Assassins in every single military unit.
"We will send out Lord's Blades to root out the Shamans and Magic Users among the Greenskins to free our own Wizards."
This time, it was Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides who voiced his thoughts because they didn't have a lot of Battle Wizards and Magic Users overall on their side, and every single one of them would be indispensable to do Battlefield Control due to the sheer disparity within the numbers against the Orks.
2nd Legion of the Silver Knight Order were the Assassin Legion, specifically training in the arts of the assassination and its members were often chosen for the hardest assassination mission together with the people from the Imperial Military Intelligence Department.
"There should be only a few Shamans and Magic Users within the Orkish Klan of this size; they should be hiding somewhere at the ends of the horde, probably protected by some of the Nobz."
General Reban Greiss stated that, as he had his own great deal of experiences with the Orks and the Greenskins, so he knew how they fought and thought under the presumption that they were actually using their brain.
"That would present no problem... my assassins are far more capable than dealing with a few Nobz that are standing guard, not to mention, these may be even weaker than the Nobz within the Lordran due to the lower concentration of the Magic in the Westeros."
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides then took out his personal communication Lacrima to relay back the orders about the assassination of the Shamans and Magic Users within the Orkish Klan.
It wasn't that surprising to actually see Nobz protecting someone else aside from the Boss because when the Nobz were not attending to the Boss of the Klan or Tribe, they were then tasked with the protection of their Shamans and Magicians, as those were essential for the tribe to function.
Most of those who commanded the Magic couldn't often protect themselves against the sudden assassination, so the common practice was to guard them. If they were killed before the battle started by a dagger to back, then it would be a great shame and loss.
Even within the formations of the Imperium, Wizard and co were constantly protected by strong Knigths, while some Wizards had even their own guards that were pledged to them personally, like their personal bodyguards.
Even the fledgling Westerland Army was employing the same methods when it came to protecting their own Battle Wizards, as they were surrounded by a whole bunch of Silver Knights participating in invasion.
"I would be taking my strongest men to take care of the Boss and the highest ranking Nobz; once they are dead, most of the army will fall apart."
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides then said after they agreed on the rest of the matters.
Naturally, General Reban Greiss agreed with the strategy because this would be the fastest method of ending the conflict, because once the Boss was dead, then practically everything was done, as the Greenskins without Boss would swiftly turn one on another.
Such was their fundamental nature because only the authority of their Boss was keeping the Klan or any other organization unit of the Greenskins together as one whole entity, and without the Boss, it would fall apart.
The rest of the people gathered within the Command Tent of the Westerlandese Army would remain here to relay the orders, including Lord Tywin Lannister and also General Reban Greiss, whose years of direct combat had ended the moment he was appointed as General.
Something that he also partially wished for because it would bring him solace and, on top of everything he already spent too long as a mercenary risking his very own life in the most dangerous encounters, so it was time just to command troops from a safe distance.
Not to mention, according to his deal with the Lord Paramount of the West, he will get Noble Status comparable to the most powerful vassals of the Lion Lord of the Casterley Rock once he created a powerful and functioning standing military for the House Lannister.
And also obtained some glory and gains with the said army, so he had many reasons to remain alive so that he could create his own Noble House. Something that was very appealing to the seasoned mercenary from the Lordran because it would be much easier done within Westeros than in the Lordran.
Mainly because within Westeros there were zero to none competition, while within the Lands of Ancients, there were people competing for promotions to the Imperial Nobility right and left, and there were countless of them.,
***
Frontlines, Near the Nun's Deep
The Greenskins were approaching the battle formations of the Westerlandese Army; the orders were already relayed through the Lacrimas, as everyone was in the highest state of alertness and ready for combat.
Those who stood on the frontlines were the most nervous because they would be meeting head-on the core forces of the Greenskins that were right now even angrier than before after the loss of the Vanguard Force of the Attack Squigs Riders.
In the Orkish Kultur, when there was loss, it wasn't a loss because of WAAAGH! never ended until one side still breathed air and lived, so they right now, needed to dispose of all of the enemies to avenge the honor.
Still, this time the situation was a bit different because the moment of surprise was already gone and Greenskins now knew that the enemies were employing the shield-walls to hold down their advance.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides arrived at the battlefield from the Commnad Center as fast as possible together with his personal guards, who were the strongest Knights of the Silver Knight Order that were left behind by the Imperium within the lands of Westeros.
He too looked at the incoming horde of the Greenskins with wariness and even saw there several Shamans and Magic Users that were being protected by the Nobz as they predicted during their strategy meeting.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, the assassins of the Lord's Blades towards Shamans and Magic Users of the Greenskins, carrying out their orders to assassinate the Shamans and Magic Users of the Orkish Klan.
While the Orks protected their Shamans and Magic Users well for the standards of their own capabilities, but unfortunately, it was not enough to protect them from the well-experienced assassins of the Lord's Blades the 2nd Legion of the Silver Knights.
The Orkish Shamans and Magic Users were assassinated one by one, as the Lord's Blades trained personally by Ciaran, one of the most fearsome assassins that ever walked through the Lands of the Ancient Lords, someone who lived even during the age when Lord Gwyn walked the ground among the mortals.
So, she had perfected the art of assassinations to the extremes, becoming one of the greatest arts that ever existed, and it was then passed to her very own Legion of the Silver Knights.
When the Lord's Blades passed through the Geenskins and started assassinating the Shamans and Magic Users of the Greenskins, hell broke because the Shamans and Magic Users were the most powerful weapons that their Klan had.
Now all of them were one by one, being stabbed to death or decapitated, dying in sort of being the target of the assassinations. The Nobz that were tasked with the protection of the Shamans and Magic Users couldn't really protect them; sometimes they were assassinated together with their target of protection.
The assassins of the Lord's Blades were powerful and precise; there was nobody that was left for the accident, as they were very effective in their actions against the Greenskins as they killed the majority of the Shamans and Magic Users within a very short time.
Just in a few blinks of an eye, they managed to kill approximately 90% of all Shamans and Magic Users on the side of the Greenskins. In regard of the future prospects of the Battle, this greatly weakened the Greenskins Horde and for their chances looked bleak.
Yet, at the same time, the Orks never quit from the battle and they never ran from the battle they fought until their last dying breath for the ideals and concepts of the WAAAGH!, so they would never retreat even though now they lost all of their magic support.
While all of this was happening on the backlines of the Orkish Horde, this left more space for the Battle Wizards and Priests of the Healing Church who were on the side of the Westerland Army to act.
In split of a moment, all of them started casting their Spells, be it the Divine Spells of the Clergy of the Healing Church that was casting the Blessings on the soldiers, basically something that one may call "buffs" and the Battle Wizards were preparing their own spells.
Mainly to cut down the numbers of the Greenskins, which happened not even seconds later because as experienced Battle Wizards lived to the standards, they released their fire elementary spells as enormous flames appeared high in the sky and started bringing down parts of the charging Orkish Horde.
When it came to the Orks, the most effective Magic against them was actually Lore of Fire or Lore of Heaven, naturally then also Freezing them up to the block of ice, helped too, but nothing was as effective as good old fire.
Because the Orks were organisms that defied common sense itself, they were pretty hard to kill, and as they were half-fungus and half-humanoid, killing them entirely without them reproducing or releasing spores, only fire was that effective.
And the most effective was actually the Chaos Fire Sorcerery which was like the nemesis of the entire Greenskins species. Chaos Fire was something that was directly feeding on the very own essence of the Greenskins Species, thus they were the most apt when dealing with the Orks within the Lands of Ancients.
Even though some parts of the battlefield were lit on fire, it didn't at all stop the Greenskins from charging at their positions because the Orks continued their mad charge toward the battle formations of the Westerlandese Army.
But the results of the Wizards attacking with their Magic against the Greenskins paid off greatly because they managed to cut down their numbers by a great margin with this one, as the Magic proved to be very effective against the Greenskins.
The fire was still burning on the battlefield; the Orks clashed against the Westerlandese Army on the Shield-Walls, as the huge towering figures of the Orks started slashing and hacking with their weapons on the Shield-Walls.
Moment by moment, more and more Greenskins were dying at the Shield-Walls because the previous strategy against the Squig Vanguard was also working against the Greenskins en masse, but at the same time, it was also evident that the soldiers of the Westerlandese Army was being pushed back.
While the Greenskins were dying from being under the attacks from the Crossbowmen, it was also evident that their mad-like attacks on the Shield-Walls were working too well, as they were either pushing them back or causing the Shield-Walls to crack in several places.
But even that didn't really represent much of a problem yet, because the soldiers on the front lines were the strongest ones of the entire army and had the best equipment available; aside from that, there were also plenty of the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order present behind the Shield-Walls who would be taking care of the strongest and most powerful Orks.
Average Ork was Level 1 being in terms of physical strength, which meant, translated to the human language, was around the peak of the very Human Limit of strength. That was also the standard of the average Silver Knight.
Obviously, even though the Ork were physically far superior to the humans, that didn't mean that even ordinary human without any particular strength cannot kill an adult Ork warrior.
Everything that one needed was just superior equipment and some experience or knowledge on where to strike the Ork. And obviously, the Westerlandese Army was also trained on how to fight against the Greenskins.
They were taught where were their weak spots, where to attack when one was fighting against the Orks and what were their strongest sides. What to not do during the combat and what to do.
So when the Greenskins broke through the Shield-Wall and started pouring into the battle formations of the Westerlandese Army, the soldiers reacted accordingly as they put up their shields and entered the phalanx formation.
With their swords in their hands, they started striking the tendons of the Ork warriors at their legs, or striking their necks that were not well protected, basically repeating the strategy with the Squigs.
When the tendons of the Ork were cut, the Ork would fall on the ground for several seconds because their regeneration was really frightening and such small injuries would be healed within a short time, if given time to recuperate.
But during the time they were on the ground, the soldiers were using it to slit their throats, pierce their skulls or outright decapitate them, as that was the surest way to kill them.
Fortunately enough, there were no Gretchen and Goblins this time around or they were not on the battlefield yet, because those little cretins were always a pain in the ass to deal with. Whiole not particularly strong; they were pretty cunning and could wreak havoc in their lines.
The Orks were the ones that were hurrying to the combat most, leaving the Gretchen and Goblins far behind them, and due to the Magic Spells that were released by the Battle Wizards of the Army, there were almost none remaining.
The uncontrollable fires and flames that descended on the battlefield burned down the majority of the Gretchen and Goblins. While these little cousins of the bigger and angrier Orks were much weaker, their use in large-scale battles was evident, as their sole purpose was to wreak havoc.
Something that would be warmly welcomed in the present situation with the Westerlandese Army because, from the moment they transitioned to the phalanx formations from holding the Shield-Walls, they started slowly cutting down the numbers of the Greenskins present.
The shields that they were using were of the dwarven-made craft and were extremely sturdy and powerful; they even had some very basic runes inscribed on them, which allowed them to interconnect with each other, making the phalanx harder to break through.
***
Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, several tens of Silver Knights was tearing their way through the hordes of the Greenskins, slaughtering them as they were advancing toward their target, which was the Ork Boss of this particular Klan.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was someone who was at the peak of Level 3 in terms of physical prowess, he was still a bit inferior to the Ork Boss who was also a the peak of Level 3, but his physical prowess was still much higher.
The Ork Boss was a towering creature, much higher than the rest of the Orks, even much higher than that of the other Nobz. And that was something to say because Nobz already were higher than the ordinary Orks, as the Nobz were the best that the Orkind could offer.
His towering figure was eclipsing all other Orks on the battlefield, clearly signifying that he was the Boss of all of the Orks that were present, holding his choppa in his right hand as he cleaved in half one of the more unfortunate Silver Knights that was unlucky to approach him.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was from his four years of training in the art of war and combat, something that was to be expected from the House Atreides, as they prided themselves in being masterful warriors and also loyal to their duties.
As were their motto: "We are House Atreides, there is no call we do not answer, there is no fate we would betray."
So he knew very well that this was his duty and his obligation to carry out. Not to mention that the House Atreides ruled the Grand Province of Caladan, which was bordering with the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was under constant attacks from the Greenskins.
Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was one of the swordmasters of the Sardau Sword Style and was regarded as the youngest prodigy to reach the rank of the master with the Sardau Sword School; not only that, but he also mastered the Ginaz Sword School to a great degree.
Since a young age, he was training with the best sword masters of the Sardaukar who were present within the entire Sardaukar and were the pride and power of the Grand Province of Caladan.
Agamemnon Atreides readied his sword as he looked at the Ork Boss who was signaling his challenge for the single combat duel, which he accepted, as the rest of the Greenskisn and also the personal entourage of the Agamemnon Atreides made a place for them to fight.
Both Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides and Ork Boss of this unknown Klan clashed in the first exchange, as the Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was a bit pushed back by the fearsome physical power of the Ork Boss, who was now going all out, empowered by the collective consciousness of the entire Klan.
At the same time, Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides was "buffed" by the Blessings of the Great Ones that were cast on him by the Priests of the Healing Church several moments prior he departed to slay the Boss.
While the Ork Boss was physically clearly superior and was winning the exchanges of pure power, at the same time, he was also much slower than smaller Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides, who was more agile and faster.
Agamemnon Atreides combined two schools of swordsmanship masterfully, as he focused purely the speed and stamina. He knew that in terms of pure physical strength, he was losing to the Ork Boss, thus he knew that the strategy that he needed to employ needed to be different.
He chose to utilize his speed to the greatest extent possible to outmaneuver the Ork Boss which was working wonderfully, as the Ork Boss couldn't really keep up with the movements and Speed overall with the Chapter Master of the Silver Knight Order.
Each strike that Agamemnon Atreides executed was aimed at slowing down the humongous Ork that was towering over the Chapter Master, as the Ork Boss had around four meters and something, together with his enormous choppa, he was a force of nature by definition.
Still, while the extraordinary strength was something, it was utterly futile if he couldn't even hit his opponent because every single time the Ork Boss was close to hitting Agamemnon Atreides, he missed and the Chapter Master of Silver Knights used the opportunity to strike back.
After five minutes or so, the board was becoming different because the entire body of the Ork Boss was full of injuries that were healing at a relatively slow rate due to the special weapon that the commander of the Silver Knights was using.
Naturally, the sword he was using was an heirloom of the House Atreides, a very powerful sentient Magic Sword, something that even the fabled regeneration ability of the Greenskins couldn't really ignore and the Ork Boss was getting slower and sluggier in his movements.
Meanwhile, the duel of the two was taking place; the rest of the Nobz that acted as the personal entourage of the Boss, the highest caste of the Klan was getting killed one by one by the Silver Knights that Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides brought with him.
All Silver Knights were experts at dealing with the Green Scourge; their movements were precise and sharp, always aiming to kill the creature as fast as possible, utilizing their weak spots to send them to the eternal warground.
Or so the Orks believed.
As the Ork Boss slashed his enormous choppa at the Chapter Master's head, Agamemnon Atreides flipped backward, as he took out a secondary smaller sword that he had attached to his leg, and threw it directly at the Ork Boss's neck, piercing through.
The humongous creature roared in pain as its neck was pierced because this was a fatal and severe injury.
Using the opportunity when the Ork Boss attempted to draw out the sword from his neck, Agamemnon Atreides rushed at the enemy, delivering a swift kick to the sword still stabbed in his neck, burying it even deeper in his flesh.
Simultaneously, he used his main sword to deliver a deep stab into his skull, piercing through the brain of the enormous Ork, effectively killing the foe.
***
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Chapter 24 – Aftermath and Delegations
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After the Ork Boss of the Klan was slain in single combat by Chapter Master Agamemnon Atreides of the Silver Knights Order, enormous panic went through the entire battlefield.
Due to the fact that even most of the Nobz were killed either by the assassins of the Lord's Blades or the entourage of the Chapter Master, among them were also surprisingly even the Ork Champions of the Klan.
This obviously meant that all of the higher leadership of the Klan was effectively dead and there won't be any new Boss for a foreseeable time. With the death of the majority of Nobz and even the Champions, there was no one suitable to take over the leadership of the Klan.
So the Greenskins did what they were best at and started fighting among each other for the position of leadership, and some smarter Orks even started escaping from the battlefield itself.
This was rather typical behavior from the Greenskisn, as there was no one who told them what to do.
They started doing what they wanted, and the factionalism within the Klan began to show as some of the Orks had bigger authority than the others and started fighting for the leadership the moment when the Boss was killed.
After the death of the Boss and subsequent chaos that erupted among the ranks of the Greenskins, the battle continued rather fast when the Orks started fighting among each other, or the ones with more brains started escaping as quickly as possible.
The Westerlandese Army didn't pursue them all but instead focused on the surrounding Greenksins that remained on the battlefield rather than focusing on a few tens or hundreds that were already far away, and on top of that, the Westerlandese Army lacked cavalry.
After several more minutes, they managed to completely cut out the path of the retreat for the Greenskins and started systematically slaughtering them one by one. The process was relatively short because the Orks, who were already fighting among each other, were caught in a brutal ambush by the Westerlandese Army.
After half an hour, the entire Orkish Horde was completely exterminated, aside from the few hundred Greenskins that managed to escape before the onslaught could take place. After the battle ended, the soldiers of the Westerlandese Army started collecting their dead or taking out the valuables from the Greenskins.
Even though the Orks didn't have much of it, they still had a lot of weapons and armor or other things that could be melted down and used once more.
So it would be foolish just to let them there; after the armor and weapon and other equipment were collected from the corpses of the Greenskins, the Battle Wizards started burning them down.
This was a rather standard procedure of cleaning up after the battle of the Greenskins to prevent their fungoid part from releasing the spores that would sooner or later create another generation of the Orks and Greenskins.
So, that was a big no-no.
For that reason, the Battle Wizards were burning the bodies of the Greenskins and the Priests of the Healing Church were casting purifying spells on the entire area.
If they did it this way, they would basically prevent any other Greenskins from releasing the spores that would then take root and create new generations of the Greenskins at a later date.
Even in the Lordran, there were always burning down everything related to the Greenskins because that was the surest and fastest way to destroy the spores that the Greenskins were releasing when they died.
This was the reason why they were so hard to kill permanently. If they didn't burn them down, then sooner or later, this entire place would become paradise for the Greenskins, as the spores that the Orks released upon their death would then create a new Orks.
And in this cycle, the Orks were going over and over and over. For example, they were so resilient that even burning them right now would probably kill only something between 95% and 98% of the spores that they have released.
To completely annihilate them with the success rate of 100% would require either Chaos Fire Sorcery, something that wasn't present right now within the Westeros or for the Battle Wizard to have a specialized Spell against the Greenskins.
But such Wizards were relatively rare, and they also needed to be powerful enough to cast such powerful Spells.
While the Battle Wizards present within the Westeros that were left here by the Imperium were powerful, but they were not powerful enough nor skilled enough to cast such complicated Spells that especially targeted the Ork Spores.
Still, once the Orks appeared in some place, it was sure that they would return once, as they were almost impossible to get completely rid of. Such was the fundamental truth when it came to the Greenskins.
The soldiers of the Westerlandese Army were cleaning the battlefield, collecting corpses, weapons, armors, equipment or searching for anything valuable that may hide beneath.
Meanwhile, part of the Army was cleaning up the battlefield, and another part of the Army headed directly to the Nun's Deep because that place was the headquarters of the Greenskins within the Westerlands.
They needed to completely clean that place and also to discover the reason why the Orks chose the Nun's Deep as their headquarters. If there was one constant about the Greenksins, was the fact, that they rarely chose their dwellings randomly.
Most usually, they chose the places of their dwelling, in the areas that were very rich in Magic or there was something that was luring the Greenskins to said place, so this made many people curious.
As the first ones to enter the Nun's Deep were the assassins of the Lord's Blades to scout the area, but everyone predicted that the Greenskins left there only minor numbers to keep some things and primitive machinery functioning.
And as they predicted, the Nun's Deep was armed only with a minimal number of the Greenskins, predominantly the Ork Boss left behind some ordinary Boyz and a lot of Gretchin, but the Gretchin were right now in the process of abandoning the entire Nun's Deep if possible.
As they were more intelligent, so they decided to pack up their things and escape to some other parts of the land from the humans. The remaining Ork Boyz were swiftly disposed of, mainly by the assassins of the Lord's Blades, as there were not many Ork Boyz in the first place within the Nun's Deep itself.
Still, the entire process of cleaning out the Nun's Deep would take several days at best because the entire place was deep and there were a lot of underground spaces, tunnels and places that all needed to be searched through and through and then purified.
For the next ten days or so, the soldiers of the Westerlandese Army, Silver Knights, Battle Wizards and even the Priests of the Healing Church were searching through the Nun's Deep.
They needed to go through every single tunnel and search through every single nook and cranny of the place; they even brought some dwarven explorers that arrived from the Lordran to explore and map the entire Nun's Deep.
Dismantling the fortifications and other construct that the Greenkins built within the Nun's Deep took several days, as they needed to dismantle everything and then burn it down.
Aside from that, the Priests of the Healing Church were working non-stop on purifying the entire cavern system from the Green Taint that was left there by the Orks, something that needed to be done to prevent the residual spores from creating a new generation of Orks.
They also found out the reason why the Orkish Klan chose the Nun's Deep for their headquarters, as the dwarves discovered an entire plethora of ores that were extremely rich in Magic and there was even a vein of Lacrimas.
This was the reason that was luring the Greenskins into the Nun's Deep en masse and why they had chosen this place.
This was also an extraordinary discovery because aside from the several gold veins that were present, they had no access to another vein of Lacrimas and other things that would be used to enrich the Westerlands.
The Lord Paramount of the West was certainly pleased with this new development and with the end of the entire situation with the Greenskins. Naturally, they needed to pay the deceased soldiers compensation for their families; that would not be a small sum to pay.
From the 15,000 Soldiers of the Westerland Army, they suffered the loss of around 2,500, which was relatively a lot, but at the same time, it was not considering the number of their foes and their personal strength.
Naturally, they managed to get this kind of good results only thanks to the fact that they had Battle Wizards and Silver Knights on their side, coupled with the superior strategy and tactics that they displayed during the battle.
Obviously, the Silver Knights had the fewest losses due to the fact that they were the strongest troops on the battlefield, coupled with their vastly superior armor, which ensured that their lives were protected well during the combat.
Still, the performance of the standing Army of the Westerlands was very satisfactory, even though for their first opponent, they got Orks, which was rather unfair for the newly trained professional soldiery that barely finished the basic training or not.
But those who survived would create the core of the Army, as the Lord of the Westerlands planned to establish a standing army of 50,000 at least. The Westerlands itself had a population of a few million and in the turbulent times that were coming, having such a large military wasn't that big a deal.
Tywin Lannister already took several examples from the Lordran how the Provincial Armies and their own Imperial Army functioned and how it was able to make some money for its own expenses.
Part of it would be covered by the Nobles, as even their own lands would be protected by the standing military; part would be made by the commissions, as he would allow the Nobles, Village Chiefs, or any notable individual within the Westerlands to issue military related commissions to the Army, which would create another source of income.
Coupled with several other factors, the topic of financing the standing professional military of the Westerlands ceased to be a problem after a few short moments and a couple of reforms; in truth, it was a pretty easy thing to solve.
***
Somewhere on the Sunset Sea, near the Continent of Westeros
The ships that were bearing the sigils of the Holy Arcadia Empire that were sailing to Westeros were rare, as it was a time when the contact between two land points was just now being established.
Nevertheless, within the Sunset Seat, there were three battleships that were sailing towards the shores of the Seven Kingdoms, bearing the sigil of the Imperium of Lordran, but beneath them, there was one more symbol.
It was a blue-gray symbol of a wolf head on the yellow field, signifying the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of Fenris, the Hosue Stark an Russ.
On the command deck of the biggest battleship, a young-looking woman was standing and staring at the distant horizon, awaiting the sight of the land. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, but with a warrior-like aura, with the clothing she wore only affirming her entire visage.
She wore leather armor made from the furs and leather of powerful Danger Beasts native to the Grand Province of Fenris. Around her neck, he had a cape made from the fur of Asura Bear and a fur collar to keep her warm in the cold winds that were slashing at the ships.
She had long blonde hair, but on the right side of her head, she had shaved off her head; instead, she had several runes inscribed there together with one rune of arrow-like appearance on her forehead reaching in between her eyes.
Her steel-grey eyes were piercing through everyone like the sharpest sword or steel.
"You should go sleep, Astrid... we would be spending more time on the sea; the captain said that we should arrive in a few days at best."
Her father, Leman Stark an Russ, was the epitome of a traditional Fenrisian warrior; he was a huge, bulky man, wearing very similar clothes to that of Astrid; his stern expression was never changing, always the stoical cold one as he constantly observed everything that was happening around him.
"I am not that tired, father... and I am certainly not Ysgramor, who would drink for the whole night and then sleep like a killed bear."
Compared to her brother, Astrid was a far more responsible person than Ysgramor.
Even though when it came to combat skills and being a warrior, Ysgramor was a peerless warrior of his own generation and one of the best that the Grand Province of Fenris ever produced.
But like many Fenrisians and many Dwarves, Ysgramor loved mead, ale and beer too much, so he was often drinking together with other like-minded Fenrisians and Dwarves that were living within the Grand Province of Fenris.
Ysgramor was also a so-called problematic child of the Elector Count of Fenris, a rather very problematic child, as he always got into fights with other people and he even got into a few street brawls or fights in the inns.
"Why must we go all around the Westeros and not directly into the Moat Cailin?"
When the Imperials first landed at the shores of Westeros, obviously, one of the first things that they obtained were the maps and other things that were showcasing the landmass of Westeros, so when this information was passed back home, the Fenrisian delegation new exactly how to go.
Unfrutnaly for them, while they could go to the Lannisport, the Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark, who was personally present at the delegation to meet their supposedly long estranged kin, ordered them to sail directly to the North.
One of the more problematic aspects was that, from this side of Westeros, which was bordering with the Sunset Sea, there were no ports within the North of the Seven Kingdoms capable of accommodating their enormous battleships.
Their obvious choice was the White Harbor port, and for that, they needed to sail around the whole of Westeros, pass through the Stepstones, and cross the Narrow Sea, finally arriving at the White Harbor.
From there on, they would be directly going to the Winterfell that was built by their ancestor Bran the Builder, the founder of the House Stark.
"Why did the Imperator order us to depart to his forsaken land in the first place?"
Astrid asked as she was staring into the horizon, her mood plummeting after finding out that they would be spending more time on the ships than it was healthy.
"Everything that the Imperator does has a reason. And why, right now the Westeros and Essos are barren wasteland in terms of Magic and even more precious crucial resources for the Lordran, that it only a temporary matter. Due to the Magic Resurgence, Westeros and Essos would benefit tremendously from the Magic Resurgence and they would become essential points of interest for the Holy Arcadia Empire."
While Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ looked like typical Fenrisian brutes, he was in fact very apt politically and very skilled person in these areas. He knew very well what was going on in the head of the Imperator and what the Imperator was watching with all of this scheming.
"And aside from that, our utmost mission is to secure that the Westeros won't become a danger to the interests and sovereignty of the Holy Arcadia Empire."
While the Holy Arcadia Empire had a tremendously large territory and many, many resources, if there was one thing that they were severely lacking, it was the population. Compared to the enormous size of their territories, then their population was severely lacking, as it was very low.
The continent of Lordran was enormous, bigger than the entire Westeros and Essos together, and the territories of the Holy Arcadia Empire spanned approximately 60% of the entire Lordran, but at the same time, according to the last count of population, they had only something around 40 million citizens.
So, for such an enormous country, it had a very low population and they were often constrained by this fact alone, as it slowed down the expansion of the nation, as they just didn't have enough people.
At the same time, Westeros, with a much, much, much smaller territory, had an overall population that probably matched that of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Some of the higher-ups of the Imperial Administration were growing increasingly paranoid with the Resurgence of the Magic.
Some of the War Hawks were considering the scenario of someone truly unifying Westeros under one centralized government and, with some centuries of development, may create a nation that could endanger the supremacy of the Holy Arcadia Empire on a global scale.
So, the best strategy was to destroy the threat before it could even be realized, something that the Imperium was right now attempting to do. It was also the common strategy of the Imperial Military Intelligence and other specialized organizations within the Imperium.
If they managed to pull out the North of the Seven Kingdoms firmly on the side of the Imperium, then together with the Westerlands, that would be two Kingdoms that would be opposed to any kind of centralized unification that may or may not take place in the future.
"So because some bureaucrats and Generals in the Imperial Military are growing increasingly paranoid, we are going to do their dirty job?"
Astrid asked as she pondered over the words of her father for some time.
"Essentially, yes, but we are also tasked with leading a partial expedition to the Lands of Always Winter and getting into touch with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein and transporting as much of local wildlife and plants as possible to the Fenris. If possible, then we are also to negotiate with the locals about relocating."
As the Elector Count of Grand Province, Leman Stark an Russ was informed about several threat that were spotted and noted down within the new continents, more throughroughly than the others.
And within the depths of the Lands of Always Winter, there was a very high probability of a Grand Necromancer or Lich King residing there.
So, it would do good prevention to take everything that could be taken from the True North and certain areas of the Lands of Always Winter before it became part of the Undead Scourge.
***
One Week Later, Stepstones, Narrow Sea
The three battleships sailed under the flags of the Imperium and Elector Count House of Starn an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris.
The journey took longer to reach this point because while they were approaching Westeros, they were met with bad weather and seastorm, which significantly slowed down their traveling speed.
Only after the storm had passed could they sail at their full speed; thus their entire journey was prolonged by a great deal. Not many of the Lordranians like the seas too much; perhaps it was related to their history of never using it too much, aside from fishing.
Or from the old legends about the Kos, something that only a few of the oldest and most veteran Hunters of the Workshop remembered till this day, as it happened too long ago, but the horrors of it still pursued many rather vividly.
Nevertheless, they now entered the Narrow Sea, which was, according to all the information gathered, a den of pirates and buccaneers that were mainly residing within the Stepstones; having managed to avoid the Ironborn, they would not be lucky twice in a row.
The Stepstones are a chain of islands between the southern narrow sea and the northwestern Summer Sea.
The islands are east of Dorne in Westeros and west of the Disputed Lands in Essos, the Disputed Lands were essentially a no-man zone that was contested by the Free Cities of Myr, Lys and Tyrosh.
In and of themselves, this small chain of rocky islands is worthless - however, the major sea lanes between the narrow sea and the Summer Sea have to pass through the straits between the Stepstones, making them strategically very important.
All the sea trade to the east coast of Westeros and to five out of nine of the Free Cities has to pass through the Stepstones to reach the other major markets of the world. Due to this fact, the Stepstones were one of the most strategic and crucial places within the Narrow Sea.
There are a little over a dozen islands in the Stepstones, along with smaller islets. Bloodstone was the largest island and at several points in history, has been the unofficial capital of larger pirate fiefdoms that have risen in the chain.
Other known islands are Grey Gallows and Torturer's Deep; the rest of the islands were not particularly named and were just known as islands because nobody really bothered to name the smallest islands of the 14 of them.
The Free City of Tyrosh is located on the northernmost island in the chain, just off the coast of mainland Essos, but it usually isn't considered politically part of "the Stepstones" and its lawless pirate enclaves.
Still, for the Fenrisians, some pirates were not really threat, as they would be massacred in whatever numbers they came, unless they had an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Fenrisians had only three battleships that were armed with cannons and some of the new weapons that came straight from the dwarven forges and in terms of warriors they had only a few hundred of them.
So, unless they encountered a pirate fleet number of several thousand at least, they were good to go. With the canons that was essentially unknown concepts within the Westeros and Essos, they had a great element of surprise on their side and they would use it to their maximal advantage.
Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark was standing on the helm of the capital ship of their delegation as he looked over the Stepstones. One of the missions that was directly ordered to him by the Divine Throne was to carry out a preliminary survey of the Stepstones.
While the Imperium wasn't really known for seafaring, some of the Fenrisian Tribes had a long tradition of building small boats and conducting raids on the different parts of the Lordran.
Of course that was already a long part of the history, but they had more experiences with the seafaring and with naval warfare and defense than anyone other within the present Holy Arcadia Empire.
"It indeed has a good strategic advantage..."
The Elector Count then heard the voice of his son, who had an uncanny strong appearance to him, showing the strong genes of the lineage, while Astrid took more from her mother in terms of appearance.
Compared to the two huge men, she was indeed a petite woman, but she also could throw a pretty powerful punch.
"Yes... it is highly possible that in the near future, the Imperium will aim to secure control over the Stepstones. It would allow us to have a foothold in a crucial place if we want to pursue trade with Westeros and Essos. At the same time, it also has a good location for creating a strong influence over the area."
Leman Russ an Stark new that once the situation within the territories of the Holy Arcadia Empire stabilized enough, namely the situation with the Children of Bul-Khatos was resolved and the situation with the Orklands and so on...
Then the Imperium would be able to send more forces into the wider world and once the MIlitary Reform was completely finished and executed, then their hands would be much more free and the room for maneuvers would be expanded several times over.
And just as they were entering the area of the Stepstones, from a distance, they saw incoming several ships, more than forty of the, but many of them were in a relatively poor state...
Most of the pirate ships were not even properly taken care of or were already damaged galleys from the previous engagements that they survived. Compared to the battleships of the Imperium, even the biggest warships that the pirates controlled looked pretty small and terrible.
Meanwhile from the distance, more ships appeared, but it seemed just simple boats that were accompanying the galleys that were sailing towards the Stepstones. From how it looked, it seemed that it was the pirate fleet that was returning home from raiding and reaving...
"Prepare for the engagement; aim to disable the ships, not sink them down!"
Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark shouted the orders, as everyone then started running here and there around the entire ship. The crew that was on the ships was mainly consisting of the private soldiers of the House Stark an Russ and experienced sailors of the Imperium.
While the ships of the Imperium were normally armed with the canons, they were also armed with several weapons that were designed to immobilize the ships instead of sinking them down.
Even the canons could be used to immobilize the hostile ships, by aiming the cannons at the sails and masts that were basically behind the ship's ability to move forward. When those things were destroyed, then the ship couldn't really move...
There were even scorpions that were firing chain arrows that would then envelope around the poles of the ship and bring them down. Just moments later, after Elector Count issued orders, the sailors started firing from the canons at the boats.
The Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris wanted to raid the raiders... this came from the minds of the Fenrisians, who were very conservative with their resources and also, they used every opportunity to obtain the resources.
And what was better than obtaining the resources from the raiders?
Such a case was rare within the Lordran because there were not many bandits or brigands actually within the lands of the Imperium. Of course, there were some, but those were always swiftly taken care of.
Hundreds of cannons fired at once, and everyone in the entire surrounding could hear the thunderous sound of the cannons firing as they literarily rained at the boats that were accompanying the pirate fleet.
One by one the boats started sinking down, as they were used only to transport the pirates, from what the scouts saw. So Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark didn't really care about them and they would be better dead.
The sole thing he cared about were the galleys and war galleys that were part of the pirate fleet, which was right now returning to the Stepstones.
Another reason why he ordered the attack on the pirates was he could see that most of his men were already getting too bored and Fenrisians were rather combat breeds; they hated boredom and having no one to fight and kill.
So, this would be all his warriors to release some steam, including his son and daughter, who were already ready for the combat. Ysgramor already took out his enormous runic waraxe Wuuthrad, while Astrid, like most of the shield-maidens, was armed traditional longsword and shield.
They would be leading the soldiers and private household guards to fight against the pirates during the boarding operations.
When the Imperator himself was ambushed by the Ironborn, they got enough information about the tactics and fighting style of the pirates and reavers, even from the Euron Greyjoy himself, after he was captured.
On the other hand, they also got the information that the Ironborn were basically the elites of elites among the pirates and rest of the pirates that was plundering around the Narrow Sea and other seas of the Essos were far, far, far, far, far worse.
Many times, they didn't even have basic equipment and were not even armed properly... that wasn't even talking about their ability to fight.
Many were not trained, as they were mostly petty thieves or criminals, some of them were killers and cutthroats and only a very small part of the entire pirate population were former soldiers or fighters.
So nobody really cared about a bunch of pirates and the soldiers were instead pretty eager for the upcoming confrontation, as the pirate fleet was one by one immobilized by the precise firing from the cannons and scorpions.
Soon enough, everyone saw the three battleships ramming into the galleys of the pirates, as the soldiers of the House Stark an Russ started the boarding operations towards the pirates galleys.
When it came to the fight itself against the scums of the sea, it was relatively short-lived because the private soldiers and household guards of the House Stark an Russ were all powerful warriors on their own; most of them were physically strong as peak Level 1 and many were at the Level 2.
The Rune Knights of the Hosue Stark an Russ were comparable to the Level 3, so it was a pure massacre the moment the fight started. When the Fenrisians boarded the private galley, it didn't take them long to conduct a slaughter on the ship.
As survivalists, many pirates were, when they noticed these phenomena, many pirates, even from different ships, hearing the screams and pleas for mercy, started abandoning their ships and jumping into the sea.
This was their last effort to save their very own lives.
Leman Stark an Russ as the leader of the Fenrisians took personally charge and as one Level 5 powerhouse, he was like death god incarnate on the battlefield, as he alone cleaned several ships from the pirates in a few moments.
***
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Due to the fact that even most of the Nobz were killed either by the assassins of the Lord's Blades or the entourage of the Chapter Master, among them were also surprisingly even the Ork Champions of the Klan.
This obviously meant that all of the higher leadership of the Klan was effectively dead and there won't be any new Boss for a foreseeable time. With the death of the majority of Nobz and even the Champions, there was no one suitable to take over the leadership of the Klan.
So the Greenskins did what they were best at and started fighting among each other for the position of leadership, and some smarter Orks even started escaping from the battlefield itself.
This was rather typical behavior from the Greenskisn, as there was no one who told them what to do.
They started doing what they wanted, and the factionalism within the Klan began to show as some of the Orks had bigger authority than the others and started fighting for the leadership the moment when the Boss was killed.
After the death of the Boss and subsequent chaos that erupted among the ranks of the Greenskins, the battle continued rather fast when the Orks started fighting among each other, or the ones with more brains started escaping as quickly as possible.
The Westerlandese Army didn't pursue them all but instead focused on the surrounding Greenksins that remained on the battlefield rather than focusing on a few tens or hundreds that were already far away, and on top of that, the Westerlandese Army lacked cavalry.
After several more minutes, they managed to completely cut out the path of the retreat for the Greenskins and started systematically slaughtering them one by one. The process was relatively short because the Orks, who were already fighting among each other, were caught in a brutal ambush by the Westerlandese Army.
After half an hour, the entire Orkish Horde was completely exterminated, aside from the few hundred Greenskins that managed to escape before the onslaught could take place. After the battle ended, the soldiers of the Westerlandese Army started collecting their dead or taking out the valuables from the Greenskins.
Even though the Orks didn't have much of it, they still had a lot of weapons and armor or other things that could be melted down and used once more.
So it would be foolish just to let them there; after the armor and weapon and other equipment were collected from the corpses of the Greenskins, the Battle Wizards started burning them down.
This was a rather standard procedure of cleaning up after the battle of the Greenskins to prevent their fungoid part from releasing the spores that would sooner or later create another generation of the Orks and Greenskins.
So, that was a big no-no.
For that reason, the Battle Wizards were burning the bodies of the Greenskins and the Priests of the Healing Church were casting purifying spells on the entire area.
If they did it this way, they would basically prevent any other Greenskins from releasing the spores that would then take root and create new generations of the Greenskins at a later date.
Even in the Lordran, there were always burning down everything related to the Greenskins because that was the surest and fastest way to destroy the spores that the Greenskins were releasing when they died.
This was the reason why they were so hard to kill permanently. If they didn't burn them down, then sooner or later, this entire place would become paradise for the Greenskins, as the spores that the Orks released upon their death would then create a new Orks.
And in this cycle, the Orks were going over and over and over. For example, they were so resilient that even burning them right now would probably kill only something between 95% and 98% of the spores that they have released.
To completely annihilate them with the success rate of 100% would require either Chaos Fire Sorcery, something that wasn't present right now within the Westeros or for the Battle Wizard to have a specialized Spell against the Greenskins.
But such Wizards were relatively rare, and they also needed to be powerful enough to cast such powerful Spells.
While the Battle Wizards present within the Westeros that were left here by the Imperium were powerful, but they were not powerful enough nor skilled enough to cast such complicated Spells that especially targeted the Ork Spores.
Still, once the Orks appeared in some place, it was sure that they would return once, as they were almost impossible to get completely rid of. Such was the fundamental truth when it came to the Greenskins.
The soldiers of the Westerlandese Army were cleaning the battlefield, collecting corpses, weapons, armors, equipment or searching for anything valuable that may hide beneath.
Meanwhile, part of the Army was cleaning up the battlefield, and another part of the Army headed directly to the Nun's Deep because that place was the headquarters of the Greenskins within the Westerlands.
They needed to completely clean that place and also to discover the reason why the Orks chose the Nun's Deep as their headquarters. If there was one constant about the Greenksins, was the fact, that they rarely chose their dwellings randomly.
Most usually, they chose the places of their dwelling, in the areas that were very rich in Magic or there was something that was luring the Greenskins to said place, so this made many people curious.
As the first ones to enter the Nun's Deep were the assassins of the Lord's Blades to scout the area, but everyone predicted that the Greenskins left there only minor numbers to keep some things and primitive machinery functioning.
And as they predicted, the Nun's Deep was armed only with a minimal number of the Greenskins, predominantly the Ork Boss left behind some ordinary Boyz and a lot of Gretchin, but the Gretchin were right now in the process of abandoning the entire Nun's Deep if possible.
As they were more intelligent, so they decided to pack up their things and escape to some other parts of the land from the humans. The remaining Ork Boyz were swiftly disposed of, mainly by the assassins of the Lord's Blades, as there were not many Ork Boyz in the first place within the Nun's Deep itself.
Still, the entire process of cleaning out the Nun's Deep would take several days at best because the entire place was deep and there were a lot of underground spaces, tunnels and places that all needed to be searched through and through and then purified.
For the next ten days or so, the soldiers of the Westerlandese Army, Silver Knights, Battle Wizards and even the Priests of the Healing Church were searching through the Nun's Deep.
They needed to go through every single tunnel and search through every single nook and cranny of the place; they even brought some dwarven explorers that arrived from the Lordran to explore and map the entire Nun's Deep.
Dismantling the fortifications and other construct that the Greenkins built within the Nun's Deep took several days, as they needed to dismantle everything and then burn it down.
Aside from that, the Priests of the Healing Church were working non-stop on purifying the entire cavern system from the Green Taint that was left there by the Orks, something that needed to be done to prevent the residual spores from creating a new generation of Orks.
They also found out the reason why the Orkish Klan chose the Nun's Deep for their headquarters, as the dwarves discovered an entire plethora of ores that were extremely rich in Magic and there was even a vein of Lacrimas.
This was the reason that was luring the Greenskins into the Nun's Deep en masse and why they had chosen this place.
This was also an extraordinary discovery because aside from the several gold veins that were present, they had no access to another vein of Lacrimas and other things that would be used to enrich the Westerlands.
The Lord Paramount of the West was certainly pleased with this new development and with the end of the entire situation with the Greenskins. Naturally, they needed to pay the deceased soldiers compensation for their families; that would not be a small sum to pay.
From the 15,000 Soldiers of the Westerland Army, they suffered the loss of around 2,500, which was relatively a lot, but at the same time, it was not considering the number of their foes and their personal strength.
Naturally, they managed to get this kind of good results only thanks to the fact that they had Battle Wizards and Silver Knights on their side, coupled with the superior strategy and tactics that they displayed during the battle.
Obviously, the Silver Knights had the fewest losses due to the fact that they were the strongest troops on the battlefield, coupled with their vastly superior armor, which ensured that their lives were protected well during the combat.
Still, the performance of the standing Army of the Westerlands was very satisfactory, even though for their first opponent, they got Orks, which was rather unfair for the newly trained professional soldiery that barely finished the basic training or not.
But those who survived would create the core of the Army, as the Lord of the Westerlands planned to establish a standing army of 50,000 at least. The Westerlands itself had a population of a few million and in the turbulent times that were coming, having such a large military wasn't that big a deal.
Tywin Lannister already took several examples from the Lordran how the Provincial Armies and their own Imperial Army functioned and how it was able to make some money for its own expenses.
Part of it would be covered by the Nobles, as even their own lands would be protected by the standing military; part would be made by the commissions, as he would allow the Nobles, Village Chiefs, or any notable individual within the Westerlands to issue military related commissions to the Army, which would create another source of income.
Coupled with several other factors, the topic of financing the standing professional military of the Westerlands ceased to be a problem after a few short moments and a couple of reforms; in truth, it was a pretty easy thing to solve.
***
Somewhere on the Sunset Sea, near the Continent of Westeros
The ships that were bearing the sigils of the Holy Arcadia Empire that were sailing to Westeros were rare, as it was a time when the contact between two land points was just now being established.
Nevertheless, within the Sunset Seat, there were three battleships that were sailing towards the shores of the Seven Kingdoms, bearing the sigil of the Imperium of Lordran, but beneath them, there was one more symbol.
It was a blue-gray symbol of a wolf head on the yellow field, signifying the Elector Counts of the Grand Province of Fenris, the Hosue Stark an Russ.
On the command deck of the biggest battleship, a young-looking woman was standing and staring at the distant horizon, awaiting the sight of the land. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, but with a warrior-like aura, with the clothing she wore only affirming her entire visage.
She wore leather armor made from the furs and leather of powerful Danger Beasts native to the Grand Province of Fenris. Around her neck, he had a cape made from the fur of Asura Bear and a fur collar to keep her warm in the cold winds that were slashing at the ships.
She had long blonde hair, but on the right side of her head, she had shaved off her head; instead, she had several runes inscribed there together with one rune of arrow-like appearance on her forehead reaching in between her eyes.
Her steel-grey eyes were piercing through everyone like the sharpest sword or steel.
"You should go sleep, Astrid... we would be spending more time on the sea; the captain said that we should arrive in a few days at best."
Her father, Leman Stark an Russ, was the epitome of a traditional Fenrisian warrior; he was a huge, bulky man, wearing very similar clothes to that of Astrid; his stern expression was never changing, always the stoical cold one as he constantly observed everything that was happening around him.
"I am not that tired, father... and I am certainly not Ysgramor, who would drink for the whole night and then sleep like a killed bear."
Compared to her brother, Astrid was a far more responsible person than Ysgramor.
Even though when it came to combat skills and being a warrior, Ysgramor was a peerless warrior of his own generation and one of the best that the Grand Province of Fenris ever produced.
But like many Fenrisians and many Dwarves, Ysgramor loved mead, ale and beer too much, so he was often drinking together with other like-minded Fenrisians and Dwarves that were living within the Grand Province of Fenris.
Ysgramor was also a so-called problematic child of the Elector Count of Fenris, a rather very problematic child, as he always got into fights with other people and he even got into a few street brawls or fights in the inns.
"Why must we go all around the Westeros and not directly into the Moat Cailin?"
When the Imperials first landed at the shores of Westeros, obviously, one of the first things that they obtained were the maps and other things that were showcasing the landmass of Westeros, so when this information was passed back home, the Fenrisian delegation new exactly how to go.
Unfrutnaly for them, while they could go to the Lannisport, the Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark, who was personally present at the delegation to meet their supposedly long estranged kin, ordered them to sail directly to the North.
One of the more problematic aspects was that, from this side of Westeros, which was bordering with the Sunset Sea, there were no ports within the North of the Seven Kingdoms capable of accommodating their enormous battleships.
Their obvious choice was the White Harbor port, and for that, they needed to sail around the whole of Westeros, pass through the Stepstones, and cross the Narrow Sea, finally arriving at the White Harbor.
From there on, they would be directly going to the Winterfell that was built by their ancestor Bran the Builder, the founder of the House Stark.
"Why did the Imperator order us to depart to his forsaken land in the first place?"
Astrid asked as she was staring into the horizon, her mood plummeting after finding out that they would be spending more time on the ships than it was healthy.
"Everything that the Imperator does has a reason. And why, right now the Westeros and Essos are barren wasteland in terms of Magic and even more precious crucial resources for the Lordran, that it only a temporary matter. Due to the Magic Resurgence, Westeros and Essos would benefit tremendously from the Magic Resurgence and they would become essential points of interest for the Holy Arcadia Empire."
While Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ looked like typical Fenrisian brutes, he was in fact very apt politically and very skilled person in these areas. He knew very well what was going on in the head of the Imperator and what the Imperator was watching with all of this scheming.
"And aside from that, our utmost mission is to secure that the Westeros won't become a danger to the interests and sovereignty of the Holy Arcadia Empire."
While the Holy Arcadia Empire had a tremendously large territory and many, many resources, if there was one thing that they were severely lacking, it was the population. Compared to the enormous size of their territories, then their population was severely lacking, as it was very low.
The continent of Lordran was enormous, bigger than the entire Westeros and Essos together, and the territories of the Holy Arcadia Empire spanned approximately 60% of the entire Lordran, but at the same time, according to the last count of population, they had only something around 40 million citizens.
So, for such an enormous country, it had a very low population and they were often constrained by this fact alone, as it slowed down the expansion of the nation, as they just didn't have enough people.
At the same time, Westeros, with a much, much, much smaller territory, had an overall population that probably matched that of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Some of the higher-ups of the Imperial Administration were growing increasingly paranoid with the Resurgence of the Magic.
Some of the War Hawks were considering the scenario of someone truly unifying Westeros under one centralized government and, with some centuries of development, may create a nation that could endanger the supremacy of the Holy Arcadia Empire on a global scale.
So, the best strategy was to destroy the threat before it could even be realized, something that the Imperium was right now attempting to do. It was also the common strategy of the Imperial Military Intelligence and other specialized organizations within the Imperium.
If they managed to pull out the North of the Seven Kingdoms firmly on the side of the Imperium, then together with the Westerlands, that would be two Kingdoms that would be opposed to any kind of centralized unification that may or may not take place in the future.
"So because some bureaucrats and Generals in the Imperial Military are growing increasingly paranoid, we are going to do their dirty job?"
Astrid asked as she pondered over the words of her father for some time.
"Essentially, yes, but we are also tasked with leading a partial expedition to the Lands of Always Winter and getting into touch with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein and transporting as much of local wildlife and plants as possible to the Fenris. If possible, then we are also to negotiate with the locals about relocating."
As the Elector Count of Grand Province, Leman Stark an Russ was informed about several threat that were spotted and noted down within the new continents, more throughroughly than the others.
And within the depths of the Lands of Always Winter, there was a very high probability of a Grand Necromancer or Lich King residing there.
So, it would do good prevention to take everything that could be taken from the True North and certain areas of the Lands of Always Winter before it became part of the Undead Scourge.
***
One Week Later, Stepstones, Narrow Sea
The three battleships sailed under the flags of the Imperium and Elector Count House of Starn an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris.
The journey took longer to reach this point because while they were approaching Westeros, they were met with bad weather and seastorm, which significantly slowed down their traveling speed.
Only after the storm had passed could they sail at their full speed; thus their entire journey was prolonged by a great deal. Not many of the Lordranians like the seas too much; perhaps it was related to their history of never using it too much, aside from fishing.
Or from the old legends about the Kos, something that only a few of the oldest and most veteran Hunters of the Workshop remembered till this day, as it happened too long ago, but the horrors of it still pursued many rather vividly.
Nevertheless, they now entered the Narrow Sea, which was, according to all the information gathered, a den of pirates and buccaneers that were mainly residing within the Stepstones; having managed to avoid the Ironborn, they would not be lucky twice in a row.
The Stepstones are a chain of islands between the southern narrow sea and the northwestern Summer Sea.
The islands are east of Dorne in Westeros and west of the Disputed Lands in Essos, the Disputed Lands were essentially a no-man zone that was contested by the Free Cities of Myr, Lys and Tyrosh.
In and of themselves, this small chain of rocky islands is worthless - however, the major sea lanes between the narrow sea and the Summer Sea have to pass through the straits between the Stepstones, making them strategically very important.
All the sea trade to the east coast of Westeros and to five out of nine of the Free Cities has to pass through the Stepstones to reach the other major markets of the world. Due to this fact, the Stepstones were one of the most strategic and crucial places within the Narrow Sea.
There are a little over a dozen islands in the Stepstones, along with smaller islets. Bloodstone was the largest island and at several points in history, has been the unofficial capital of larger pirate fiefdoms that have risen in the chain.
Other known islands are Grey Gallows and Torturer's Deep; the rest of the islands were not particularly named and were just known as islands because nobody really bothered to name the smallest islands of the 14 of them.
The Free City of Tyrosh is located on the northernmost island in the chain, just off the coast of mainland Essos, but it usually isn't considered politically part of "the Stepstones" and its lawless pirate enclaves.
Still, for the Fenrisians, some pirates were not really threat, as they would be massacred in whatever numbers they came, unless they had an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Fenrisians had only three battleships that were armed with cannons and some of the new weapons that came straight from the dwarven forges and in terms of warriors they had only a few hundred of them.
So, unless they encountered a pirate fleet number of several thousand at least, they were good to go. With the canons that was essentially unknown concepts within the Westeros and Essos, they had a great element of surprise on their side and they would use it to their maximal advantage.
Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark was standing on the helm of the capital ship of their delegation as he looked over the Stepstones. One of the missions that was directly ordered to him by the Divine Throne was to carry out a preliminary survey of the Stepstones.
While the Imperium wasn't really known for seafaring, some of the Fenrisian Tribes had a long tradition of building small boats and conducting raids on the different parts of the Lordran.
Of course that was already a long part of the history, but they had more experiences with the seafaring and with naval warfare and defense than anyone other within the present Holy Arcadia Empire.
"It indeed has a good strategic advantage..."
The Elector Count then heard the voice of his son, who had an uncanny strong appearance to him, showing the strong genes of the lineage, while Astrid took more from her mother in terms of appearance.
Compared to the two huge men, she was indeed a petite woman, but she also could throw a pretty powerful punch.
"Yes... it is highly possible that in the near future, the Imperium will aim to secure control over the Stepstones. It would allow us to have a foothold in a crucial place if we want to pursue trade with Westeros and Essos. At the same time, it also has a good location for creating a strong influence over the area."
Leman Russ an Stark new that once the situation within the territories of the Holy Arcadia Empire stabilized enough, namely the situation with the Children of Bul-Khatos was resolved and the situation with the Orklands and so on...
Then the Imperium would be able to send more forces into the wider world and once the MIlitary Reform was completely finished and executed, then their hands would be much more free and the room for maneuvers would be expanded several times over.
And just as they were entering the area of the Stepstones, from a distance, they saw incoming several ships, more than forty of the, but many of them were in a relatively poor state...
Most of the pirate ships were not even properly taken care of or were already damaged galleys from the previous engagements that they survived. Compared to the battleships of the Imperium, even the biggest warships that the pirates controlled looked pretty small and terrible.
Meanwhile from the distance, more ships appeared, but it seemed just simple boats that were accompanying the galleys that were sailing towards the Stepstones. From how it looked, it seemed that it was the pirate fleet that was returning home from raiding and reaving...
"Prepare for the engagement; aim to disable the ships, not sink them down!"
Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark shouted the orders, as everyone then started running here and there around the entire ship. The crew that was on the ships was mainly consisting of the private soldiers of the House Stark an Russ and experienced sailors of the Imperium.
While the ships of the Imperium were normally armed with the canons, they were also armed with several weapons that were designed to immobilize the ships instead of sinking them down.
Even the canons could be used to immobilize the hostile ships, by aiming the cannons at the sails and masts that were basically behind the ship's ability to move forward. When those things were destroyed, then the ship couldn't really move...
There were even scorpions that were firing chain arrows that would then envelope around the poles of the ship and bring them down. Just moments later, after Elector Count issued orders, the sailors started firing from the canons at the boats.
The Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris wanted to raid the raiders... this came from the minds of the Fenrisians, who were very conservative with their resources and also, they used every opportunity to obtain the resources.
And what was better than obtaining the resources from the raiders?
Such a case was rare within the Lordran because there were not many bandits or brigands actually within the lands of the Imperium. Of course, there were some, but those were always swiftly taken care of.
Hundreds of cannons fired at once, and everyone in the entire surrounding could hear the thunderous sound of the cannons firing as they literarily rained at the boats that were accompanying the pirate fleet.
One by one the boats started sinking down, as they were used only to transport the pirates, from what the scouts saw. So Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark didn't really care about them and they would be better dead.
The sole thing he cared about were the galleys and war galleys that were part of the pirate fleet, which was right now returning to the Stepstones.
Another reason why he ordered the attack on the pirates was he could see that most of his men were already getting too bored and Fenrisians were rather combat breeds; they hated boredom and having no one to fight and kill.
So, this would be all his warriors to release some steam, including his son and daughter, who were already ready for the combat. Ysgramor already took out his enormous runic waraxe Wuuthrad, while Astrid, like most of the shield-maidens, was armed traditional longsword and shield.
They would be leading the soldiers and private household guards to fight against the pirates during the boarding operations.
When the Imperator himself was ambushed by the Ironborn, they got enough information about the tactics and fighting style of the pirates and reavers, even from the Euron Greyjoy himself, after he was captured.
On the other hand, they also got the information that the Ironborn were basically the elites of elites among the pirates and rest of the pirates that was plundering around the Narrow Sea and other seas of the Essos were far, far, far, far, far worse.
Many times, they didn't even have basic equipment and were not even armed properly... that wasn't even talking about their ability to fight.
Many were not trained, as they were mostly petty thieves or criminals, some of them were killers and cutthroats and only a very small part of the entire pirate population were former soldiers or fighters.
So nobody really cared about a bunch of pirates and the soldiers were instead pretty eager for the upcoming confrontation, as the pirate fleet was one by one immobilized by the precise firing from the cannons and scorpions.
Soon enough, everyone saw the three battleships ramming into the galleys of the pirates, as the soldiers of the House Stark an Russ started the boarding operations towards the pirates galleys.
When it came to the fight itself against the scums of the sea, it was relatively short-lived because the private soldiers and household guards of the House Stark an Russ were all powerful warriors on their own; most of them were physically strong as peak Level 1 and many were at the Level 2.
The Rune Knights of the Hosue Stark an Russ were comparable to the Level 3, so it was a pure massacre the moment the fight started. When the Fenrisians boarded the private galley, it didn't take them long to conduct a slaughter on the ship.
As survivalists, many pirates were, when they noticed these phenomena, many pirates, even from different ships, hearing the screams and pleas for mercy, started abandoning their ships and jumping into the sea.
This was their last effort to save their very own lives.
Leman Stark an Russ as the leader of the Fenrisians took personally charge and as one Level 5 powerhouse, he was like death god incarnate on the battlefield, as he alone cleaned several ships from the pirates in a few moments.
***
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Chapter 25 - Into the North of Westeros
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The pirates that were part of the pirate fleet, which was returning back to the Stepstones, were not really a problem to deal with. While they were numerous, like really numerous, they were all about quantity rather than quality.
It seemed that the Fenrisian delegation probably intercepted the pirates' main fleet within the Stepstones. This was undoubtedly a great irony or perhaps a great piece of luck...
The pirates were often doing such raids when they invaded and raided something en masse, which wasn't very common for them because it was pretty much dangerous. There were a lot of risks when doing something like this because there were not many targets in the first place that they could attack.
Most probably some Free City or any other settlement, so such large-scale mobilization could be caught on, and the information could spread among the Free Cities and nobles of the Westeros that also may be raided.
In such large-scale raids, the risks were often equal to the opportunities because such a large fleet of pirates would be able to plunder the city more thoroughly and take from there everything possible.
So, there was a possibility of considerable loot for the Fenrisians when they observed the pirate fleet returning back to the Stepstones. So, they could at least obtain some gold from it and kill some pirates, so it was a rather win-to-win situation.
When the Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark joined the fight, the battle took a quick pace because having someone at Level 5 on the battlefield turned the entire battlefield into chaos, as hundreds of pirates were killed within mere moments.
Leman Russ an Stark, armed with twin enormous axes that could be used by any other man, as two-handed weapons, but for the Elector Count of House Stark an Russ were holding one in each of his hands as he cleaved through the hordes of the pirates that were present.
No matter how much the pirates pleased for mercy or surrender, death was the only thing that awaited them. Within the lands of the Imperium, there existed no room for mercy for pirates, bandits and brigands.
No matter the reason or the act itself, once they were proven to be guilty, then death was the sole thing that awaited them. So the Fenrisians killed all of them, carrying out bloody slaughter upon the pirate fleet, which was immobilized by them.
The entire process took something around one hour, as they needed to move from one ship to another, and because there were many pirates, it took them some time to clear out all of forty or something ships.
Naturally, when they massacred around half of the ships, the pirates started escaping and jumping into the waters of the sea en masse, but even that wasn't really helping them much because they were often shot by the gunmen that were present on the battleships of the Fenrisians.
After the pirates were all killed and the ships were secured, the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ ordered the soldiers and sailors to search through the ships. It didn't take long for his suspicions to be true, as they started bringing chests filled with gold, rare metals, weird objects, and some luxury products.
The same reports were heard from the other ships, as almost every ship had some degree of wealth upon it. It was logical because this pirate fleet was, in fact, a congregation of several pirate groups.
Each of the individual ships didn't have a lot, in fact, but when they were pooled together, it created a lot of wealth, actually enough even for some of the nobles of the Imperium interested in the things that were present.
"What should we do with ships?"
After some time, he heard his daughter ask when she arrived on the same galley as he was.
"Has everything been transported into the battleships?"
Astrid nodded her head because she was in charge of the logistics; compared to her brother, she had more brains than brawls, and that was something needed in situations like these when someone was needed to carry out administrative duties.
She was very good at that; what she was lacking in brute strength and almost heaven-defying battle instincts of her brother, she was greatly making up for with her sharp analytical mind and cunning approach to things.
"Yes... they must have raided several settlements and cities, probably even some of the Free Cities, because they had a lot of gold, most probably as a ransom for not attacking the Free City."
This was common practice among the Free Cities within the Essos.
When Dothraki or anyone else wanted to attack the Free Cities, they would at first ask for the ransom, and the Free Cities would happily pay the ransom so that they wouldn't be attacked.
For the Fenrisians, this was an utter disgrace, and they would abhor such methods. For the Fenrisians, there was nothing more disgraceful than not fighting the enemy that is before the gates.
"Hmm... how much is there?"
For the Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark, this was just an abysmal amount of wealth, but as the saying goes in the Lordran, everything counts...
"Probably enough for even Viceroy Houses to live comfortably for one or two years..."
This was already a significant amount of money, even for the Elector Count Houses, or at least some of them, because some Elector Count Hosues are richer than others. It greatly varied, as some Houses are far more invested in the business than others.
"That is a rather good amount... who would thought that the pirates would be so rich? We never obtain such an amount from bandits or bringats; they barely had a few Crowns on them."
Because within the borders of the Holy Arcadia Empire, practically everyone knew how to fight in and everyone was qualified to be soldiers, it was hard for the bandits and brigands to make any living.
From the notes that they confiscated from the pirates, they found out that the pirate fleet was a combination of several pirate fleets that were operating with the Stepstones as they created some sort of coalition so they could go and plunder en masse.
They were plundering around the Summer Isles, which was a large archipelago of around fifty islands or so that were located south of Westeros and Essos and west of Sothoryos and Naath.
The Summer Isles were relatively large and prosperous regions, with a lot of trade and production of luxuries. Aside from that, the pirates were also plundering the island of Naath and even some places and locations that were around the Basilisks Islands.
"Order soldiers to sink all of the ships, and we will continue sailing toward the White Harbor."
After the orders were issued, everyone went to carry them out. Soon enough the battleships of the House Stark an Russ started sinking down one pirate ship after another, which was solved with one shot from a cannon.
When the entire pirate fleet of the pirates was burned down, the battleships of the House Stark an Russ continued toward the White Harbor.
"Father, we have also found these..."
When they were already back in the quarters of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ, Astrid passed her father a stack of documents that were basically proving the connection between the three Free Cities of Lys, Tyrosh and Myr with the countless pirates.
Aside from them, there were also some connections with the Volantis and Slaver's Bay cities of Astapor, Mereen and Yunkai together in vague support of the New Ghis. The real problem of the pirates of the Stepstones was that their existence was related to the collective support of many, many powerful players of the Essos.
"Hmm..."
Leman Russ an Stark knew that in the future the Imperium would pursue the interests within the Stepstones, but right now as they were, it would mean a clash against the coalition of several factions within the most powerful Free Cities that were supporting the existence of the pirates.
Especially the Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr, who invested tremendous resources into the existence of the pirates. Nobody wanted the Stepstones to belong to a single faction because it would mean that somebody controlled large parts of the Narrow Sea.
"For now, it won't be a problem, but in the near future, without a strong navy, we would not be able to control the sea paths between the Lordran, Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, and Ulthos..."
It would require significant manpower even for the Holy Arcadia Empire to control the Stepstones, especially in the new environment when the Magic Resurgence took place and the lands of Essos were experiencing progress even more intensively than that of the Westeros.
Still, the benefits would be tremendous, but for that, they would need at first to build, an appropriately strong Navy. The Imperium already predicted that the cannons would sooner or later spread into the lands of Westeros and Essos.
This meant that the Lordran would, sooner or later, lose the greatest advantage, which was having a technology that nobody else had. Naturally, they would still have better and more powerful canons and methods of defending against them, but if the other had the
"Are the Stepstones truly that important for the Imperium?"
Astrid asked when she heard her father speaking.
"In fact, yes... it is a strategic location that would give the Imperium significant influence within the Essos and Westeros and would be helpful to many of our plans."
***
Several days later, near the White Harbor, The North of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros.
It took the battleships of the Elector Count House Stark an Russ to reach their final destination, which was the White Harbor.
White Harbor was a harbor city in the North that contained the New Castle, the seat of House Manderly. Located southeast of Winterfell, it is the largest settlement North of the Neck but the smallest among the five major cities of Westeros.
White Harbor is the North's primary trade port, and it was overall the biggest port within the North of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros. Its location on the mouth of the White Knife provides opportunities for trade further North.
Due to its location, White Harbor has more contact with southern Westeros and has a mixed population, and there are more Knights and followers of the Faith of the Seven in the city than anywhere else in the North.
There were some followers of the Old Gods in White Harbor, but most followed the Seven, but this started changing rapidly with the Resurgence of the Magic, when the Faith of Seven was being rapidly suppressed by the North upon the order of the Lord of Winterfell, Lord Rickard Stark.
While the House Manderly were not really delighted about this situation, there was nothing that they could do and at the same time, they knew how to adapt to the changing times.
So when the North entered another wave of isolation, they knew how to change and adapt... it was either to go with the flow or to die.
Between 1,000 BC and 600 BC, House Manderly was driven into exile from the Mander in southern Westeros by Lord Lorimar Peake during the reign of Perceon III Gardener, King of the Reach.
The Starks welcomed the Manderlys to the North and accepted oaths of fealty from them in the Wolf's Den, giving them the ancient castle and the surrounding lands. This led to the creation of White Harbor around the Wolf's Den.
"They are already awaiting us, father."
Astrid stood together with her father on the deck of the ship as they observed the pristine white walls of the White Harbor, after which the port city was actually named. Because when the Imperials first arrived at the shores of Westeros, they sent a delegation to Winterfell.
So they were already aware that someone from the Holy Arcadia Empire was coming to visit them, and they were already informed that it were also the descendants of the Bran the Shipwright that sailed across the Sunset Sea, only never to return.
"I know... don't you find this rather poetic, Astrid?"
Among the two children of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ, it was clear, that his daughter would be his Heir with the probably of 100%.
Not only even, in his opinion, his son Ysgramor would be pretty much poor of choice, he wasn't suited to be a polician or administrator and he would not do well for the continuous growth of the House Stark an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris.
Not to mention that somebody as Ysgramor Star an Russ would never be approved by the Holy Imperator due to his inability to effectively manage the Grand Province itself or even the Household matters.
And in the first place, Ysgramor was not even interested in being the Elector Count; for him, it was just useless bother and even to join the delegation, the Elector Count of Fenris put a lot of effort into dragging his son here.
Or else, he would be in the underground and fighting the Skavenblight who were now overpopulated and having conflicts with the dwarves. The followers of the Great Horned Rat were proved to be a serious problem that they were now dealing with.
It was evident to everyone who knew about the situation within the Grand Province of Fenris that Astrid Stark an Russ would be the new Elector Count or rather, Elector Countess in this case, somewhere in the near future.
There were already talks of the Leman Stark an Russ wanting to retire, but nothing was set in stone yet.
And unfortunately, there were not many people that could take the mantle from him. His eldest son Ragnar Stark an Russ was a notorious troublemaker, similar to the Ysgramor, who would also create more bad than good.
While the fact that he married someone like Beye Orleáns was a good thing, but from the start, it was clear that Rangar would never be interested in anything beyond warfare, and being ruler of the Grand Province within the Imperium wasn't just about smashing skulls and chopping up enemies.
He found his purpose in serving in the military and was aiming to become one of the commanders among the Stormcast Eternals that should be founded right now within the lands of the Lordran.
***
Meanwhile, at the port of the White Harbor.
Several people were waiting there for the huge battleships with the sigil of what they had been informed, belonging to the foreign nation known as the Holy Arcadia Empire and smaller sigils of one of the aristocratic houses of the Imperium.
Interestingly enough, the sigil that belonged to the Aristocratic House of the Imperium was a wolf, reminiscent of that of the House Stark, albeit a bit different. In charge of the entire endeavor of the Northmen was the Lord of the House Manderly, Lord Wyman Manderly.
He was a man in his forties with pale blue eyes and a beard. He wore rich clothing, including a velvet blue-green doublet embroidered with golden thread. A golden trident pins his mantle to his shoulder.
It was clear that he was growing more and more because he was getting fatter with each year that passed; soon enough, after maybe ten more years, he wouldn't even be able to ride a horse or fight properly.
Yet at the same time, he was a pretty shrewd, calculating, and intelligent man who was using his head more than he was using his fists.
"Has everything been prepared as I instructed?"
He asked in a severe voice, which was relatively unbefitting the amicable personality that he had, as he looked at his oldest son, who was accompanying him.
It was an order from Lord Rickard Stark personally and something that must be carried out in utmost honor for the people who were going to visit the North.
House Manderly were one of the staunchest followers of the House Stark, even if they were of different Faith and perhaps even different origins from the start, but now, they were one of the most loyal vassals of the North.
"Yes... everything done as was instructed by the Lord Stark, father..."
Wylis Manderly is a knight of House Manderly. He was the eldest son and heir of Wyman Manderly, Lord of White Harbor; he was bald and had a bushy walrus mustache that covered his mouth.
Like his father, he was also showing signs of getting fatter, but on a much lower scale compared to his father.
"Splendid... remember the instruction that the Lord Stark passed to us..."
Lord Wyman Manderly looked into the distance as the battleships were approaching the port city of the White Harbor. He could see that the ships were humongous and despite their huge size, they were rather fast, faster than they should be.
As the House Manderly was in control of the White Harbor for a very long time already, they became the North's foremost experts on the topic of shipwrighting and shipbuilding, sailing and everything related to the sea and sailing.
'They must be using some alternative means of sailing... this is not under normal conditions and in the first place this should not be natural. Such huge ships would normally be sailing slower than turtles, yet these are as fast as the fastest galley of Braavos.'
He knew that right now, the world was getting chaotic and everyone wanted to obtain as many advantages for themselves as possible. And the House Manderly was not any different from all other Noble Houses within the Westeros or Essos.
'Not to mention, they must have crossed through the Stepstones and right now the pirates were on the great raiding, so crossing over it would be very dangerous even for a proper fleet... while the pirates are poor fighters, they knew the naval warfare very well...'
As he pondered over the warships of the Holy Arcadia Empire, he noticed that all three of them were already entering the port and from the close, they were even bigger than from the distance.
Soon enough, after they approached enough, they started getting on the smaller boats because the warships of the Imperials were so huge that they couldn't really get into the port properly.
White Harbor didn't have large enough equipment for the warship to arrive and for the people to disembark from the warship effectively and safely. Lord Wyman Manderly saw several smaller boats approaching the shores of the White Harbor.
There were more than ten of them, and all of them were full of soldiers, armed to the teeth, wearing furs, capes and armor. While it seemed like ordinary and average clothing, the discerning eyes of the Lord of the White Harbor could see that they were of the best quality...
When the boats entered the port itself, one of the boats, went to the place where the delegation of the House Manderly was waiting for them and people started disembarking from it.
From the boat, he saw several very tall, gruff-looking men armed with waraxes, shields and wearing armors. All of their clothing was made from leather and fur, combined with some metal plates and chainmal in several places.
'That should be their leader... probably some sort of the higher Nobility of the Imperium.'
When he saw Leman Stark an Russ to disembark from the boat, he instinctively knew that they belonged to the higher caste of people. Even though the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ looked more like a berserker and warrior than the highest-ranking aristocrat, he still had that air of nobility and prestige.
The same thing went for his daughter Astrid Stark an Russ and even his youngest son Ysgramor Stark an Russ. Both children of the Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris had an air of elegance despite their warrior appearance.
"Welcome to the lands of the Westeros, honored delegation from the lands of beyond the sunset sea."
Lord Wyman Manderly stated most diplomatically in the Old Tongue, something that he had been informed beforehand as to which language to use.
Within the Imperium, there were many languages being used, aside from the Lordranese, but basically, some of the Grand Provinces had their own languages. Within the Fenris, due to the heritage of the Fenrisians and their partial origin that was being traced to the first men, they were also using the Old Tongue.
Even though most of the people who were using the Old Tongue belonged to the higher castes of the Grand Province of Fenris.
Mainly the nobles of the Fenris, who had the origin of the First Men were using the Old Tongue as their secondary language.
"Well met... Lord Manderly... name is Leman Stark an Russ, Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fernis of the Holy Arcadia Empire, a descendant of the Leman Russ the Wolf King of Fenris and Brandon Stark the Shipwright the King of Winter of North of Westeros."
When the Elector Count Stark an Russ introduced him, many people reined in their surprise because the Northemen were very well educated in the history of the North. Even though the House Manderly was originally from the Kingdom of Reach, they were also acclimatized to this.
They recognized the name of Brandon Stark the Shipwright, who was one of the most famous explorers, King of the Winter and North, from several thousand years ago. When he was getting older, he passed the crown to his son and sailed with several ships to the Sunset Sea in an attempt to find out what was behind the Sunset Sea.
It was still shocking to hear that he apparently survived the entire endeavor and even managed to arrive at the continent that lay behind the Sunset Sea. Not only did he survive, he even managed to find his own lineage at the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
"It my utmost honor to host you at my castle, Lord Elector Count."
Wyman Manderly knew that the Elector Count must be some sort of higher aristocratic rank within the Holy Arcadia Empire or so he suspected from all of the years of his experiences with diplomacy, scheming and people overall.
"Cut the crap with the polite bullshit and bring us somewhere to eat and drink."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ also weren't the epitome of noble behavior, but that was the thing that was common for most, if not all, Fenrisians of the Grand Province Fenris.
Ironically, though, it was natural for most of the Northmen; they were also not very fond of the false politeness and politics that was taking place everywhere else around the Known World of Azyr.
It wasn't very popular among the nobles of the North and similarly, even among the nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was very similar to that of the Northemen.
Seeing that the delegation of the Imperium were not really like he imagined, so he relaxed a bit because he feared that he would need to entertain some stuck-up nobles from the foreign nation.
"Of course, of course. How many would be joining you we?"
After hearing that, Lord Manderly motioned for the Lord Elector Count to follow after him as they were heading toward the castle.
"Only a few tens of people, mostly the Household Guards and a few people that are following into the delegation, including my daughter and youngest son."
Soon enough, Lord Wyman Manderly saw a young-looking woman clad in the same outfit as her father as she was shouting something at the man who looked very much like the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ.
"Stop complaining and behave according to your status Ysgramor already!"
Astrid was beginning to lose her cool when she was arguing with her brother, as Ysgramor wanted to go directly to the Lands of the Always Winter to search for powerful enemies to fight.
Something that was unacceptable because he needed to be present at the meeting in the Winterfell.
Even though it was evidently clear that Ysgramor was here just for that purpose, as he was an excellent tracker and beast tamer, it would look poor on the House Stark an Russ if one of their most prominent members didn't even bother with the other diplomatic steps and courtesies.
Even Ragnar, if not even a bit interested in things boring like politics, had at least so much tact that no matter how much he hated the gatherings and things like that, he would at least attend them.
Still, it wasn't any better sometimes because he would then erupt and create conflicts with the people around him or get into fights and brawls.
Yet, Astrid just couldn't let her brother to wander where he wanted and to do as he wished; she knew that even her father knew that and everyone else knew that. This was a form of protocol and diplomacy, even though the terms were a bit alien to most of the Fenrisians.
There were a few of the enlightened ones that were aware of their weight and purpose, so Astrid needed to make sure that her brother remained part of the delegation for the whole duration and that he didn't disappear to somewhere...
***
White Harbor, New Castle
Not creatively enough, as it seemed, the main seat of the House Manderly was named as the New Castle, which was pretty bad name in Astrid's mind as they were led into the castle itself...
The New Castle was reminiscent of Dunstonbury, the Manderlys' seat from when they lived along the Mander in the Reach. The pale castle was built atop a hill rising above White Harbor's white walls, and the merman sigil of House Manderly flies from its towers.
There was a clear view of both of the city's harbors from the hilltop, which gave the entire keep not only the strategic location and position but at the same time, also making the entire far more beautiful with the view of the Narrow Sea and panorama of the city.
The broad stepped Castle Stair was a white stone street that ran from the ancient Wolf's Den up the hill to the New Castle. The white stone was something akin to a trademark of the House Manderly, and if Astrid had to guess, it was some kind of marble but more durable and denser than ordinary marble.
The Manderlys decorated their hallways with faded banners, broken shields and rusted swords from ancient victories, and wooden figures from the prows of ships.
The Merman's Court is the great hall where the Manderlys hold court, while two mermen made of marble stood outside the hall's door, like ever-vigilant eternal guardians of the halls.
The large and airy chambers of the castle are finely furnished. The room which secretly leads to the Castle Stair passage has wooden beams and walls of lath and plaster.
It contained a Myrish carpet on the floor, beeswax candles on a table, and a sheepskin map of the North hanging on a wall. The overall state of the decorations was subtly showed the wealth of the House Manderyl that was generated through operating the port and large trade fleet.
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ sat down at the designed spot, with his daughter Astrid sitting next to his right and Ysgramor to his left, albeit pretty much reluctantly, as he was showing his displeasure at the entire endeavor.
Together with them, several people sat down, as they were of the Wolf Guard, the closest companions of the Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris and at the same time, they were also the most senior members of the entire war machine of the Fenris and entire Administration of the Grand Province.
There were even a few Wizards and Sorcerers among them who had distinguished spot and place among the delegation to Westeros. And of course, there were members of the clergy of the Healing Church as they were ever present.
"You must have a long journey behind you, Lord Elector Count from the far distance of beyond the Sunset Sea, so allow me to hold a feast for you and for the arrival of the descends of the King of Winter back to the homelands."
Lord Wyman Manderly said as he welcomed the guests from afar, while the rest of his Household started bringing food for the guests, making a note that more food would be needed.
"And I thank you for your gracious and warm welcome. These two are my daughter and son. Astrid Stark an Russ and Ysgramor Stark an Russ..."
Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris stated as he looked at the Lord of the House Manderly and White Harbor that was hosting them a feast, while also introducing his children that were accompanying him to this entire ordeal.
From there on the rest of the feast that the Lord of the House Manderly prepared for the delegation of the Imperium went on smoothly, without much complications, aside from Ysgramor challenging the local nobles to the games of drinking.
Which they naturally lost, of course, but aside from that, it ended pretty well, probably better than anyone could even anticipate. Fortunately enough, Ysgramor didn't create any other mess or problems, and there were not any fights during the feast.
When they were carrying out the talks, it was mostly the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ talking together with his daughter Astrid because they were the most politically apt from the entire delegation, so they were carrying out the conversation.
The rest of the Imperial delegation were either eating or drinking with no care about the rest of the world.
They would be spending the night at the White Harbor, before departing to the Winterfell to meet with the Lord Stark and then forward to the Lands of the Always Winter, which was one of the true goals of the Imperial Delegation.
As was decreed by the Holy Imperator.
***
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It seemed that the Fenrisian delegation probably intercepted the pirates' main fleet within the Stepstones. This was undoubtedly a great irony or perhaps a great piece of luck...
The pirates were often doing such raids when they invaded and raided something en masse, which wasn't very common for them because it was pretty much dangerous. There were a lot of risks when doing something like this because there were not many targets in the first place that they could attack.
Most probably some Free City or any other settlement, so such large-scale mobilization could be caught on, and the information could spread among the Free Cities and nobles of the Westeros that also may be raided.
In such large-scale raids, the risks were often equal to the opportunities because such a large fleet of pirates would be able to plunder the city more thoroughly and take from there everything possible.
So, there was a possibility of considerable loot for the Fenrisians when they observed the pirate fleet returning back to the Stepstones. So, they could at least obtain some gold from it and kill some pirates, so it was a rather win-to-win situation.
When the Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark joined the fight, the battle took a quick pace because having someone at Level 5 on the battlefield turned the entire battlefield into chaos, as hundreds of pirates were killed within mere moments.
Leman Russ an Stark, armed with twin enormous axes that could be used by any other man, as two-handed weapons, but for the Elector Count of House Stark an Russ were holding one in each of his hands as he cleaved through the hordes of the pirates that were present.
No matter how much the pirates pleased for mercy or surrender, death was the only thing that awaited them. Within the lands of the Imperium, there existed no room for mercy for pirates, bandits and brigands.
No matter the reason or the act itself, once they were proven to be guilty, then death was the sole thing that awaited them. So the Fenrisians killed all of them, carrying out bloody slaughter upon the pirate fleet, which was immobilized by them.
The entire process took something around one hour, as they needed to move from one ship to another, and because there were many pirates, it took them some time to clear out all of forty or something ships.
Naturally, when they massacred around half of the ships, the pirates started escaping and jumping into the waters of the sea en masse, but even that wasn't really helping them much because they were often shot by the gunmen that were present on the battleships of the Fenrisians.
After the pirates were all killed and the ships were secured, the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ ordered the soldiers and sailors to search through the ships. It didn't take long for his suspicions to be true, as they started bringing chests filled with gold, rare metals, weird objects, and some luxury products.
The same reports were heard from the other ships, as almost every ship had some degree of wealth upon it. It was logical because this pirate fleet was, in fact, a congregation of several pirate groups.
Each of the individual ships didn't have a lot, in fact, but when they were pooled together, it created a lot of wealth, actually enough even for some of the nobles of the Imperium interested in the things that were present.
"What should we do with ships?"
After some time, he heard his daughter ask when she arrived on the same galley as he was.
"Has everything been transported into the battleships?"
Astrid nodded her head because she was in charge of the logistics; compared to her brother, she had more brains than brawls, and that was something needed in situations like these when someone was needed to carry out administrative duties.
She was very good at that; what she was lacking in brute strength and almost heaven-defying battle instincts of her brother, she was greatly making up for with her sharp analytical mind and cunning approach to things.
"Yes... they must have raided several settlements and cities, probably even some of the Free Cities, because they had a lot of gold, most probably as a ransom for not attacking the Free City."
This was common practice among the Free Cities within the Essos.
When Dothraki or anyone else wanted to attack the Free Cities, they would at first ask for the ransom, and the Free Cities would happily pay the ransom so that they wouldn't be attacked.
For the Fenrisians, this was an utter disgrace, and they would abhor such methods. For the Fenrisians, there was nothing more disgraceful than not fighting the enemy that is before the gates.
"Hmm... how much is there?"
For the Elector Count Leman Russ an Stark, this was just an abysmal amount of wealth, but as the saying goes in the Lordran, everything counts...
"Probably enough for even Viceroy Houses to live comfortably for one or two years..."
This was already a significant amount of money, even for the Elector Count Houses, or at least some of them, because some Elector Count Hosues are richer than others. It greatly varied, as some Houses are far more invested in the business than others.
"That is a rather good amount... who would thought that the pirates would be so rich? We never obtain such an amount from bandits or bringats; they barely had a few Crowns on them."
Because within the borders of the Holy Arcadia Empire, practically everyone knew how to fight in and everyone was qualified to be soldiers, it was hard for the bandits and brigands to make any living.
From the notes that they confiscated from the pirates, they found out that the pirate fleet was a combination of several pirate fleets that were operating with the Stepstones as they created some sort of coalition so they could go and plunder en masse.
They were plundering around the Summer Isles, which was a large archipelago of around fifty islands or so that were located south of Westeros and Essos and west of Sothoryos and Naath.
The Summer Isles were relatively large and prosperous regions, with a lot of trade and production of luxuries. Aside from that, the pirates were also plundering the island of Naath and even some places and locations that were around the Basilisks Islands.
"Order soldiers to sink all of the ships, and we will continue sailing toward the White Harbor."
After the orders were issued, everyone went to carry them out. Soon enough the battleships of the House Stark an Russ started sinking down one pirate ship after another, which was solved with one shot from a cannon.
When the entire pirate fleet of the pirates was burned down, the battleships of the House Stark an Russ continued toward the White Harbor.
"Father, we have also found these..."
When they were already back in the quarters of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ, Astrid passed her father a stack of documents that were basically proving the connection between the three Free Cities of Lys, Tyrosh and Myr with the countless pirates.
Aside from them, there were also some connections with the Volantis and Slaver's Bay cities of Astapor, Mereen and Yunkai together in vague support of the New Ghis. The real problem of the pirates of the Stepstones was that their existence was related to the collective support of many, many powerful players of the Essos.
"Hmm..."
Leman Russ an Stark knew that in the future the Imperium would pursue the interests within the Stepstones, but right now as they were, it would mean a clash against the coalition of several factions within the most powerful Free Cities that were supporting the existence of the pirates.
Especially the Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr, who invested tremendous resources into the existence of the pirates. Nobody wanted the Stepstones to belong to a single faction because it would mean that somebody controlled large parts of the Narrow Sea.
"For now, it won't be a problem, but in the near future, without a strong navy, we would not be able to control the sea paths between the Lordran, Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, and Ulthos..."
It would require significant manpower even for the Holy Arcadia Empire to control the Stepstones, especially in the new environment when the Magic Resurgence took place and the lands of Essos were experiencing progress even more intensively than that of the Westeros.
Still, the benefits would be tremendous, but for that, they would need at first to build, an appropriately strong Navy. The Imperium already predicted that the cannons would sooner or later spread into the lands of Westeros and Essos.
This meant that the Lordran would, sooner or later, lose the greatest advantage, which was having a technology that nobody else had. Naturally, they would still have better and more powerful canons and methods of defending against them, but if the other had the
"Are the Stepstones truly that important for the Imperium?"
Astrid asked when she heard her father speaking.
"In fact, yes... it is a strategic location that would give the Imperium significant influence within the Essos and Westeros and would be helpful to many of our plans."
***
Several days later, near the White Harbor, The North of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros.
It took the battleships of the Elector Count House Stark an Russ to reach their final destination, which was the White Harbor.
White Harbor was a harbor city in the North that contained the New Castle, the seat of House Manderly. Located southeast of Winterfell, it is the largest settlement North of the Neck but the smallest among the five major cities of Westeros.
White Harbor is the North's primary trade port, and it was overall the biggest port within the North of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros. Its location on the mouth of the White Knife provides opportunities for trade further North.
Due to its location, White Harbor has more contact with southern Westeros and has a mixed population, and there are more Knights and followers of the Faith of the Seven in the city than anywhere else in the North.
There were some followers of the Old Gods in White Harbor, but most followed the Seven, but this started changing rapidly with the Resurgence of the Magic, when the Faith of Seven was being rapidly suppressed by the North upon the order of the Lord of Winterfell, Lord Rickard Stark.
While the House Manderly were not really delighted about this situation, there was nothing that they could do and at the same time, they knew how to adapt to the changing times.
So when the North entered another wave of isolation, they knew how to change and adapt... it was either to go with the flow or to die.
Between 1,000 BC and 600 BC, House Manderly was driven into exile from the Mander in southern Westeros by Lord Lorimar Peake during the reign of Perceon III Gardener, King of the Reach.
The Starks welcomed the Manderlys to the North and accepted oaths of fealty from them in the Wolf's Den, giving them the ancient castle and the surrounding lands. This led to the creation of White Harbor around the Wolf's Den.
"They are already awaiting us, father."
Astrid stood together with her father on the deck of the ship as they observed the pristine white walls of the White Harbor, after which the port city was actually named. Because when the Imperials first arrived at the shores of Westeros, they sent a delegation to Winterfell.
So they were already aware that someone from the Holy Arcadia Empire was coming to visit them, and they were already informed that it were also the descendants of the Bran the Shipwright that sailed across the Sunset Sea, only never to return.
"I know... don't you find this rather poetic, Astrid?"
Among the two children of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ, it was clear, that his daughter would be his Heir with the probably of 100%.
Not only even, in his opinion, his son Ysgramor would be pretty much poor of choice, he wasn't suited to be a polician or administrator and he would not do well for the continuous growth of the House Stark an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris.
Not to mention that somebody as Ysgramor Star an Russ would never be approved by the Holy Imperator due to his inability to effectively manage the Grand Province itself or even the Household matters.
And in the first place, Ysgramor was not even interested in being the Elector Count; for him, it was just useless bother and even to join the delegation, the Elector Count of Fenris put a lot of effort into dragging his son here.
Or else, he would be in the underground and fighting the Skavenblight who were now overpopulated and having conflicts with the dwarves. The followers of the Great Horned Rat were proved to be a serious problem that they were now dealing with.
It was evident to everyone who knew about the situation within the Grand Province of Fenris that Astrid Stark an Russ would be the new Elector Count or rather, Elector Countess in this case, somewhere in the near future.
There were already talks of the Leman Stark an Russ wanting to retire, but nothing was set in stone yet.
And unfortunately, there were not many people that could take the mantle from him. His eldest son Ragnar Stark an Russ was a notorious troublemaker, similar to the Ysgramor, who would also create more bad than good.
While the fact that he married someone like Beye Orleáns was a good thing, but from the start, it was clear that Rangar would never be interested in anything beyond warfare, and being ruler of the Grand Province within the Imperium wasn't just about smashing skulls and chopping up enemies.
He found his purpose in serving in the military and was aiming to become one of the commanders among the Stormcast Eternals that should be founded right now within the lands of the Lordran.
***
Meanwhile, at the port of the White Harbor.
Several people were waiting there for the huge battleships with the sigil of what they had been informed, belonging to the foreign nation known as the Holy Arcadia Empire and smaller sigils of one of the aristocratic houses of the Imperium.
Interestingly enough, the sigil that belonged to the Aristocratic House of the Imperium was a wolf, reminiscent of that of the House Stark, albeit a bit different. In charge of the entire endeavor of the Northmen was the Lord of the House Manderly, Lord Wyman Manderly.
He was a man in his forties with pale blue eyes and a beard. He wore rich clothing, including a velvet blue-green doublet embroidered with golden thread. A golden trident pins his mantle to his shoulder.
It was clear that he was growing more and more because he was getting fatter with each year that passed; soon enough, after maybe ten more years, he wouldn't even be able to ride a horse or fight properly.
Yet at the same time, he was a pretty shrewd, calculating, and intelligent man who was using his head more than he was using his fists.
"Has everything been prepared as I instructed?"
He asked in a severe voice, which was relatively unbefitting the amicable personality that he had, as he looked at his oldest son, who was accompanying him.
It was an order from Lord Rickard Stark personally and something that must be carried out in utmost honor for the people who were going to visit the North.
House Manderly were one of the staunchest followers of the House Stark, even if they were of different Faith and perhaps even different origins from the start, but now, they were one of the most loyal vassals of the North.
"Yes... everything done as was instructed by the Lord Stark, father..."
Wylis Manderly is a knight of House Manderly. He was the eldest son and heir of Wyman Manderly, Lord of White Harbor; he was bald and had a bushy walrus mustache that covered his mouth.
Like his father, he was also showing signs of getting fatter, but on a much lower scale compared to his father.
"Splendid... remember the instruction that the Lord Stark passed to us..."
Lord Wyman Manderly looked into the distance as the battleships were approaching the port city of the White Harbor. He could see that the ships were humongous and despite their huge size, they were rather fast, faster than they should be.
As the House Manderly was in control of the White Harbor for a very long time already, they became the North's foremost experts on the topic of shipwrighting and shipbuilding, sailing and everything related to the sea and sailing.
'They must be using some alternative means of sailing... this is not under normal conditions and in the first place this should not be natural. Such huge ships would normally be sailing slower than turtles, yet these are as fast as the fastest galley of Braavos.'
He knew that right now, the world was getting chaotic and everyone wanted to obtain as many advantages for themselves as possible. And the House Manderly was not any different from all other Noble Houses within the Westeros or Essos.
'Not to mention, they must have crossed through the Stepstones and right now the pirates were on the great raiding, so crossing over it would be very dangerous even for a proper fleet... while the pirates are poor fighters, they knew the naval warfare very well...'
As he pondered over the warships of the Holy Arcadia Empire, he noticed that all three of them were already entering the port and from the close, they were even bigger than from the distance.
Soon enough, after they approached enough, they started getting on the smaller boats because the warships of the Imperials were so huge that they couldn't really get into the port properly.
White Harbor didn't have large enough equipment for the warship to arrive and for the people to disembark from the warship effectively and safely. Lord Wyman Manderly saw several smaller boats approaching the shores of the White Harbor.
There were more than ten of them, and all of them were full of soldiers, armed to the teeth, wearing furs, capes and armor. While it seemed like ordinary and average clothing, the discerning eyes of the Lord of the White Harbor could see that they were of the best quality...
When the boats entered the port itself, one of the boats, went to the place where the delegation of the House Manderly was waiting for them and people started disembarking from it.
From the boat, he saw several very tall, gruff-looking men armed with waraxes, shields and wearing armors. All of their clothing was made from leather and fur, combined with some metal plates and chainmal in several places.
'That should be their leader... probably some sort of the higher Nobility of the Imperium.'
When he saw Leman Stark an Russ to disembark from the boat, he instinctively knew that they belonged to the higher caste of people. Even though the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ looked more like a berserker and warrior than the highest-ranking aristocrat, he still had that air of nobility and prestige.
The same thing went for his daughter Astrid Stark an Russ and even his youngest son Ysgramor Stark an Russ. Both children of the Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris had an air of elegance despite their warrior appearance.
"Welcome to the lands of the Westeros, honored delegation from the lands of beyond the sunset sea."
Lord Wyman Manderly stated most diplomatically in the Old Tongue, something that he had been informed beforehand as to which language to use.
Within the Imperium, there were many languages being used, aside from the Lordranese, but basically, some of the Grand Provinces had their own languages. Within the Fenris, due to the heritage of the Fenrisians and their partial origin that was being traced to the first men, they were also using the Old Tongue.
Even though most of the people who were using the Old Tongue belonged to the higher castes of the Grand Province of Fenris.
Mainly the nobles of the Fenris, who had the origin of the First Men were using the Old Tongue as their secondary language.
"Well met... Lord Manderly... name is Leman Stark an Russ, Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fernis of the Holy Arcadia Empire, a descendant of the Leman Russ the Wolf King of Fenris and Brandon Stark the Shipwright the King of Winter of North of Westeros."
When the Elector Count Stark an Russ introduced him, many people reined in their surprise because the Northemen were very well educated in the history of the North. Even though the House Manderly was originally from the Kingdom of Reach, they were also acclimatized to this.
They recognized the name of Brandon Stark the Shipwright, who was one of the most famous explorers, King of the Winter and North, from several thousand years ago. When he was getting older, he passed the crown to his son and sailed with several ships to the Sunset Sea in an attempt to find out what was behind the Sunset Sea.
It was still shocking to hear that he apparently survived the entire endeavor and even managed to arrive at the continent that lay behind the Sunset Sea. Not only did he survive, he even managed to find his own lineage at the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
"It my utmost honor to host you at my castle, Lord Elector Count."
Wyman Manderly knew that the Elector Count must be some sort of higher aristocratic rank within the Holy Arcadia Empire or so he suspected from all of the years of his experiences with diplomacy, scheming and people overall.
"Cut the crap with the polite bullshit and bring us somewhere to eat and drink."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ also weren't the epitome of noble behavior, but that was the thing that was common for most, if not all, Fenrisians of the Grand Province Fenris.
Ironically, though, it was natural for most of the Northmen; they were also not very fond of the false politeness and politics that was taking place everywhere else around the Known World of Azyr.
It wasn't very popular among the nobles of the North and similarly, even among the nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was very similar to that of the Northemen.
Seeing that the delegation of the Imperium were not really like he imagined, so he relaxed a bit because he feared that he would need to entertain some stuck-up nobles from the foreign nation.
"Of course, of course. How many would be joining you we?"
After hearing that, Lord Manderly motioned for the Lord Elector Count to follow after him as they were heading toward the castle.
"Only a few tens of people, mostly the Household Guards and a few people that are following into the delegation, including my daughter and youngest son."
Soon enough, Lord Wyman Manderly saw a young-looking woman clad in the same outfit as her father as she was shouting something at the man who looked very much like the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ.
"Stop complaining and behave according to your status Ysgramor already!"
Astrid was beginning to lose her cool when she was arguing with her brother, as Ysgramor wanted to go directly to the Lands of the Always Winter to search for powerful enemies to fight.
Something that was unacceptable because he needed to be present at the meeting in the Winterfell.
Even though it was evidently clear that Ysgramor was here just for that purpose, as he was an excellent tracker and beast tamer, it would look poor on the House Stark an Russ if one of their most prominent members didn't even bother with the other diplomatic steps and courtesies.
Even Ragnar, if not even a bit interested in things boring like politics, had at least so much tact that no matter how much he hated the gatherings and things like that, he would at least attend them.
Still, it wasn't any better sometimes because he would then erupt and create conflicts with the people around him or get into fights and brawls.
Yet, Astrid just couldn't let her brother to wander where he wanted and to do as he wished; she knew that even her father knew that and everyone else knew that. This was a form of protocol and diplomacy, even though the terms were a bit alien to most of the Fenrisians.
There were a few of the enlightened ones that were aware of their weight and purpose, so Astrid needed to make sure that her brother remained part of the delegation for the whole duration and that he didn't disappear to somewhere...
***
White Harbor, New Castle
Not creatively enough, as it seemed, the main seat of the House Manderly was named as the New Castle, which was pretty bad name in Astrid's mind as they were led into the castle itself...
The New Castle was reminiscent of Dunstonbury, the Manderlys' seat from when they lived along the Mander in the Reach. The pale castle was built atop a hill rising above White Harbor's white walls, and the merman sigil of House Manderly flies from its towers.
There was a clear view of both of the city's harbors from the hilltop, which gave the entire keep not only the strategic location and position but at the same time, also making the entire far more beautiful with the view of the Narrow Sea and panorama of the city.
The broad stepped Castle Stair was a white stone street that ran from the ancient Wolf's Den up the hill to the New Castle. The white stone was something akin to a trademark of the House Manderly, and if Astrid had to guess, it was some kind of marble but more durable and denser than ordinary marble.
The Manderlys decorated their hallways with faded banners, broken shields and rusted swords from ancient victories, and wooden figures from the prows of ships.
The Merman's Court is the great hall where the Manderlys hold court, while two mermen made of marble stood outside the hall's door, like ever-vigilant eternal guardians of the halls.
The large and airy chambers of the castle are finely furnished. The room which secretly leads to the Castle Stair passage has wooden beams and walls of lath and plaster.
It contained a Myrish carpet on the floor, beeswax candles on a table, and a sheepskin map of the North hanging on a wall. The overall state of the decorations was subtly showed the wealth of the House Manderyl that was generated through operating the port and large trade fleet.
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ sat down at the designed spot, with his daughter Astrid sitting next to his right and Ysgramor to his left, albeit pretty much reluctantly, as he was showing his displeasure at the entire endeavor.
Together with them, several people sat down, as they were of the Wolf Guard, the closest companions of the Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris and at the same time, they were also the most senior members of the entire war machine of the Fenris and entire Administration of the Grand Province.
There were even a few Wizards and Sorcerers among them who had distinguished spot and place among the delegation to Westeros. And of course, there were members of the clergy of the Healing Church as they were ever present.
"You must have a long journey behind you, Lord Elector Count from the far distance of beyond the Sunset Sea, so allow me to hold a feast for you and for the arrival of the descends of the King of Winter back to the homelands."
Lord Wyman Manderly said as he welcomed the guests from afar, while the rest of his Household started bringing food for the guests, making a note that more food would be needed.
"And I thank you for your gracious and warm welcome. These two are my daughter and son. Astrid Stark an Russ and Ysgramor Stark an Russ..."
Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris stated as he looked at the Lord of the House Manderly and White Harbor that was hosting them a feast, while also introducing his children that were accompanying him to this entire ordeal.
From there on the rest of the feast that the Lord of the House Manderly prepared for the delegation of the Imperium went on smoothly, without much complications, aside from Ysgramor challenging the local nobles to the games of drinking.
Which they naturally lost, of course, but aside from that, it ended pretty well, probably better than anyone could even anticipate. Fortunately enough, Ysgramor didn't create any other mess or problems, and there were not any fights during the feast.
When they were carrying out the talks, it was mostly the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ talking together with his daughter Astrid because they were the most politically apt from the entire delegation, so they were carrying out the conversation.
The rest of the Imperial delegation were either eating or drinking with no care about the rest of the world.
They would be spending the night at the White Harbor, before departing to the Winterfell to meet with the Lord Stark and then forward to the Lands of the Always Winter, which was one of the true goals of the Imperial Delegation.
As was decreed by the Holy Imperator.
***
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Chapter 26 – Two Houses of Winter and Wolves
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North of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Next Day, October of 280 AC of Westerosi Callendar / Year 10,280 - October of the Imperial Lordranese Callendar
Surprisingly enough, the Winterfell wasn't apparently that far from the White Harbor, as it would take them only a few days to reach the Winterfell. Even though the continent of Westeros wasn't really big from the viewpoint of the Lordranians, it was still a huge landmass.
The North of the Westeros was as big as the rest of the Seven Kingdoms combined into one, making it the largest of the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately enough for the Northmen, it was also the most undeveloped place within the Westeros.
It was a region that was a sovereign nation ruled by the Kings in the North or, as they were also called, the Kings of Winter before the Ageon's Conquest. Yet, with the disappearance of the Magic and oversized Wyverns that the House Targaryen controlled, resistance was futile.
The largest region of the Seven Kingdoms, the dominion of House Stark, extends from the border of the New Gift, which is controlled by the Night's Watch, to the southern edge of the Neck far to the South.
The region is sparsely populated, with vast wilderness, rising moorlands, high plains, forests, pine-covered hills and snow-capped mountains, speckled with tiny villages and holdfasts.
The cold North is much less fertile than provinces in southern Westeros. Its harsh climate was deadly in winter and occasionally, it snowed even in summer. For the Fenrisians that were passing through it, it was no different than the climate at home, maybe even a little bit warmer.
The North has two major land barriers: the Wall to the North, which was considered one of the Wonders of the Known World, and the Neck to the South. The North is bound on each side by major seas, the Shivering Sea to the east and the Sunset Sea to the west.
The Fenrisians were using the typical war wagons of the Imperium as means for their transportation because they were not only for the transportation itself, but they were also warmachines in times of need.
And aside from that, they could be used in every environment, including the extremely cold and freezing one of the Lands of the Always Winter.
For their tasks in the Lands of the Always Winter, they ended up being prepared and as the entire place was or would soon be the domain of a powerful Lich, then nothing could be left to the accident.
They were very well prepared for the Lands of the Always Winter, because Ornstein had already carried out the reconnaissance of the terrain and knew how dangerous the Lands of the Always Winter were.
The environment there was far colder than the average Fenrisian weather and in the core areas, where Ornstein only briefly went, were as cold as the Deep Winter of the Lordran, probably even colder due to the presence of Lich or something unnatural was lowering the temperature in that place.
Even though Ornstein was at Level 6, he didn't dare to enter the territory of whatever dwelled within the depths of the Lands of the Always Winter without proper preparations and equipment.
It was too dangerous and something that he didn't wish to risk his life for. The sources from the Imperial Military Intelligence were already telling that the Lands of the Always Winter were home to a very mighty Lich King.
That was a very dangerous thing because Liches of the highest order were frightening enemies, as were the Necromancers of the highest order.
They were the ones who could unleash unparalleled destruction and scourge on the enemies they had chosen, and there were only a few who could resist them in such situations.
The Holy Arcadia Empire still vividly remembered some of the most terrifying Undead and Necromancers that were a source of the most powerful Undead Scourtges that ever graced the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
During their relatively long journey from the White Harbor to the Winterfell, everyone was spending their time differently.
Ysgramor was on a different warwagon together with several captains of the Winter Wolf Knight Order, preparing his weapons for an inevitable fight and battle that was about to come.
Astrid was reading a book in her warwagon that she was sharing together with her father, who was sleeping on the upper floor of the warwagon. Their warwagons were a bit more luxurious, considering the fact that they belonged to the highest-ranked aristocracy of the Imperium.
She loved reading; it was one of the things that helped her relax and made her mind at peace.
Not to mention, since her childhood, she had a keen interest in knowledge and being educated, that was also the reason why she completed several extended courses within the Schola Progenium with honors.
Not only that, but she also completed her education at the Diesdorf Military College, which provided the best education in terms of cultivating the officers for the military.
Astrid was very well capable of commanding large-scale armies, and within the Fenris, she was often in charge of conquests of the Provincial Army against the forces of Ruin, Greenskisn and other dangers to the Fenris and Imperium.
Aside from that, she also attended Jade College of Magic, which taught Druidism and also got apprenticeships from some of the most powerful Cryomancer Sorcerers within the Lordran.
And that everything only fifty or so years of her life, as she was the youngest child of her father. That was also one of the reasons why she was chosen to be the Heir Apparent for the House Stark an Russ and the sovereignty of the Grand Province of Fenris.
'The coldness that is in the environment of the North is pretty similar to that of the Lordran during the Winter... but the place for sure is poor...'
Astrid thought as she looked through the window of the luxuriously made warwagon, which was warm filled with cushions and fur.
The constant cold and the iron grip of winter set apart the Northerners from the people of the Kingdoms south of the Neck. The North's terrain and climate do not easily yield the necessities of daily life.
Some Northmen live in remote, distant areas where they act as little more than clans and tribes. These remote folk, such as the Crannogmen, the Northern Mountain Clans, and the Skagosi, are still vassals of the Starks, however, and are allowed to maintain their own ways and traditions as long as they remain loyal to Winterfell.
From what Astrid saw and heard, coupled with the intelligence reports from the Imperial Military Intelligence, she knew that the North was the poorest area of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros.
She didn't know if it was just stagnation or neglect; from what she saw, the Northw wasn't doing bad or good... they were just stagnating, having problems with the food and other necessities that were constantly being repeated in cycles.
Countless places within the North certainly contained precious ores and metals; the richness that the North had was something that hadn't been touched by anyone in millennia and it seemed that nobody would even think about it.
But it wasn't really that weird if one thought about it more deeply.
Before the Seven Kingdoms were unified as one, then each individual Kingdom was probably more developed than right now. To create one coherent nation or at least some cheap imitation of it, Targaryens wanted to make the individual nations within Westeros depend on each other.
Which was, in Astrid's eyes, good strategy and utter foolishness at the same time. While this strategy indeed guaranteed some sort of internal stability between the conquered nations, because each nation would be depending on the other one for their very own survival, it also destroyed their future.
Due to this, there existed many means to prevent them from developing because if they developed too much, they would stop being that dependent on the others, which would then lead to growing internal struggles and instability.
So, the best course of action was for everyone to remain stagnant and to do nothing.
Through this method, Targaryens managed to induct a state onto the Westeros over the course of three hundred years, that every kingdom that strived for independence would face many problems.
Be it economic, trade, societal or political and many others that the ones that wanted to be independent would need to resolve.
Yet, the price for this state, where nobody wanted to really separate and remain as part of the nation, where the binding element was the existence of the Iron Throne and its Wyvern by extension, was the development of the Westeros as whole.
This only showed Astrid that Targaryens were shit at ruling and politics, but that was also playing into their advantages.
"You are still reading?"
Even though Leman Stark an Russ knew that his daughter was smart, he was sometimes in pure wonder that when she wasn't training or attending to her duties, she would be constantly reading books.
"Yes... it is interesting and you can learn a lot."
Astrid said absentmindedly to her father, who then sat opposite to her, on the leather sofa that was empty. As this was the warwagon was for the Elector Count of the Holy Arcadia Empire, there were tons of luxuries installed within the warwagon.
"Whatever makes you happy... at least you are using your time better than your brother combined."
Still that made him wonder, with how smart and dedicated she was, if she would ever marry... to preserve the Lineage of the House Stark an Russ; there were already Ragnar who sired some progeny, Ysgramor was still right now unmarried just like Astrid was.
Though with their long lives, it wasn't that much of a problem; in the end, they would live for several centuries at least, and if they reached the standards of Level 5 in their Old Blood, then they would stop aging entirely.
But that was a thought for the future still.
"How far are we from the Winterfell?"
Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris asked after some time observing the North before releasing a disappointed sigh at the situation that the North was in.
The conditions were terrible and from a few villages he saw, the state was terrible, poor and neglected.
Within the Fenris, even the most remote villages looked much better because every single village within the Fenris and not only the Fenris but the whole Imperium must meet the Settlement Standards Act that was passed by the Landsraad around two hundred years ago.
According to the Settlement Standards Act, every single village must have proper fortifications, walls, village militia, living standards and every other thing. Compared to it, the villages in the North looked more or like prison camps.
"Evidently only a few hours..."
Astrid answered as she then returned to reading her book. They were on the King's Road for several past hours, which was, as it apparently seemed sole Road that was connecting at least the majority of the Seven Kingdoms together.
And yet, it looked even worse than roads of the 3rd grade within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Then we shall see... Astrid, when we arrive at the Winterfell, you will be together with me, be in charge of negotiations and everything that requires official representation of the Imperium."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ stated as he looked at his daughter because he wanted her to lead parts of the negotiations and diplomacy because she would be far more useful there...
She was his Heir Apparent, so it would've been inappropriate to leave her in charge of some negotiations.
"And the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Dragon Slayer Ornstein would be also present or not?"
If they were going to the Lands of the Always Winter and behind the Wall, having somebody at Level 6 would be a great assurance for them. Even though she trusted the strength of her father, he was still Level 5 in the end.
And if the things about the Lich King were indeed true, then the situation was grave and having somebody at Level 6 would give them another layer of protection.
"Yes... according to the orders from the Imperator, the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights is to accompany us into the True North and Lands of the Always Winter. Right now, he should be waiting for us either at the True North or at the Winterfell."
That was indeed a very positive piece of news that somebody as powerful as Ornstein would provide an extra layer of security to their expedition.
At least, in case they were attacked, they would have a good chance of survival with someone as powerful as Ornstein.
***
Winterfell, North, Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros.
The Winterfell was an ancestral castle and seat of power of the House of Stark for several millennia already. It was also considered as capital of the North for more than eight millennia already.
It is in the center of the northernmost province of the Seven Kingdoms, on the Kingsroad that runs from Storm's End to the Wall. It was situated at the eastern edge of the Wolfswood, north of the western branch of the White Knife and Castle Cerwyn.
Winterfell is south of the northern mountains and southwest of Long Lake, 482 kilometers southeast of Deepwood Motte.
Winterfell was a huge castle complex spanning several acres and encircled by two massive granite walls. There is a village outside, the Winter Town, even though right now, it already started showing the sights of the city.
From the time Lord Rickard Stark met with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, the Starks released the coffers and started making massive investments into the North, something that should have been done a long time ago.
During the millenias that the Starks have been ruling the Winterfell, they gathered enormous wealth, mainly because they were never spending the money on luxuries or other unnecessary things that they didn't really need.
Winterfell has been built around an ancient Godswood and over natural hot springs. The water is piped through walls and chambers to heat them, making Winterfell more comfortable than other castles during the harsh northern winters.
Inside the walls, the complex was composed of dozens of courtyards and small open spaces. Weapons training and practice take place in those yards. The Inner Ward is a second, much older open space in the castle where archery practice takes place.
Inside Winterfell stands the Inner Castle, which contains the Great Keep and the Great Hall. Winterfell's towers and halls have diamond-shaped window panes.
Winterfell is a huge castle complex spanning several acres, defended by two massive walls of grey granite with a wide moat between them. The Outer Wall was around 25 meters high, while the Inner Wall was more than 30 meters high.
Around the walls, there were several Guard Towers and Watchtowers; there were also Gurd Turrents on the Outer Wall and more than thirty watch turrets on the crenelated Inner Walls.
The great main gates have a gatehouse made of two huge crenelated bulwarks that flanked the arched gate and a drawbridge that opens into the market square of the Winter Town.
When the warwagons of the Fenrisian delegation were approaching the Winterfell, the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ felt a weird nostalgic feeling when he first set his sight at the walls of the Winterfell.
"See this... this is where our ancestor lived and ruled, Astrid."
For someone who was descended from the Lineage of the House Stark, they only knew about the glory and wonder of the Winterfell from the writings of their ancestors.
Even Astrid got more curious about Winterfell, while Ysgramor didn't really care much about the heritage of his ancestors.
He was more or like, the rest of the common Fenrisians, who had the worship and respect aspects, but it wasn't really something that he was passionate about. Astrid was meanwhile more curious about the history of this place and also its dormant Magic that was right now in the process of awakening.
The Winterfell was built by the founder of the House Stark, Bran the Builder who built many wonders throughout the continent of Westeros, including the Wall that separated the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros from the Lands of the Always Winter.
And naturally, as the future seat of his House, Bran the Builder chose the most suitable spot to build the Winterfell, which was the location where several Leylines were crossed, meaning that the concentration of Magic during the ancient times must have been extremely high within the areas of the Winterfell.
Now, with the Resurgence of the Magic, everything was awakening and the environment was reverting to what it was once long ago. All of the lost glory and wonders would soon appear all over the Westeros and Essos.
"I can sense tremendous Magic from it, father..."
Astrid stated quietly as she looked at the tall walls of the Winterfell, while her father, Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ nodded in agreement. With his senses being even more accurate than those of his daughter, he could see and sense the overwhelming Magic dwelling beneath the Winterfell.
"Yes... it should be built on the Dragon Veins... rather fascinating and they seem to be in the awakening process. In a few years, this place would be filled with Magic and maybe in a few centuries, it would not lose to the density of Magic within some more Magic-poor regions of the Lordran."
Dragon Veins were the source of the Magic; among the Leylines, the Dragon Veins were the ones that contained the most Magic and were something akin to the root of the Leylines.
Across every continent, there were only a few of the Dragon Veins, as they were pretty rare thing to see. And it also took a very long time, in a very Magic-rich environment for the ordinary Leylines to somehow evolve into the Dragon Veins.
So, hearing this, even Astrid was surprised to hear that the Winterfell was built on the Dragon Veins; such a thing was rare... very, very rare.
While in the Lordran, the Dragon Veins were not as rare as they were within the other continents; even Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates would get involved in fighting for the Dragon Veins to claim that part of the land as their own.
The last time the Dragon Vein was discovered, it was around fifty years ago and it was claimed by retired veteran Hunter of the Old Workshop who built there a training dojo and small castle for him and his descendants.
As the Hunter was at the advanced stages of Level 6 and had pretty powerful abilities, nobody really dared to continue squabbling with Van Helsing over a plot of land where the castle was built.
***
Winterfell, North of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros
On one of the watchtowers of the Winterfell, there was a man watching the panorama of the city. He was observing the panorama of the Winter Town and the surrounding areas of the Winterfell as if he were waiting for something to come.
Lord Rickard Stark was the current Lord of the Winterfell, Warden of the North and Head of the House of Stark. He looked like many of the Northmen, with a long beard and hair, wearing fur armor to keep him warm in this cold environment.
"They are here..."
He said quietly, because the recent events have been too shocking. Many had speculated for too long that something existed beyond the Sunset Sea, and not the speculations were proved to be true when an entire enormous continent existed beyond the Sunset Sea.
And it was filled with horrors and beings from the worst nightmares, filled with more wars and slaughter than the continent of Essos could ever be.
It was a land filled with Magic and wonders, with being extremely powerful and mighty, and at the same time, also nations whose might eclipsed even that of the Valyrian Freehold during the peak of their glory.
Certainly, it was a shocking piece of news, but what was even more shocking to hear was the fact that apparently, they had distant brethren bearing the same name Stark within the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
It seemed that Brandon the Shipwright who sailed to distant shores of the Lordran, managed to arrive and even founded his own Lineage at that place. He met with one of the higher-ups of the nation that called itself the Holy Arcadia Empire and that ruled large parts of the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knight Order, Ornstein arrived at the Winterfell some time ago, only shortly after the Imperial Delegation from the Imperium left the Westerlands back to the homeland.
When he arrived at the gates of the Winterfell, he had a long discussion with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights and it was time of revelation of many things.
In the end, Lord Rickard Stark was informed that there was a high possibility of the Imperium sending a separate delegation to the North of Seven Kingdoms.
Upon hearing what was happening in the world, Lord Stark readily agreed to meet with the Imperial delegation, who would be members of the House Stark an Russ as they were called within the Imperium.
With the Resurgence of the Magic, he knew that the times were changing, nobody knew if for better or for worse, but one thing was certain.
That nothing will be the same as it once was.
He knew that if the Magic truly returned at full force and the environment reverted to that of the Age of Ancients, then it would create unprecedented levels of chaos and war within Westeros and Essos.
"My Lord, the delegation is heading towards the Winterfell; they have already passed through the Winter Town."
As he heard the Winterfell's Castellan saying that, he nodded as they departed to meet the long distant kin of the House Stark.
Somehow he felt that this meeting would result in an entirely new chapter in the history of the House Stark.
Unlike his predecessors, he was politically far more apt; he knew that to revitalize the North, there was a need to have a good relationship with the Southern Kingdoms; that was the reason why he agreed to arrange marriages for his eldest son and daughter to the south.
But now, after hearing everything that was happening and that would probably happen, he was reconsidering the entire situation.
Depending on how the situation, he would need to change his standing.
Though right now, one thing was certain that the marriage between House Stark and House Tully would never happen.
According to the Imperials, if what they told about the Magic Resurgence, those with weak Magical Lineages would perish in this turmoil that was coming for them.
***
Gates of Winterfell
Meanwhile down in front of the gates of the Winterfell, the warwagons that were carrying the delegation from Imperium stopped and Fenrisians started disembarking the warwagons.
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ looked at the gates of the Winterfell, which was also the ancestral seat of his own ancestors. His children soon enough followed suit as Astrid and Ysgramor exited the warwagons and adjusted their clothes to look more representative.
Even Ysgramor under the stern gaze of his father, attempted to look more dignified, even though he didn't really wish to look that way. But he knew that right now, it was not time to test the boundaries of his father and his patience.
"Behave Ysgramor... I don't want any shameful behavior from you this time."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ stated sternly as he looked at his youngest son.
Soon enough, from the gates of the Winterfell, several people appeared, one of them having a stronger resemblance to the Elector Count himself. Indeed, it was undeniable that both of the Houses, House Stark and House Stark an Russ were indeed having the same Lineage.
For several first seconds, nobody really said anything, as the Imperials were looking at the Westerosi and the Westerosi were looking at the Imperials.
"I am glad to welcome our distant kin back to the ancestral seat of the House Stark."
It was evident that neither the Norhemen of the Westeros were really keen on theatrical gestures, something that the Fenrisians gladly appreciated because it was just a waste of time for them.
"And we are glad to see the ancestral seat of our Ancestors."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ stated back, as he then shook hands with the Lord Rickard Stark. Ironically though, the moment their meeting was taking place, it started snowing, which was the most poetic thing.
It was clear that a snowstorm was coming, as the environment of the North was getting colder and colder, with the emerging Resurgence of the Magic and also the Magic leaking from the Lands of the Always Winter.
"This is my daughter and also Heir Apparent, Astrid Stark an Russ and this is my youngest son, Ysgramor Stark an Russ."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ introduced both of his children, though it was clear that the more important of the two was Astrid. She was, in the end, introduced as the Heir Apparent to the Elector Count House Stark an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris.
This made Lord Stark raise his brow when he observed the young-looking woman, she didn't look older than twenty or so, but at the same time, she had an aura of a very sharp warrior and killer around her.
It seemed that the information that he was told about the Imperium was true, and women had far better social standing with the Holy Arcadia Empire than they had in Westeros or Essos or anywhere in the known world.
"Should we go inside? It is getting colder and colder these past days..."
Lord Rickard Stark stated as he then led the guests from the Lands of the Ancient Lords to the Great Hall of the Winterfell.
Right now, the Winterfell was mostly devoid of the people, as his youngest son Benjen was at the Moat Cailin, his second son Eddard Stark was at the Eyrie and his oldest son was hunting for the bandits and brigands that were reported some time ago.
Though, Brandon would return sometime later...
Soon enough they arrived at the Great Hall
The Great Hall has grey stone walls and tall narrow windows. Its wide doors made of oak and iron open to the castle yard, and the lord's door at the rear leads to a dimly lit gallery. The hall has a pitched roof, and its rafters have been stained by centuries of smoke.
The Great Hall of Winterfell contains the high seat of the old Kings of the North, but it wasn't the legendary Throne of Winter. Many of the artifacts that belonged to the ancient Kings of Winter were lost after the Targaryens conquered the North.
The seat's cold stone has been polished by the many Lords who have sat upon it, and its massive arms are decorated with the carved heads of snarling direwolves.
The Great Hall can seat five hundred people and it was very large; perhaps if it was filled to the limits, then it would be able to house even six hundred or so.
One arrangement is for eight long rows of trestle tables, four to each side of the central aisle. Everyone seated around, with the Knights of the Winter Wolf Knights and other prominent members of the administration of the Grand Province of the Fenris.
"I must apologize to the Elector Count that nobody from my Household is currently at the Winterfell, aside from Lyanna, my daughter and third child."
Lord Rickard Stark stated, but Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ didn't mind too much because they would be staying at the Winterfell for some time.
"Where is Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights?"
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ asked because he didn't notice Ornstein within the Winterfell and he also didn't sense his aura.
"Out, together with my oldest hunting for the bandits and brigands... for past months, everyone is getting restless within the Westeros; it seemed that the Resurgence of the Magic has been making many people in power very nervous and some are eager for a more aggressive approach."
In the Westeros, there was a constant problem with the bandits and brigands that were plundering and attacking anything and everyone they saw around. And now, with the turmoil that was happening, the situation was getting worse and worse.
And with the Westerlands hammering down on the banditry and brigands, like never before, the many of the bandits and brigands that were active within the Westerlands escaped to the different Kingdoms.
A lot of them went for the Reach and Riverlands.
One was the biggest of the Seven Kingdoms and another one was the weakest of the Seven Kingdoms without any real defense and soldiers. Even the noble houses were extremely weak and practically useless, with no real might.
And thus, a lot of them managed to get into the North, somehow, as the bandits always managed to find their way.
However, because the North had been implementing some reforms, many were similar to the ones that were being implemented within the Westerlands. This was decided by Lord Rickard Stark after he met with the Knight-Kommandant of the Silver Knight Order and had an in-depth discussion with him.
Because of the long rule of the Stark and their veneration among the noble houses of the North, Lord Stark didn't encounter any significant resistance from his own vassals when he was talking about the creation of the standing military.
Even though House Bolton raised some questions about such a decision, as the descendants of the Red Kings were constantly clashing with those of the Kings of Winter, but House Bolton didn't exist anymore.
***
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Surprisingly enough, the Winterfell wasn't apparently that far from the White Harbor, as it would take them only a few days to reach the Winterfell. Even though the continent of Westeros wasn't really big from the viewpoint of the Lordranians, it was still a huge landmass.
The North of the Westeros was as big as the rest of the Seven Kingdoms combined into one, making it the largest of the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately enough for the Northmen, it was also the most undeveloped place within the Westeros.
It was a region that was a sovereign nation ruled by the Kings in the North or, as they were also called, the Kings of Winter before the Ageon's Conquest. Yet, with the disappearance of the Magic and oversized Wyverns that the House Targaryen controlled, resistance was futile.
The largest region of the Seven Kingdoms, the dominion of House Stark, extends from the border of the New Gift, which is controlled by the Night's Watch, to the southern edge of the Neck far to the South.
The region is sparsely populated, with vast wilderness, rising moorlands, high plains, forests, pine-covered hills and snow-capped mountains, speckled with tiny villages and holdfasts.
The cold North is much less fertile than provinces in southern Westeros. Its harsh climate was deadly in winter and occasionally, it snowed even in summer. For the Fenrisians that were passing through it, it was no different than the climate at home, maybe even a little bit warmer.
The North has two major land barriers: the Wall to the North, which was considered one of the Wonders of the Known World, and the Neck to the South. The North is bound on each side by major seas, the Shivering Sea to the east and the Sunset Sea to the west.
The Fenrisians were using the typical war wagons of the Imperium as means for their transportation because they were not only for the transportation itself, but they were also warmachines in times of need.
And aside from that, they could be used in every environment, including the extremely cold and freezing one of the Lands of the Always Winter.
For their tasks in the Lands of the Always Winter, they ended up being prepared and as the entire place was or would soon be the domain of a powerful Lich, then nothing could be left to the accident.
They were very well prepared for the Lands of the Always Winter, because Ornstein had already carried out the reconnaissance of the terrain and knew how dangerous the Lands of the Always Winter were.
The environment there was far colder than the average Fenrisian weather and in the core areas, where Ornstein only briefly went, were as cold as the Deep Winter of the Lordran, probably even colder due to the presence of Lich or something unnatural was lowering the temperature in that place.
Even though Ornstein was at Level 6, he didn't dare to enter the territory of whatever dwelled within the depths of the Lands of the Always Winter without proper preparations and equipment.
It was too dangerous and something that he didn't wish to risk his life for. The sources from the Imperial Military Intelligence were already telling that the Lands of the Always Winter were home to a very mighty Lich King.
That was a very dangerous thing because Liches of the highest order were frightening enemies, as were the Necromancers of the highest order.
They were the ones who could unleash unparalleled destruction and scourge on the enemies they had chosen, and there were only a few who could resist them in such situations.
The Holy Arcadia Empire still vividly remembered some of the most terrifying Undead and Necromancers that were a source of the most powerful Undead Scourtges that ever graced the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
During their relatively long journey from the White Harbor to the Winterfell, everyone was spending their time differently.
Ysgramor was on a different warwagon together with several captains of the Winter Wolf Knight Order, preparing his weapons for an inevitable fight and battle that was about to come.
Astrid was reading a book in her warwagon that she was sharing together with her father, who was sleeping on the upper floor of the warwagon. Their warwagons were a bit more luxurious, considering the fact that they belonged to the highest-ranked aristocracy of the Imperium.
She loved reading; it was one of the things that helped her relax and made her mind at peace.
Not to mention, since her childhood, she had a keen interest in knowledge and being educated, that was also the reason why she completed several extended courses within the Schola Progenium with honors.
Not only that, but she also completed her education at the Diesdorf Military College, which provided the best education in terms of cultivating the officers for the military.
Astrid was very well capable of commanding large-scale armies, and within the Fenris, she was often in charge of conquests of the Provincial Army against the forces of Ruin, Greenskisn and other dangers to the Fenris and Imperium.
Aside from that, she also attended Jade College of Magic, which taught Druidism and also got apprenticeships from some of the most powerful Cryomancer Sorcerers within the Lordran.
And that everything only fifty or so years of her life, as she was the youngest child of her father. That was also one of the reasons why she was chosen to be the Heir Apparent for the House Stark an Russ and the sovereignty of the Grand Province of Fenris.
'The coldness that is in the environment of the North is pretty similar to that of the Lordran during the Winter... but the place for sure is poor...'
Astrid thought as she looked through the window of the luxuriously made warwagon, which was warm filled with cushions and fur.
The constant cold and the iron grip of winter set apart the Northerners from the people of the Kingdoms south of the Neck. The North's terrain and climate do not easily yield the necessities of daily life.
Some Northmen live in remote, distant areas where they act as little more than clans and tribes. These remote folk, such as the Crannogmen, the Northern Mountain Clans, and the Skagosi, are still vassals of the Starks, however, and are allowed to maintain their own ways and traditions as long as they remain loyal to Winterfell.
From what Astrid saw and heard, coupled with the intelligence reports from the Imperial Military Intelligence, she knew that the North was the poorest area of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros.
She didn't know if it was just stagnation or neglect; from what she saw, the Northw wasn't doing bad or good... they were just stagnating, having problems with the food and other necessities that were constantly being repeated in cycles.
Countless places within the North certainly contained precious ores and metals; the richness that the North had was something that hadn't been touched by anyone in millennia and it seemed that nobody would even think about it.
But it wasn't really that weird if one thought about it more deeply.
Before the Seven Kingdoms were unified as one, then each individual Kingdom was probably more developed than right now. To create one coherent nation or at least some cheap imitation of it, Targaryens wanted to make the individual nations within Westeros depend on each other.
Which was, in Astrid's eyes, good strategy and utter foolishness at the same time. While this strategy indeed guaranteed some sort of internal stability between the conquered nations, because each nation would be depending on the other one for their very own survival, it also destroyed their future.
Due to this, there existed many means to prevent them from developing because if they developed too much, they would stop being that dependent on the others, which would then lead to growing internal struggles and instability.
So, the best course of action was for everyone to remain stagnant and to do nothing.
Through this method, Targaryens managed to induct a state onto the Westeros over the course of three hundred years, that every kingdom that strived for independence would face many problems.
Be it economic, trade, societal or political and many others that the ones that wanted to be independent would need to resolve.
Yet, the price for this state, where nobody wanted to really separate and remain as part of the nation, where the binding element was the existence of the Iron Throne and its Wyvern by extension, was the development of the Westeros as whole.
This only showed Astrid that Targaryens were shit at ruling and politics, but that was also playing into their advantages.
"You are still reading?"
Even though Leman Stark an Russ knew that his daughter was smart, he was sometimes in pure wonder that when she wasn't training or attending to her duties, she would be constantly reading books.
"Yes... it is interesting and you can learn a lot."
Astrid said absentmindedly to her father, who then sat opposite to her, on the leather sofa that was empty. As this was the warwagon was for the Elector Count of the Holy Arcadia Empire, there were tons of luxuries installed within the warwagon.
"Whatever makes you happy... at least you are using your time better than your brother combined."
Still that made him wonder, with how smart and dedicated she was, if she would ever marry... to preserve the Lineage of the House Stark an Russ; there were already Ragnar who sired some progeny, Ysgramor was still right now unmarried just like Astrid was.
Though with their long lives, it wasn't that much of a problem; in the end, they would live for several centuries at least, and if they reached the standards of Level 5 in their Old Blood, then they would stop aging entirely.
But that was a thought for the future still.
"How far are we from the Winterfell?"
Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris asked after some time observing the North before releasing a disappointed sigh at the situation that the North was in.
The conditions were terrible and from a few villages he saw, the state was terrible, poor and neglected.
Within the Fenris, even the most remote villages looked much better because every single village within the Fenris and not only the Fenris but the whole Imperium must meet the Settlement Standards Act that was passed by the Landsraad around two hundred years ago.
According to the Settlement Standards Act, every single village must have proper fortifications, walls, village militia, living standards and every other thing. Compared to it, the villages in the North looked more or like prison camps.
"Evidently only a few hours..."
Astrid answered as she then returned to reading her book. They were on the King's Road for several past hours, which was, as it apparently seemed sole Road that was connecting at least the majority of the Seven Kingdoms together.
And yet, it looked even worse than roads of the 3rd grade within the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Then we shall see... Astrid, when we arrive at the Winterfell, you will be together with me, be in charge of negotiations and everything that requires official representation of the Imperium."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ stated as he looked at his daughter because he wanted her to lead parts of the negotiations and diplomacy because she would be far more useful there...
She was his Heir Apparent, so it would've been inappropriate to leave her in charge of some negotiations.
"And the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Dragon Slayer Ornstein would be also present or not?"
If they were going to the Lands of the Always Winter and behind the Wall, having somebody at Level 6 would be a great assurance for them. Even though she trusted the strength of her father, he was still Level 5 in the end.
And if the things about the Lich King were indeed true, then the situation was grave and having somebody at Level 6 would give them another layer of protection.
"Yes... according to the orders from the Imperator, the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights is to accompany us into the True North and Lands of the Always Winter. Right now, he should be waiting for us either at the True North or at the Winterfell."
That was indeed a very positive piece of news that somebody as powerful as Ornstein would provide an extra layer of security to their expedition.
At least, in case they were attacked, they would have a good chance of survival with someone as powerful as Ornstein.
***
Winterfell, North, Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros.
The Winterfell was an ancestral castle and seat of power of the House of Stark for several millennia already. It was also considered as capital of the North for more than eight millennia already.
It is in the center of the northernmost province of the Seven Kingdoms, on the Kingsroad that runs from Storm's End to the Wall. It was situated at the eastern edge of the Wolfswood, north of the western branch of the White Knife and Castle Cerwyn.
Winterfell is south of the northern mountains and southwest of Long Lake, 482 kilometers southeast of Deepwood Motte.
Winterfell was a huge castle complex spanning several acres and encircled by two massive granite walls. There is a village outside, the Winter Town, even though right now, it already started showing the sights of the city.
From the time Lord Rickard Stark met with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, the Starks released the coffers and started making massive investments into the North, something that should have been done a long time ago.
During the millenias that the Starks have been ruling the Winterfell, they gathered enormous wealth, mainly because they were never spending the money on luxuries or other unnecessary things that they didn't really need.
Winterfell has been built around an ancient Godswood and over natural hot springs. The water is piped through walls and chambers to heat them, making Winterfell more comfortable than other castles during the harsh northern winters.
Inside the walls, the complex was composed of dozens of courtyards and small open spaces. Weapons training and practice take place in those yards. The Inner Ward is a second, much older open space in the castle where archery practice takes place.
Inside Winterfell stands the Inner Castle, which contains the Great Keep and the Great Hall. Winterfell's towers and halls have diamond-shaped window panes.
Winterfell is a huge castle complex spanning several acres, defended by two massive walls of grey granite with a wide moat between them. The Outer Wall was around 25 meters high, while the Inner Wall was more than 30 meters high.
Around the walls, there were several Guard Towers and Watchtowers; there were also Gurd Turrents on the Outer Wall and more than thirty watch turrets on the crenelated Inner Walls.
The great main gates have a gatehouse made of two huge crenelated bulwarks that flanked the arched gate and a drawbridge that opens into the market square of the Winter Town.
When the warwagons of the Fenrisian delegation were approaching the Winterfell, the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ felt a weird nostalgic feeling when he first set his sight at the walls of the Winterfell.
"See this... this is where our ancestor lived and ruled, Astrid."
For someone who was descended from the Lineage of the House Stark, they only knew about the glory and wonder of the Winterfell from the writings of their ancestors.
Even Astrid got more curious about Winterfell, while Ysgramor didn't really care much about the heritage of his ancestors.
He was more or like, the rest of the common Fenrisians, who had the worship and respect aspects, but it wasn't really something that he was passionate about. Astrid was meanwhile more curious about the history of this place and also its dormant Magic that was right now in the process of awakening.
The Winterfell was built by the founder of the House Stark, Bran the Builder who built many wonders throughout the continent of Westeros, including the Wall that separated the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros from the Lands of the Always Winter.
And naturally, as the future seat of his House, Bran the Builder chose the most suitable spot to build the Winterfell, which was the location where several Leylines were crossed, meaning that the concentration of Magic during the ancient times must have been extremely high within the areas of the Winterfell.
Now, with the Resurgence of the Magic, everything was awakening and the environment was reverting to what it was once long ago. All of the lost glory and wonders would soon appear all over the Westeros and Essos.
"I can sense tremendous Magic from it, father..."
Astrid stated quietly as she looked at the tall walls of the Winterfell, while her father, Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ nodded in agreement. With his senses being even more accurate than those of his daughter, he could see and sense the overwhelming Magic dwelling beneath the Winterfell.
"Yes... it should be built on the Dragon Veins... rather fascinating and they seem to be in the awakening process. In a few years, this place would be filled with Magic and maybe in a few centuries, it would not lose to the density of Magic within some more Magic-poor regions of the Lordran."
Dragon Veins were the source of the Magic; among the Leylines, the Dragon Veins were the ones that contained the most Magic and were something akin to the root of the Leylines.
Across every continent, there were only a few of the Dragon Veins, as they were pretty rare thing to see. And it also took a very long time, in a very Magic-rich environment for the ordinary Leylines to somehow evolve into the Dragon Veins.
So, hearing this, even Astrid was surprised to hear that the Winterfell was built on the Dragon Veins; such a thing was rare... very, very rare.
While in the Lordran, the Dragon Veins were not as rare as they were within the other continents; even Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates would get involved in fighting for the Dragon Veins to claim that part of the land as their own.
The last time the Dragon Vein was discovered, it was around fifty years ago and it was claimed by retired veteran Hunter of the Old Workshop who built there a training dojo and small castle for him and his descendants.
As the Hunter was at the advanced stages of Level 6 and had pretty powerful abilities, nobody really dared to continue squabbling with Van Helsing over a plot of land where the castle was built.
***
Winterfell, North of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros
On one of the watchtowers of the Winterfell, there was a man watching the panorama of the city. He was observing the panorama of the Winter Town and the surrounding areas of the Winterfell as if he were waiting for something to come.
Lord Rickard Stark was the current Lord of the Winterfell, Warden of the North and Head of the House of Stark. He looked like many of the Northmen, with a long beard and hair, wearing fur armor to keep him warm in this cold environment.
"They are here..."
He said quietly, because the recent events have been too shocking. Many had speculated for too long that something existed beyond the Sunset Sea, and not the speculations were proved to be true when an entire enormous continent existed beyond the Sunset Sea.
And it was filled with horrors and beings from the worst nightmares, filled with more wars and slaughter than the continent of Essos could ever be.
It was a land filled with Magic and wonders, with being extremely powerful and mighty, and at the same time, also nations whose might eclipsed even that of the Valyrian Freehold during the peak of their glory.
Certainly, it was a shocking piece of news, but what was even more shocking to hear was the fact that apparently, they had distant brethren bearing the same name Stark within the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
It seemed that Brandon the Shipwright who sailed to distant shores of the Lordran, managed to arrive and even founded his own Lineage at that place. He met with one of the higher-ups of the nation that called itself the Holy Arcadia Empire and that ruled large parts of the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knight Order, Ornstein arrived at the Winterfell some time ago, only shortly after the Imperial Delegation from the Imperium left the Westerlands back to the homeland.
When he arrived at the gates of the Winterfell, he had a long discussion with the Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights and it was time of revelation of many things.
In the end, Lord Rickard Stark was informed that there was a high possibility of the Imperium sending a separate delegation to the North of Seven Kingdoms.
Upon hearing what was happening in the world, Lord Stark readily agreed to meet with the Imperial delegation, who would be members of the House Stark an Russ as they were called within the Imperium.
With the Resurgence of the Magic, he knew that the times were changing, nobody knew if for better or for worse, but one thing was certain.
That nothing will be the same as it once was.
He knew that if the Magic truly returned at full force and the environment reverted to that of the Age of Ancients, then it would create unprecedented levels of chaos and war within Westeros and Essos.
"My Lord, the delegation is heading towards the Winterfell; they have already passed through the Winter Town."
As he heard the Winterfell's Castellan saying that, he nodded as they departed to meet the long distant kin of the House Stark.
Somehow he felt that this meeting would result in an entirely new chapter in the history of the House Stark.
Unlike his predecessors, he was politically far more apt; he knew that to revitalize the North, there was a need to have a good relationship with the Southern Kingdoms; that was the reason why he agreed to arrange marriages for his eldest son and daughter to the south.
But now, after hearing everything that was happening and that would probably happen, he was reconsidering the entire situation.
Depending on how the situation, he would need to change his standing.
Though right now, one thing was certain that the marriage between House Stark and House Tully would never happen.
According to the Imperials, if what they told about the Magic Resurgence, those with weak Magical Lineages would perish in this turmoil that was coming for them.
***
Gates of Winterfell
Meanwhile down in front of the gates of the Winterfell, the warwagons that were carrying the delegation from Imperium stopped and Fenrisians started disembarking the warwagons.
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ looked at the gates of the Winterfell, which was also the ancestral seat of his own ancestors. His children soon enough followed suit as Astrid and Ysgramor exited the warwagons and adjusted their clothes to look more representative.
Even Ysgramor under the stern gaze of his father, attempted to look more dignified, even though he didn't really wish to look that way. But he knew that right now, it was not time to test the boundaries of his father and his patience.
"Behave Ysgramor... I don't want any shameful behavior from you this time."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ stated sternly as he looked at his youngest son.
Soon enough, from the gates of the Winterfell, several people appeared, one of them having a stronger resemblance to the Elector Count himself. Indeed, it was undeniable that both of the Houses, House Stark and House Stark an Russ were indeed having the same Lineage.
For several first seconds, nobody really said anything, as the Imperials were looking at the Westerosi and the Westerosi were looking at the Imperials.
"I am glad to welcome our distant kin back to the ancestral seat of the House Stark."
It was evident that neither the Norhemen of the Westeros were really keen on theatrical gestures, something that the Fenrisians gladly appreciated because it was just a waste of time for them.
"And we are glad to see the ancestral seat of our Ancestors."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ stated back, as he then shook hands with the Lord Rickard Stark. Ironically though, the moment their meeting was taking place, it started snowing, which was the most poetic thing.
It was clear that a snowstorm was coming, as the environment of the North was getting colder and colder, with the emerging Resurgence of the Magic and also the Magic leaking from the Lands of the Always Winter.
"This is my daughter and also Heir Apparent, Astrid Stark an Russ and this is my youngest son, Ysgramor Stark an Russ."
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ introduced both of his children, though it was clear that the more important of the two was Astrid. She was, in the end, introduced as the Heir Apparent to the Elector Count House Stark an Russ of the Grand Province of Fenris.
This made Lord Stark raise his brow when he observed the young-looking woman, she didn't look older than twenty or so, but at the same time, she had an aura of a very sharp warrior and killer around her.
It seemed that the information that he was told about the Imperium was true, and women had far better social standing with the Holy Arcadia Empire than they had in Westeros or Essos or anywhere in the known world.
"Should we go inside? It is getting colder and colder these past days..."
Lord Rickard Stark stated as he then led the guests from the Lands of the Ancient Lords to the Great Hall of the Winterfell.
Right now, the Winterfell was mostly devoid of the people, as his youngest son Benjen was at the Moat Cailin, his second son Eddard Stark was at the Eyrie and his oldest son was hunting for the bandits and brigands that were reported some time ago.
Though, Brandon would return sometime later...
Soon enough they arrived at the Great Hall
The Great Hall has grey stone walls and tall narrow windows. Its wide doors made of oak and iron open to the castle yard, and the lord's door at the rear leads to a dimly lit gallery. The hall has a pitched roof, and its rafters have been stained by centuries of smoke.
The Great Hall of Winterfell contains the high seat of the old Kings of the North, but it wasn't the legendary Throne of Winter. Many of the artifacts that belonged to the ancient Kings of Winter were lost after the Targaryens conquered the North.
The seat's cold stone has been polished by the many Lords who have sat upon it, and its massive arms are decorated with the carved heads of snarling direwolves.
The Great Hall can seat five hundred people and it was very large; perhaps if it was filled to the limits, then it would be able to house even six hundred or so.
One arrangement is for eight long rows of trestle tables, four to each side of the central aisle. Everyone seated around, with the Knights of the Winter Wolf Knights and other prominent members of the administration of the Grand Province of the Fenris.
"I must apologize to the Elector Count that nobody from my Household is currently at the Winterfell, aside from Lyanna, my daughter and third child."
Lord Rickard Stark stated, but Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ didn't mind too much because they would be staying at the Winterfell for some time.
"Where is Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights?"
Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ asked because he didn't notice Ornstein within the Winterfell and he also didn't sense his aura.
"Out, together with my oldest hunting for the bandits and brigands... for past months, everyone is getting restless within the Westeros; it seemed that the Resurgence of the Magic has been making many people in power very nervous and some are eager for a more aggressive approach."
In the Westeros, there was a constant problem with the bandits and brigands that were plundering and attacking anything and everyone they saw around. And now, with the turmoil that was happening, the situation was getting worse and worse.
And with the Westerlands hammering down on the banditry and brigands, like never before, the many of the bandits and brigands that were active within the Westerlands escaped to the different Kingdoms.
A lot of them went for the Reach and Riverlands.
One was the biggest of the Seven Kingdoms and another one was the weakest of the Seven Kingdoms without any real defense and soldiers. Even the noble houses were extremely weak and practically useless, with no real might.
And thus, a lot of them managed to get into the North, somehow, as the bandits always managed to find their way.
However, because the North had been implementing some reforms, many were similar to the ones that were being implemented within the Westerlands. This was decided by Lord Rickard Stark after he met with the Knight-Kommandant of the Silver Knight Order and had an in-depth discussion with him.
Because of the long rule of the Stark and their veneration among the noble houses of the North, Lord Stark didn't encounter any significant resistance from his own vassals when he was talking about the creation of the standing military.
Even though House Bolton raised some questions about such a decision, as the descendants of the Red Kings were constantly clashing with those of the Kings of Winter, but House Bolton didn't exist anymore.
***
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Chapter 27 – Tension in the Air
Trafford
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October of Year 10,280 of Lordranese Callendar, Lands of Ancient, Holy Arcadia Empire, Reikland, Anor Londo.
Several months passed since the creation of the Stormcast Eternals, and it was time for the Crusade against the barbarians of the Stormwind's Badlands to begin.
All the preparations were done, and the pieces were on the chessboard.
The Imperial Bashar of the Imperial Military has completed all of the preparations to invade the Badlands of the Grand Province of Stormwind. Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns was working on the strategies and plans for several months.
The entire HighCom of the Imperial Military created several plans in case something went wrong, and now, they had prepared an overall invasion of the Badlands. Not only that, but they also prepared for the genocide of the Barbarians.
The orders were clear; nobody from the Badladns could survive. The entire Barbarian population was considered as the ultimate enemies of the state, and they were also the vilest heretics to the Healing Church.
They assembled several Imperial Legions from the Grand Province of Caladan, Grand Province of Munn, Grand Province of Faelor, Grand Province of Orleáns, and Grand Province of Stormwind.
The 4th Imperial Legion of Orleáns, 5th Imperial Legion of Faelor, 8th Imperial Legion of Caladan and 10th Imperial Legion of Stormwind were all gathered in the Stormwind and ready to invade the Badlands.
Just the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn was attacking from the sea, using parts of the fleet that was commanded by one of the newly promoted Admirals of the Imperial Navy, Euron Greyjoy.
The Imperial Navy was still in the fledgling phase, but now, as the Euron Greyjoy was personally soul-bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, the Holy Imperator let him lead the charge.
Not to mention, that madman was enjoyed and thrilled to finally participate in some war, because he was impatient of just sitting around. Aside from that, he would have the possibility to test the warships and other things that were given to the Imperial Navy.
375,000 soldiers from the Imperial Legions were deployed, and this was just the start because they were deploying many other units. This was one of the most impressive setups of the Imperial Legions that was deployed in a long time on the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
Aside from the Imperial Legions, 2 Legions of the Silver Knights and the majority of the Stormcast Eternals. The Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order deployed two Legions, which was something unseen because that was already half of their numbers.
The remaining Silver Knight Legions were only two, one stationed at the Skycrown Gate and another stationed at the Orklands, at the wall separating the Orklands from the lands under the control of the Imperium.
2 Chambers of the Reiksgard Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Atreus Atreides, 1 Chamber of the Judicator Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Gurney Halleck and 2 Chambers of the Paladin Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Ludwing the Holy Blade.
This would be the official debut of the Stormcast Eternals. They would be shown on the battlefield for the entire Holy Arcadia Empire to see its Angels of Death and ultimate bulwark against the forces of Chaos and Ruin, against the Heretics, Traitors, Orks and others...
The only thing that was lacking to the Stormcast Eternals was their Lord General-Kommandant, as the position was still vacant. Within the entire Imperium, there was no other person whom Karl Franz trusted with the power over the Stormcast Eternals.
The Lord General-Kommandant had complete and utter control of the Stormcast Eternals and the Stormcast Eternals were the most powerful military unit and organization within the entire Imperium.
With their standardized power reaching the various degrees of the Level 4 physical state, they had the best armor and weapons, the best training possible and everything that the Imperium could give them.
While there were only 4,500 of them, it wouldn't be wrong that they could massacre the entire Imperial Legions altogether with minimal losses.
The Stormcast Eternals were in the best of the best; they were the Holy Imperator's Angels of Death. They were his bulwark against the forces of Ruin and Chaos; they were the sword protectors of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
For that reason, Karl Franz could command over the Stormcast Eternals as the Lord General-Kommandant only to a single person within the entire Imperium. And he was already working on it, as he spent a few weeks, convincing Maria to take the mantle of the Lord General-Kommandant.
"Maria, I am telling you for the hundredth time already, that only you could take the mantle of the Lord Celestant Prime."
Karl Franz looked at Lady Maria Vileblood because they had had this discussion already countless times. He knew that Maria didn't want to be in some official position because she loved her freedom and ability to do what she wanted.
"And before you repeat the non-sensical arguments you are constantly spinning; you are the only person within the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire that could assume the position of the Lord General-Kommandant."
Karl Franz was sitting on his chair in his study, with Maria Vileblood was sitting across him as they were having another discussion about this topic.
"The power of the Stormcast Eternals could be commanded only by someone from the Imperial House, something that you should know very well. Aside from that, once you assume command of the Stormcast Eternals, as the Lord General-Kommandant, you will still have a significant freedom..."
Karl Franz explained once again as he tried to convince Maria to take up the position of the Lord General-Kommandant, hopefully, this time with much better results than the last time. When he saw that this time, she wasn't refuting him outright; he knew that he had a good chance.
"Okey... if there is no other way..."
Even though Maria didn't want to be tied down and do something that she didn't wish, she knew that this decision was extremely important for her beloved and even for their future.
She was aware that the power of the Stormcast Eternals was too great to be left entirely in the hands of the outsiders that were not a direct part of the Imperial House. Even the various Lord Celestantises that commanded the Chambers were chosen from the most fanatically loyal followers of the Imperator.
"Splendid, then from today, you are the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals with all the command over the organization."
Karl Franz stated with his authority as the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire and declared Maria as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals. Now, with that being done, they had all positions filled and the Stormcast Eternals were battle-ready for the action.
"Of course, of course... now that you have managed to push this responsibility on me, I will have a lot of work to do. Anything I need to know before I assume my official position within the wheels of the Imperial Administration?"
Maria asked her fianceé / lover as she was sitting down, more irritated than before because she was already named as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals. Getting responsibility that she was trying so hard to avoid.
"Not much; I have just one request... when you will step on the battlefield against the Children of Bul-Khatos, you must showcase the strongest side of the Stormcast Eternals for the whole Imperium to see."
Karl Franz stated that the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands wasn't just about clearing them out from the Grand Province of Stormwind but also about showing the force and power for the wider Imperium.
It would also be an ultimate showcase of the power of the Imperium for all others to see.
As the Holy Imperator of the Imperium, he needed to remind everyone of the power that he commanded and what was the better opportunity than the Crusade against the Children of the Bul-Khatos.
"Of course I will..."
Even though Maria avoided politics and everything related to it, she was aware of the significance behind this move and knew that this was also the ultimate show of power of the Imperial House Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor.
For the debut of the Stormcast Eternals, she knew that it was essential to make a show out of it; she needed to show everyone that was watching the entire endeavor how powerful the Stormcast Eternals were and that they were part of the Imperial House.
"Then that was everything that I wanted to say... everything else, administration duties included, would be handled by the Lords Celestantises of the respective Chambers, as they are in charge of the matters over their Chambers and naturally by the Lords Celestants Primes of the respective Temples."
Lord General-Kommandant of Stormcast Eternals, was someone who wasn't very hard-pressed by the administration duties because he knew that otherwise, Maria would never agree to take the position.
He wanted to have someone whom he trusted the most, so the only option for the position was Lady Maria Vileblood.
On top of everything, he knew that her mother, High Lord Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, would be delighted to see her daughter holding such a prestigious post within the Imperial Administration.
"Imperial Bashar prepared everything for the Crusade, and it has been decided that this time, it would be most prudent that if the Stormcast Eternals would be acting directly as my guardians and lead the Vanguard together with me... at least part of the Reiksgarde Chamber."
Karl Franz stated, that he planned to lead the vanguard and participate in the Crusade personally.
While technically speaking, there was no need for such a decision, as there were other high-level professionals that could take up the position, it was more for propagation purposes.
Aside from these reasons, it was also the Holy Imperator himself, who wanted to test his might against the Children of Bul-Khatos, as there were many powerful Barbarians among their ranks.
This was just the culmination of the problem that they had decided not to solve immediately, and the Barbarians were growing stronger with each passing decade, and they were, right now, stronger than the entire Grand Province combined.
From a certain point of view, it was a pretty terrifying perspective, considering the might of every single Grand Province of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"As you wish... it would be glorious to participate in the combat together. Two students of the Gehrman on the same battlefield... the old must be proud or at least something along those lines."
Maria remarked as she thought it over because Gehrman the First Hunter would be overseeing the entire Crusade from the side. There were not enough information about the Immortal King of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
***
MC POV
Dealing with the things around the upcoming Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands within the Grand Province of Stormwind to exterminate the threat of the Barbarians was tiring a bit.
Not to mention, I decided to participate in the Crusade personally; it would be a good morale boost for the troops and also a heaven-sent propagation material for the Imperium.
Aside from that, it was tempting to fight against some of the most powerful Children of Bul-Khatos, perhaps even the Immortal King himself.
"Also, I wanted to ask... how is your guest taking the training and everything at the Cainhurst?"
While I was getting reports about how she was doing at the Schola Progenium and everything, I wanted to hear it from Maria. She was also personally teaching her how to fight and mastery over combat, so she would be able to put a more precise image how the things were developing.
"Rather good... she has a talent for combat, not like to put her among the most powerful combatants of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but strong enough to put her on the potential of the true Elites of the Imperium. Aside from that, her studies are progressing very well, and her motivation is very strong."
Maria knew that Cersei Lannister was driven by the concept of power.
She wanted power and to use it; for her it didn't matter what kind of power it was, and this motivation was driving her further on her journey.
"And how is she overall? Has her personality problems been culled entirely?"
I knew that Cersei had a very deep arrogance and attitude that was deeply rooted in her bones, and it was something that would be very hard to destroy entirely. It was a relatively sensitive problem because it could lead to grave consequences if not handled correctly.
"Yes... it seems that she managed to acclimatize herself to the society of the Imperium rather fast, and she even started making friends... which was pretty surprising considering her attitude at the start, but now it is getting better."
Maria knew that Cersei was undergoing a very potent character development within the Schola Progenium because the environment was not something pampered "nobling" like her could really withstand.
Yet, at the same time, she was also smart enough to know how to acclimatize to prevail in such a competitive and cruel environment.
"That's actually very nice to hear..."
Still, I knew that once she was put through the machine cogs of the Schola Progenium and lived some time within the Holy Arcadia Empire, it would beat out her arrogance and self-centered personality out of her.
The Schola Progenium already got far worse cases than she was, so only a few months and she was already as good as the new one. She was being prepared for the role of one of the Empresses of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
And as I knew Maria, she would never act on her position as the Empress of the Holy Arcadia Empire; such a thing was impossible.
I already considered it as a miracle that he managed to convince her to take the place of the Lord Celestant Prime of the Stormcast Eternals.
I seriously doubted that Maria would be doing all those "boring" things that the rulers of the nations usually do. Due to this, I was already sure that Cersei would be needed to do all the political work and maneuvering...
"For now, you should be going to the rendezvous point of the Crusade."
The meeting point for the Crusading Army was set to the Fortress where the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind was stationed, but another part of the Army was gathering at the Castle Greystone, which served as home to one of the retired Level 6 Hunters of the Workshop.
Though originally, it was home to a powerful female Sorceress who married the said Hunter at a later date, but that wasn't really important right now.
"Head to the Greystone Castle, bring there the parts of the Stormcast Eternals that were agreed and wait until I arrive to start the Crusade into the Badlands officially."
The Crusade into the Badlands against the Children of Bul-Khatos would commence from three directions. One of them was the Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion, one from the Castle Greystone and another would be a through seat that would strike directly the lesser parts of the Badlands.
That one would be commencing from the Grand Province of Munn and would target primarily the ports of other places until they were to disembark and march onto the capital city of the Barbarians within the Badlands.
Basically, pincering all of the Barbarians and cut all of their possibilities of escape, slowly but surely exterminating them one by one until no none of them survived. The HighCom of the Imperial Army meticulously prepared a genocide plan for the Barbarians of the Badlands.
"Within a few days, the last reports from the Imperial Military Intelligence would arrive at the HighCom and after reviewing them, we could start the Crusade into the Badlands."
Unfortunately for the Imperial Military Intelligence, it was very hard to infiltrate the Barbarians, due to their distinctive characteristics, which were hardly replicated even with the usage of advanced Magic.
Not to mention, their entire society was very distrustful towards the outsiders; they were a closed society, and even entering the place was pretty much impossible. As unfortunate as it was, the lack of information they had was something that worried me greatly.
Unfortunately, this wasn't even technically speaking the fault of the Imperial Military Intelligence because infiltrating the Barbarian society was nearly impossible from the start, and that was not even talking about their higher-ups.
They were also pretty much paranoid because it had been noticed that many places were highly guarded, as the Shamans and their Druids were using some of their weird powers to scan for any signs of Magic and other things.
Through this method, they managed to uncover many spies and people that the Imperial Military Intelligence sent there to scout and gather information. This in turn, resulted in a state, where the HighCom had relatively little information about high-end combatants of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
And that was something that was deeply worrying me.
***
Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion
Like the rest of the Fortresses that served as the homes to the Imperial Legions, even this one was an enormous structure of stone, steel and Magic. Everything is put together and built in the heart of the Grand Province of Stormwind.
Fortresses like these were common across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire, as they were constructed to house the Imperial Legions or at least, the parts of the Imperial Legions.
Aside from the main fortresses that acted as the headquarters for their respective Imperial Legions, there existed also smaller forts, among which the Imperial Legion was divided to cover the entire territory of the Grand Province equally.
Naturally, within the Grand Province of Stormwind, smaller forts also existed, but right now, all of the Legion was congregated within the Fortress. Aside from it, there were another one Imperial Legion stationed here.
Two Imperial Legions would be departing from the Fortress Storm together with one Legion of Silver Knights and other special detachments, while the same amount of troops would depart from the Castle Greystone.
And the last Imperial Legion was departing from the Grand Province of Munn by sea.
Right now, the Fortress Storm was packed with soldiers because it was housing two Imperial Legions, which numbered 150,000 soldiers, 10,000 Silver Knights from the Silver Knigth Order, and one Legion of Silver Knights had arrived.
And then there were around three thousand of other troops, that were mainly the newly established Stormcast Eternals, Battle Wizards, Sorcerers and other specialists that were departing to the Crusade.
This caused the entire Fortress Storm to feel a bit cramped already, but that would only last for a few days, because after the preparations are finished, they would be soon initiating the invasion into the Badlands.
Everything was prepared, from the soldiers to the machines of war, like the Heavy Armored Regiments and Artillery Regiments that had tens of machines of war, the pinnacle of Imperial Engineering and technology.
The Battle Wizards that were dispatched by the Byrgenwerth and the Eight Orders of Magic, were already in place and checking their final supplies for the Crusade. The Magic Users of all Classes and types would be playing a crucial role during the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands.
The General of the 10th Imperial Legion was Anduin Lothar, former Head of the House Lothar; he was a middle-aged man with short brown hair reaching to his shoulders and piercing azure-blue eyes.
Someone who spent most of his time within the Imperial Military and was part of the war machine for as long as he could remember. However, he was raised to the position of the Imperial General only ten years ago, when the last Imperial General retired after a grave injury during class with the Barbarians of the Badlands.
Aside from him, there were two other people in the room, which was located in the highest tower of the Fortress Storm, which served as the office / home to the General of the Imperial 10th Legion.
One of them was the General of the 5th Imperial Legion from the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris. He was probably the youngest person to be ever raised to the position of the General of the entire Imperial Legion, which spoke highly about his capabilities and power.
He was a man who looked rather feminine with his short white hair, wearing golden-purple armor. However, behind that feminine appearance was one of the most dangerous warriors that the Imperium had ever produced.
At the age of forty, he was already named the General of the Imperial Legion and he was often titled the Warmaster due to his high mastery over the art of War. Within the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris was famous for eradicating the enormous colony of the Skavenblight a few years ago.
That was in the event when the Imperium started taking the Ratmen rather seriously and actively eliminating their species wherever they found their foul and ruinous presence.
Approximately five years ago or so, within the Black Mountains that was a mountain range spreading through the Grand Provinces of the Stormwind, Orlenáns and Faelor; some locals had clashes with the Skaven.
Until then, the Skavenblight could be found only on the Norsca Peninsula, within the Grand Provinces of the Fenris and Khaz-Modan, or within the enormous landmass that was known as the Daemon Lands.
But they were rather reluctant to enter into the deep areas of the Imperium, and yet, ever contrary to their typical mindset, the Skavenblight was observed within the Grand Province of Faelor.
This, in turn, put many of the high-ranking military personnel on high alert because it was rather close to the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was at that time under constant siege of the Orks from the Orklands and it also bordered partially with the World Edge Mountains.
Thus, General of the 5th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris, got the order to eradicate the presence of the Skavenblight with his Imperial Legion as soon as possible.
While at the same time, similar orders were sent across the whole Imperium, by the Holy Order of the Holy Imperator, that the Skavens are to be actively searched, hunted and exterminated with extreme prejudice.
And General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris didn't disappoint, as within a mere few days, he managed to track down their major lairs, which were hidden in the end of the Black Mountains, bordering the enormous Blackwater Lake and started the siege.
His masterful approach to the siege resulted in the complete annihilation of the Skavenblight, with over several hundred thousand Ratmen exterminated of various ages, genders and subspecies, including some of the Chieftains and Shamans.
Meanwhile, the 5th Imperial Legion suffered only minimal losses during the entire endeavor.
This gave General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris very high prestige among the citizens of the Imperium.
And the last person who was in the room was someone whose fame preceded them all within the lands of the Holy Arcadia Empire. His silver armor reflected the light and radiated power and respect, just with a single look.
Artorias the Abysswalker, was someone who commanded respect, awe and majestiness of the Silver Knight Order. He was Legion Master of the 1st Legion of the Silver Knight Order and was peak Level 5 Professional, who entered the Abyss and returned back to tell the tale.
He was an ancient relic from the past long gone, one of the original knights that served Lord Gwyn, together with the Ciaran, Hawkey Gough the commander of the 3rd Legion of the Silver Knight Order and Executioner Smough Legion Master of the 4th Legion of the Silver Knight Order.
Ciaran the Lord's Blade was right now, in charge of the entire Temple of the newly established Stormcast Eternals, namely the Vindicator Temple of the Stormcast Eternals, as she was raised to the position of Lord Celestant Prime of the Vindicator Temple.
Right now, there was only one Chamber in the Vindicator Temple, but soon enough, within the near future, there would be more Chambers established within the Vindicator Temple, because the work for them would only increase.
The Holy Imperator knew the importance of sabotage, assassination and other similar activities and how important they were for the glory of the nation.
"We have approximately 24 hours or something in those lines until the Crusade starts, and we would be invading the Badlands of the Stormwind."
The General of the 10th Imperial Legion, Anduin Lothar, as he was tasked with being the leader of the Army Group Alpha, not only because of his personal power but also because he was also the most experienced person when it came to fighting against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
"Now, the situation is following. The Barbarians of Badlands, don't really have any fortifications or castles or any other points of interest that could be well defended against invading force, so in this aspect, we would have an easy time advancing."
General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lother stated as he looked at the map of the Grand Province of Stormwind, which was very detailed and showed all points of interest, cities, towns, forts, castles and so on...
"But that isn't that much of a win..."
The General of the 5th Imperial Legion from the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris, stated, much to the dismay of the people present.
"Yes... it would be far better if they had something like that because they would then subsequently congregate within the places and we could siege them and bombard them to oblivion. On the contrary, right now, we would be forced to deal with them head-on, greatly lowering our capabilities, especially that of the artillery."
Indeed, as the Army Group Alpha and Army Group Beta would be advancing into the deeper parts of the Badlands, there were little to no points of interest that the Children of Bul-Khatos built or operated.
Aside from their capital, Harrogath, which was built on Mount Arreat, there were only a few small settlements, fortifications and so on. But most of their population was living either within the capital, Harrogath, since their entire species was united under one banner or were living on the road.
Moving from one spot to another one.
"That is indeed a problematic element, but we could solve it relatively easily... we only need to send out some Battle Wizards and scouts with specific Danger Beasts to carry out the reconnaissance of the terrain. Through this, we should be able to locate the incoming Barbarians from several tens of kilometers away and give enough time for the Heavy Artillery to send a few gifts to them."
General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris proposed the idea, which was accepted almost immediately by both Legion Master of the 1st Legion of Silver Knights, Artorias the Abysswalker and General Anduin Lother of the 10th Imperial Legion.
"This indeed has a great merit. The journey to the Harrogath would take several weeks with the current speed; even with the fastest speed, we should be able to reach their capital within fifteen days."
Harrogath, the capital city of the Badlands and the sacred place for all Barbarians was built on the ancestral site of the Bul-Khatos and their very first Immortal King, on Mount Arreat.
And the Mount Arreat was located on the edges of the Badlands, so they would need to cross through the entire Badlands to reach the Harrogath. This would be a very arduous journey and nobody doubted that they would be harassed and attacked by the Barbarians during their entire journey.
That also made sense, as their entire civilization and society revolved around the martial might and even their youngest children could be drafted into their armies and be used as the foot soldiers in times of need.
"Yes, it would, but as long as we are careful and exterminate them to the last one, we don't have anything to fear. Still, we need to be careful to no leave anyone alive because if they attack our supply lines before we reach the destination it would be problematic."
General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris stated that before they reached the Harrogath and Mount Arreat, they would depend on the supply lines from the Grand Province of Stormwind for ammunition, weapons, armor, food, health supplies and miscellaneous things.
After they reached their destination, the Wizards and Scholars that the Byrgenwerth was sending would lay down mini teleportation arrays and they would be getting supplies and other things through teleportation.
Such was the tremendous advantage of a powerful and advanced magical civilization.
"As long as we destroy Harrogath and Mount Arreat, their entire spirit would crumble and the rest of their race won't be in danger and we can then systematically annihilate them and the last internal danger to the Imperium would be gone."
General of the 10th Imperial Legion of Grand Province Stormwind stated that for the people of Stormwind, the Barbarians of the Badlands were sworn enemies for centuries.
There was too much of hatred and bad blood between the species and peace was never an option, so even though, the Imperator wanted to recruit at least part of the Barbarians due to their inante gifts, it wasn't possible.
In the end, the Holy Imperator was rather content with the fact, that the Byrgenwerth would be working hard on replicating the gifts of the Children of Bul-Khatos through Magic and advanced research.
Their innate strength or innate resistance to Magic of any kind was too huge a motivator for the Holy Imperator and not only to him but also to the many of the HighCom and upper levels of the Imperial Administration.
Though at the same time, they also knew that it was of utmost importance to exterminate the Barbarians species from the face of Lordran to ensure the utmost loyalty of the Grand Province of Stormwind by destroying their most hated enemy.
***
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Several months passed since the creation of the Stormcast Eternals, and it was time for the Crusade against the barbarians of the Stormwind's Badlands to begin.
All the preparations were done, and the pieces were on the chessboard.
The Imperial Bashar of the Imperial Military has completed all of the preparations to invade the Badlands of the Grand Province of Stormwind. Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns was working on the strategies and plans for several months.
The entire HighCom of the Imperial Military created several plans in case something went wrong, and now, they had prepared an overall invasion of the Badlands. Not only that, but they also prepared for the genocide of the Barbarians.
The orders were clear; nobody from the Badladns could survive. The entire Barbarian population was considered as the ultimate enemies of the state, and they were also the vilest heretics to the Healing Church.
They assembled several Imperial Legions from the Grand Province of Caladan, Grand Province of Munn, Grand Province of Faelor, Grand Province of Orleáns, and Grand Province of Stormwind.
The 4th Imperial Legion of Orleáns, 5th Imperial Legion of Faelor, 8th Imperial Legion of Caladan and 10th Imperial Legion of Stormwind were all gathered in the Stormwind and ready to invade the Badlands.
Just the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn was attacking from the sea, using parts of the fleet that was commanded by one of the newly promoted Admirals of the Imperial Navy, Euron Greyjoy.
The Imperial Navy was still in the fledgling phase, but now, as the Euron Greyjoy was personally soul-bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, the Holy Imperator let him lead the charge.
Not to mention, that madman was enjoyed and thrilled to finally participate in some war, because he was impatient of just sitting around. Aside from that, he would have the possibility to test the warships and other things that were given to the Imperial Navy.
375,000 soldiers from the Imperial Legions were deployed, and this was just the start because they were deploying many other units. This was one of the most impressive setups of the Imperial Legions that was deployed in a long time on the Lands of the Ancient Lords.
Aside from the Imperial Legions, 2 Legions of the Silver Knights and the majority of the Stormcast Eternals. The Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order deployed two Legions, which was something unseen because that was already half of their numbers.
The remaining Silver Knight Legions were only two, one stationed at the Skycrown Gate and another stationed at the Orklands, at the wall separating the Orklands from the lands under the control of the Imperium.
2 Chambers of the Reiksgard Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Atreus Atreides, 1 Chamber of the Judicator Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Gurney Halleck and 2 Chambers of the Paladin Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Ludwing the Holy Blade.
This would be the official debut of the Stormcast Eternals. They would be shown on the battlefield for the entire Holy Arcadia Empire to see its Angels of Death and ultimate bulwark against the forces of Chaos and Ruin, against the Heretics, Traitors, Orks and others...
The only thing that was lacking to the Stormcast Eternals was their Lord General-Kommandant, as the position was still vacant. Within the entire Imperium, there was no other person whom Karl Franz trusted with the power over the Stormcast Eternals.
The Lord General-Kommandant had complete and utter control of the Stormcast Eternals and the Stormcast Eternals were the most powerful military unit and organization within the entire Imperium.
With their standardized power reaching the various degrees of the Level 4 physical state, they had the best armor and weapons, the best training possible and everything that the Imperium could give them.
While there were only 4,500 of them, it wouldn't be wrong that they could massacre the entire Imperial Legions altogether with minimal losses.
The Stormcast Eternals were in the best of the best; they were the Holy Imperator's Angels of Death. They were his bulwark against the forces of Ruin and Chaos; they were the sword protectors of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.
For that reason, Karl Franz could command over the Stormcast Eternals as the Lord General-Kommandant only to a single person within the entire Imperium. And he was already working on it, as he spent a few weeks, convincing Maria to take the mantle of the Lord General-Kommandant.
"Maria, I am telling you for the hundredth time already, that only you could take the mantle of the Lord Celestant Prime."
Karl Franz looked at Lady Maria Vileblood because they had had this discussion already countless times. He knew that Maria didn't want to be in some official position because she loved her freedom and ability to do what she wanted.
"And before you repeat the non-sensical arguments you are constantly spinning; you are the only person within the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire that could assume the position of the Lord General-Kommandant."
Karl Franz was sitting on his chair in his study, with Maria Vileblood was sitting across him as they were having another discussion about this topic.
"The power of the Stormcast Eternals could be commanded only by someone from the Imperial House, something that you should know very well. Aside from that, once you assume command of the Stormcast Eternals, as the Lord General-Kommandant, you will still have a significant freedom..."
Karl Franz explained once again as he tried to convince Maria to take up the position of the Lord General-Kommandant, hopefully, this time with much better results than the last time. When he saw that this time, she wasn't refuting him outright; he knew that he had a good chance.
"Okey... if there is no other way..."
Even though Maria didn't want to be tied down and do something that she didn't wish, she knew that this decision was extremely important for her beloved and even for their future.
She was aware that the power of the Stormcast Eternals was too great to be left entirely in the hands of the outsiders that were not a direct part of the Imperial House. Even the various Lord Celestantises that commanded the Chambers were chosen from the most fanatically loyal followers of the Imperator.
"Splendid, then from today, you are the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals with all the command over the organization."
Karl Franz stated with his authority as the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire and declared Maria as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals. Now, with that being done, they had all positions filled and the Stormcast Eternals were battle-ready for the action.
"Of course, of course... now that you have managed to push this responsibility on me, I will have a lot of work to do. Anything I need to know before I assume my official position within the wheels of the Imperial Administration?"
Maria asked her fianceé / lover as she was sitting down, more irritated than before because she was already named as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals. Getting responsibility that she was trying so hard to avoid.
"Not much; I have just one request... when you will step on the battlefield against the Children of Bul-Khatos, you must showcase the strongest side of the Stormcast Eternals for the whole Imperium to see."
Karl Franz stated that the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands wasn't just about clearing them out from the Grand Province of Stormwind but also about showing the force and power for the wider Imperium.
It would also be an ultimate showcase of the power of the Imperium for all others to see.
As the Holy Imperator of the Imperium, he needed to remind everyone of the power that he commanded and what was the better opportunity than the Crusade against the Children of the Bul-Khatos.
"Of course I will..."
Even though Maria avoided politics and everything related to it, she was aware of the significance behind this move and knew that this was also the ultimate show of power of the Imperial House Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor.
For the debut of the Stormcast Eternals, she knew that it was essential to make a show out of it; she needed to show everyone that was watching the entire endeavor how powerful the Stormcast Eternals were and that they were part of the Imperial House.
"Then that was everything that I wanted to say... everything else, administration duties included, would be handled by the Lords Celestantises of the respective Chambers, as they are in charge of the matters over their Chambers and naturally by the Lords Celestants Primes of the respective Temples."
Lord General-Kommandant of Stormcast Eternals, was someone who wasn't very hard-pressed by the administration duties because he knew that otherwise, Maria would never agree to take the position.
He wanted to have someone whom he trusted the most, so the only option for the position was Lady Maria Vileblood.
On top of everything, he knew that her mother, High Lord Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, would be delighted to see her daughter holding such a prestigious post within the Imperial Administration.
"Imperial Bashar prepared everything for the Crusade, and it has been decided that this time, it would be most prudent that if the Stormcast Eternals would be acting directly as my guardians and lead the Vanguard together with me... at least part of the Reiksgarde Chamber."
Karl Franz stated, that he planned to lead the vanguard and participate in the Crusade personally.
While technically speaking, there was no need for such a decision, as there were other high-level professionals that could take up the position, it was more for propagation purposes.
Aside from these reasons, it was also the Holy Imperator himself, who wanted to test his might against the Children of Bul-Khatos, as there were many powerful Barbarians among their ranks.
This was just the culmination of the problem that they had decided not to solve immediately, and the Barbarians were growing stronger with each passing decade, and they were, right now, stronger than the entire Grand Province combined.
From a certain point of view, it was a pretty terrifying perspective, considering the might of every single Grand Province of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"As you wish... it would be glorious to participate in the combat together. Two students of the Gehrman on the same battlefield... the old must be proud or at least something along those lines."
Maria remarked as she thought it over because Gehrman the First Hunter would be overseeing the entire Crusade from the side. There were not enough information about the Immortal King of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
***
MC POV
Dealing with the things around the upcoming Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands within the Grand Province of Stormwind to exterminate the threat of the Barbarians was tiring a bit.
Not to mention, I decided to participate in the Crusade personally; it would be a good morale boost for the troops and also a heaven-sent propagation material for the Imperium.
Aside from that, it was tempting to fight against some of the most powerful Children of Bul-Khatos, perhaps even the Immortal King himself.
"Also, I wanted to ask... how is your guest taking the training and everything at the Cainhurst?"
While I was getting reports about how she was doing at the Schola Progenium and everything, I wanted to hear it from Maria. She was also personally teaching her how to fight and mastery over combat, so she would be able to put a more precise image how the things were developing.
"Rather good... she has a talent for combat, not like to put her among the most powerful combatants of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but strong enough to put her on the potential of the true Elites of the Imperium. Aside from that, her studies are progressing very well, and her motivation is very strong."
Maria knew that Cersei Lannister was driven by the concept of power.
She wanted power and to use it; for her it didn't matter what kind of power it was, and this motivation was driving her further on her journey.
"And how is she overall? Has her personality problems been culled entirely?"
I knew that Cersei had a very deep arrogance and attitude that was deeply rooted in her bones, and it was something that would be very hard to destroy entirely. It was a relatively sensitive problem because it could lead to grave consequences if not handled correctly.
"Yes... it seems that she managed to acclimatize herself to the society of the Imperium rather fast, and she even started making friends... which was pretty surprising considering her attitude at the start, but now it is getting better."
Maria knew that Cersei was undergoing a very potent character development within the Schola Progenium because the environment was not something pampered "nobling" like her could really withstand.
Yet, at the same time, she was also smart enough to know how to acclimatize to prevail in such a competitive and cruel environment.
"That's actually very nice to hear..."
Still, I knew that once she was put through the machine cogs of the Schola Progenium and lived some time within the Holy Arcadia Empire, it would beat out her arrogance and self-centered personality out of her.
The Schola Progenium already got far worse cases than she was, so only a few months and she was already as good as the new one. She was being prepared for the role of one of the Empresses of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
And as I knew Maria, she would never act on her position as the Empress of the Holy Arcadia Empire; such a thing was impossible.
I already considered it as a miracle that he managed to convince her to take the place of the Lord Celestant Prime of the Stormcast Eternals.
I seriously doubted that Maria would be doing all those "boring" things that the rulers of the nations usually do. Due to this, I was already sure that Cersei would be needed to do all the political work and maneuvering...
"For now, you should be going to the rendezvous point of the Crusade."
The meeting point for the Crusading Army was set to the Fortress where the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind was stationed, but another part of the Army was gathering at the Castle Greystone, which served as home to one of the retired Level 6 Hunters of the Workshop.
Though originally, it was home to a powerful female Sorceress who married the said Hunter at a later date, but that wasn't really important right now.
"Head to the Greystone Castle, bring there the parts of the Stormcast Eternals that were agreed and wait until I arrive to start the Crusade into the Badlands officially."
The Crusade into the Badlands against the Children of Bul-Khatos would commence from three directions. One of them was the Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion, one from the Castle Greystone and another would be a through seat that would strike directly the lesser parts of the Badlands.
That one would be commencing from the Grand Province of Munn and would target primarily the ports of other places until they were to disembark and march onto the capital city of the Barbarians within the Badlands.
Basically, pincering all of the Barbarians and cut all of their possibilities of escape, slowly but surely exterminating them one by one until no none of them survived. The HighCom of the Imperial Army meticulously prepared a genocide plan for the Barbarians of the Badlands.
"Within a few days, the last reports from the Imperial Military Intelligence would arrive at the HighCom and after reviewing them, we could start the Crusade into the Badlands."
Unfortunately for the Imperial Military Intelligence, it was very hard to infiltrate the Barbarians, due to their distinctive characteristics, which were hardly replicated even with the usage of advanced Magic.
Not to mention, their entire society was very distrustful towards the outsiders; they were a closed society, and even entering the place was pretty much impossible. As unfortunate as it was, the lack of information they had was something that worried me greatly.
Unfortunately, this wasn't even technically speaking the fault of the Imperial Military Intelligence because infiltrating the Barbarian society was nearly impossible from the start, and that was not even talking about their higher-ups.
They were also pretty much paranoid because it had been noticed that many places were highly guarded, as the Shamans and their Druids were using some of their weird powers to scan for any signs of Magic and other things.
Through this method, they managed to uncover many spies and people that the Imperial Military Intelligence sent there to scout and gather information. This in turn, resulted in a state, where the HighCom had relatively little information about high-end combatants of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
And that was something that was deeply worrying me.
***
Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion
Like the rest of the Fortresses that served as the homes to the Imperial Legions, even this one was an enormous structure of stone, steel and Magic. Everything is put together and built in the heart of the Grand Province of Stormwind.
Fortresses like these were common across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire, as they were constructed to house the Imperial Legions or at least, the parts of the Imperial Legions.
Aside from the main fortresses that acted as the headquarters for their respective Imperial Legions, there existed also smaller forts, among which the Imperial Legion was divided to cover the entire territory of the Grand Province equally.
Naturally, within the Grand Province of Stormwind, smaller forts also existed, but right now, all of the Legion was congregated within the Fortress. Aside from it, there were another one Imperial Legion stationed here.
Two Imperial Legions would be departing from the Fortress Storm together with one Legion of Silver Knights and other special detachments, while the same amount of troops would depart from the Castle Greystone.
And the last Imperial Legion was departing from the Grand Province of Munn by sea.
Right now, the Fortress Storm was packed with soldiers because it was housing two Imperial Legions, which numbered 150,000 soldiers, 10,000 Silver Knights from the Silver Knigth Order, and one Legion of Silver Knights had arrived.
And then there were around three thousand of other troops, that were mainly the newly established Stormcast Eternals, Battle Wizards, Sorcerers and other specialists that were departing to the Crusade.
This caused the entire Fortress Storm to feel a bit cramped already, but that would only last for a few days, because after the preparations are finished, they would be soon initiating the invasion into the Badlands.
Everything was prepared, from the soldiers to the machines of war, like the Heavy Armored Regiments and Artillery Regiments that had tens of machines of war, the pinnacle of Imperial Engineering and technology.
The Battle Wizards that were dispatched by the Byrgenwerth and the Eight Orders of Magic, were already in place and checking their final supplies for the Crusade. The Magic Users of all Classes and types would be playing a crucial role during the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands.
The General of the 10th Imperial Legion was Anduin Lothar, former Head of the House Lothar; he was a middle-aged man with short brown hair reaching to his shoulders and piercing azure-blue eyes.
Someone who spent most of his time within the Imperial Military and was part of the war machine for as long as he could remember. However, he was raised to the position of the Imperial General only ten years ago, when the last Imperial General retired after a grave injury during class with the Barbarians of the Badlands.
Aside from him, there were two other people in the room, which was located in the highest tower of the Fortress Storm, which served as the office / home to the General of the Imperial 10th Legion.
One of them was the General of the 5th Imperial Legion from the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris. He was probably the youngest person to be ever raised to the position of the General of the entire Imperial Legion, which spoke highly about his capabilities and power.
He was a man who looked rather feminine with his short white hair, wearing golden-purple armor. However, behind that feminine appearance was one of the most dangerous warriors that the Imperium had ever produced.
At the age of forty, he was already named the General of the Imperial Legion and he was often titled the Warmaster due to his high mastery over the art of War. Within the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris was famous for eradicating the enormous colony of the Skavenblight a few years ago.
That was in the event when the Imperium started taking the Ratmen rather seriously and actively eliminating their species wherever they found their foul and ruinous presence.
Approximately five years ago or so, within the Black Mountains that was a mountain range spreading through the Grand Provinces of the Stormwind, Orlenáns and Faelor; some locals had clashes with the Skaven.
Until then, the Skavenblight could be found only on the Norsca Peninsula, within the Grand Provinces of the Fenris and Khaz-Modan, or within the enormous landmass that was known as the Daemon Lands.
But they were rather reluctant to enter into the deep areas of the Imperium, and yet, ever contrary to their typical mindset, the Skavenblight was observed within the Grand Province of Faelor.
This, in turn, put many of the high-ranking military personnel on high alert because it was rather close to the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was at that time under constant siege of the Orks from the Orklands and it also bordered partially with the World Edge Mountains.
Thus, General of the 5th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris, got the order to eradicate the presence of the Skavenblight with his Imperial Legion as soon as possible.
While at the same time, similar orders were sent across the whole Imperium, by the Holy Order of the Holy Imperator, that the Skavens are to be actively searched, hunted and exterminated with extreme prejudice.
And General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris didn't disappoint, as within a mere few days, he managed to track down their major lairs, which were hidden in the end of the Black Mountains, bordering the enormous Blackwater Lake and started the siege.
His masterful approach to the siege resulted in the complete annihilation of the Skavenblight, with over several hundred thousand Ratmen exterminated of various ages, genders and subspecies, including some of the Chieftains and Shamans.
Meanwhile, the 5th Imperial Legion suffered only minimal losses during the entire endeavor.
This gave General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris very high prestige among the citizens of the Imperium.
And the last person who was in the room was someone whose fame preceded them all within the lands of the Holy Arcadia Empire. His silver armor reflected the light and radiated power and respect, just with a single look.
Artorias the Abysswalker, was someone who commanded respect, awe and majestiness of the Silver Knight Order. He was Legion Master of the 1st Legion of the Silver Knight Order and was peak Level 5 Professional, who entered the Abyss and returned back to tell the tale.
He was an ancient relic from the past long gone, one of the original knights that served Lord Gwyn, together with the Ciaran, Hawkey Gough the commander of the 3rd Legion of the Silver Knight Order and Executioner Smough Legion Master of the 4th Legion of the Silver Knight Order.
Ciaran the Lord's Blade was right now, in charge of the entire Temple of the newly established Stormcast Eternals, namely the Vindicator Temple of the Stormcast Eternals, as she was raised to the position of Lord Celestant Prime of the Vindicator Temple.
Right now, there was only one Chamber in the Vindicator Temple, but soon enough, within the near future, there would be more Chambers established within the Vindicator Temple, because the work for them would only increase.
The Holy Imperator knew the importance of sabotage, assassination and other similar activities and how important they were for the glory of the nation.
"We have approximately 24 hours or something in those lines until the Crusade starts, and we would be invading the Badlands of the Stormwind."
The General of the 10th Imperial Legion, Anduin Lothar, as he was tasked with being the leader of the Army Group Alpha, not only because of his personal power but also because he was also the most experienced person when it came to fighting against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
"Now, the situation is following. The Barbarians of Badlands, don't really have any fortifications or castles or any other points of interest that could be well defended against invading force, so in this aspect, we would have an easy time advancing."
General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lother stated as he looked at the map of the Grand Province of Stormwind, which was very detailed and showed all points of interest, cities, towns, forts, castles and so on...
"But that isn't that much of a win..."
The General of the 5th Imperial Legion from the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris, stated, much to the dismay of the people present.
"Yes... it would be far better if they had something like that because they would then subsequently congregate within the places and we could siege them and bombard them to oblivion. On the contrary, right now, we would be forced to deal with them head-on, greatly lowering our capabilities, especially that of the artillery."
Indeed, as the Army Group Alpha and Army Group Beta would be advancing into the deeper parts of the Badlands, there were little to no points of interest that the Children of Bul-Khatos built or operated.
Aside from their capital, Harrogath, which was built on Mount Arreat, there were only a few small settlements, fortifications and so on. But most of their population was living either within the capital, Harrogath, since their entire species was united under one banner or were living on the road.
Moving from one spot to another one.
"That is indeed a problematic element, but we could solve it relatively easily... we only need to send out some Battle Wizards and scouts with specific Danger Beasts to carry out the reconnaissance of the terrain. Through this, we should be able to locate the incoming Barbarians from several tens of kilometers away and give enough time for the Heavy Artillery to send a few gifts to them."
General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris proposed the idea, which was accepted almost immediately by both Legion Master of the 1st Legion of Silver Knights, Artorias the Abysswalker and General Anduin Lother of the 10th Imperial Legion.
"This indeed has a great merit. The journey to the Harrogath would take several weeks with the current speed; even with the fastest speed, we should be able to reach their capital within fifteen days."
Harrogath, the capital city of the Badlands and the sacred place for all Barbarians was built on the ancestral site of the Bul-Khatos and their very first Immortal King, on Mount Arreat.
And the Mount Arreat was located on the edges of the Badlands, so they would need to cross through the entire Badlands to reach the Harrogath. This would be a very arduous journey and nobody doubted that they would be harassed and attacked by the Barbarians during their entire journey.
That also made sense, as their entire civilization and society revolved around the martial might and even their youngest children could be drafted into their armies and be used as the foot soldiers in times of need.
"Yes, it would, but as long as we are careful and exterminate them to the last one, we don't have anything to fear. Still, we need to be careful to no leave anyone alive because if they attack our supply lines before we reach the destination it would be problematic."
General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris stated that before they reached the Harrogath and Mount Arreat, they would depend on the supply lines from the Grand Province of Stormwind for ammunition, weapons, armor, food, health supplies and miscellaneous things.
After they reached their destination, the Wizards and Scholars that the Byrgenwerth was sending would lay down mini teleportation arrays and they would be getting supplies and other things through teleportation.
Such was the tremendous advantage of a powerful and advanced magical civilization.
"As long as we destroy Harrogath and Mount Arreat, their entire spirit would crumble and the rest of their race won't be in danger and we can then systematically annihilate them and the last internal danger to the Imperium would be gone."
General of the 10th Imperial Legion of Grand Province Stormwind stated that for the people of Stormwind, the Barbarians of the Badlands were sworn enemies for centuries.
There was too much of hatred and bad blood between the species and peace was never an option, so even though, the Imperator wanted to recruit at least part of the Barbarians due to their inante gifts, it wasn't possible.
In the end, the Holy Imperator was rather content with the fact, that the Byrgenwerth would be working hard on replicating the gifts of the Children of Bul-Khatos through Magic and advanced research.
Their innate strength or innate resistance to Magic of any kind was too huge a motivator for the Holy Imperator and not only to him but also to the many of the HighCom and upper levels of the Imperial Administration.
Though at the same time, they also knew that it was of utmost importance to exterminate the Barbarians species from the face of Lordran to ensure the utmost loyalty of the Grand Province of Stormwind by destroying their most hated enemy.
***
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Chapter 28 - The Imperial Crusade of Badlands (1)
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Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion, One Hour Later
After one hour, the long-awaited thing happened when the provisionary teleportation array activated, and the Holy Imperator himself exited the teleportation array, surrounded by the Stormcast Eternals in their bulkier runic armor.
Not only him but next to him was his fainceé, Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower, clad in her typical Hutner outfit because she appreciated the freedom and agility, while her lover was wearing the more armored version of the Hunter outfit of the Old Workshop.
Maria's fighting style revolved around overwhelming speed advantage, dexterity, and superior reflexes over their opponents. This required her to have freedom in her movements, so heavy armor was something that was greatly hindering her.
That didn't mean that her Hunter outfit was a weak form of defense; on the contrary, without overwhelming strength, it was almost nigh impossible to even think about damaging the Hunter outfit and the leather coat she was wearing.
It was made from the leather of Super Danger Beast that was comparable to the Level 6 Professional, so even though it wouldn't be enough to defend against some attacks that were comparable to the Level 6, it was still sufficient to protect her against the average Level 5s attacks and spells.
Together with her overwhelming speed, which made it almost impossible for the enemy to land a hit on Maria, and her combat style, she was a pretty problematic enemy to deal with.
Meanwhile, Karl Franz was wearing the armored version of the Hunter Outift, which had some metal plates on certain places of his body. His combat style didn't really revolve around overwhelming speed and such, but rather on overwhelming offensive power that he could release.
In combination with the Longinuslansze Testament, he was walking destruction incarnate on the battlefield. Even during this Imperial Crusade, it was known and anticipated that the Holy Imperator would be one of the heavy hitters during the Imperial Crusade.
***
MC POV
When I exited the provisional teleportation array, I noticed that the mood within the Fortress Storm was rather tense. This wasn't that surprising actually, considering the situation that was coming, but at the same time, the morale was high.
It seemed that having me present, leading the offensive, and bringing with me Maria and Stormcast Eternals boosted the morale several times over. In the individual clash, the Imperial Soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire were inferior to those of the Barbarians.
Average soldiers of the Imperial Legions were just ordinary humans who drank the weakest version of the Old Blood available, which only gave them a prolonged lifespan and more powerful physique that elevated them to the human limit.
Contrary to the Barbarians, the Children of Bul-Khatos were physically much, much stronger because even their weakest ones were at Level 1 in terms of their physique and the average warrior was at the peak of Level 1.
But the Imperial Legions were making up for their lack of physical strength with their superior equipment, armor, weapons, runes, Magic, and other means.
Through everything, they were able to fight against the Barbarians, and with specifically developed tactics, that was called Anti-Barbarian Tactics, they were even able to kill them if they acted really fast.
The greatest advantage that the Barbarians had was their vitality and physical strength, yet this also resulted in their disadvantage in another aspect. As most of the Barbarians were too confident in their physical power, they neglected the aspect of defense.
This, coupled with the fact that their entire society was relatively primitive and backward, they didn't really have a means of smelting and forging the armor and weapons that were at least a bit advanced.
Soon enough after we arrived, we were welcomed by the General of the 10th Imperial Legion was Anduin Lothar, General of the 5th Imperial Legion Zangru Baruch von Lutheris and Legion Master of the 1st Legion of the Silver Knight Order Artorias the Abysswalker.
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
All of them saluted me, as I then waved my right hand as a form of greeting and then, together with Maria, we were led to the main planning office. Within the room, there were zero people, as it was reserved just for me and Maria, for a brief time we would be spending at the Fortress Storm.
Now that I was present at the Fortress Storm, it was only a matter of time until the Imperial Crusade could officially begin.
"How is the state of the Army Group Alpha?"
I asked as I sat down on the sofa, with Maria sitting next to me.
The one accompanying us from the Stormcast Eternals was Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple, Atreus Atreides, who was in overall command of the Stormcast Eternals that were accompanying me.
"We can move at any moment; the sole problem is with the speed of movement, as we are taking all of the siege engines and other machines of war so that we would be moving at a relatively slow pace."
I nodded because this was within the exceptions of the Military HighCom; while not welcomed, it was noted to be of necessary sacrifice.
Even though I would welcome much faster traveling speed, that would require the Army Groupds to give up many of the machines of war.
And that would, in turn, significantly weaken our capabilities, and the machines of war were of the utmost importance to us because they were of strategic importance during the Crusade.
Without them, we would be much more vulnerable and it would be harder to break through the defenses of the Harrogath and Mount Arreat. And at the same time, there were several plans on how to use them in the field battle against the Barbarians.
"In two hours, I will officially declare the start of the Crusade to the Army Groups Alpha, Beta and Gamma."
I said to the three men that were gathered here, as they then saluted and left the room to prepare their troops for the march. It would be a long and arduous journey, where we would need to advance with utmost caution.
According to the plan, before the official start of the Imperial Crusade, I was to give a motivation speech for everyone. Something that I wasn't really thrilled about, because I didn't really like giving speeches to people.
It wasn't about the skill, but it was more or like tied to the fact that I needed to think deeply about what I was to say and so on because every speech given by the Holy Imperator of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder was something that would be memorized for the millenias to come.
And the effects it had on society and people listening were great.
"While everyone is tense, many people are getting impatient with this entire endeavor..."
Maria remarked as she leaned over me, and I knew that what she was talking about.
"Yes... this would be the biggest opportunity to obtain Noble Status or to rise in the social ladder; there are even some of the Free Companies congregating on the Borders of the Badlands and would be joining us in this Crusade."
According to the reports of the Imperial Military Intelligence, there were approximately fifteen thousand mercenaries of the Free Companies that would be joining the Crusaders on the Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
That was because it was easiest to obtain the Noble Status within the Holy Arcadia Empire; through war, one could easily accumulate tremendous merit and be raised to the highest Noblity within the Imperium.
There were even cases where some people were directly raised to the Viceroy Status during one conflict.
"I saw that many of the Noble Houses sent personal expeditions into the Crusade in aim to obtain Merit."
Maria said, as I was already aware of the thing. While the lands of the Holy Arcadia Empire, aside from the Household Guards, the Nobiltiy of the Imperium possessed no armies, soldiers or levies.
Greatly contradictory situation to that of the Westeros or even parts of the Essoss, where most, if not all was concentrated in the hands of the Noble Houses.
Yet, despite this, the Noble Houses were focusing on producing powerhouses, powerful warriors, or Mgaic Users. Many mighty Professionals and Sorcerers actually stemmed from some of the Noble Houses of the Imperium.
This, in turn, gave the Nobility a certain degree of power and through this power, they could contribute to the Holy Arcadia Empire because, in the conflicts like this, there was a constant need for high-end Professionals.
Naturally, the Imperial Crusade attracted the attention of many Noble Houses of the Holy Arcadia Empire and many Nobles decided to participate in the entire endeavor to obtain presite, glory, and merit for their House and Lineage.
"That is good; it would increase the number of high-end Professionals by several degrees, which would be really needed to combat the Barbarians effectively."
Most if not all of the nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire were high-end Professionals, as it was the elementary requirement of the Impeirum to raise someone into the status of the aristocracy.
***
Two hours later, Fortress Storm of the 10th Imperial Legion, Grand Province of Stormwind.
The two-hour deadline passed relatively fast; the only thing that happened during the two hours was that the entire Army Group Alpha got into the march-ready state as they were to commence the invasion into the Badlands and fight against the threat of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
I was already prepared to deliver the speech for the invasion forces of Army Group Alpha, Army Group Beta, and Army Group Gamma. Everything was prepared by the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth who were present as part of the Imperial Crusading Force.
"Everything is ready, Your Holy Imperial Majesty."
I heard someone say, noticing that it was one of the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth that was in charge of building up the transmission array to the other Army Groups, the one that was not far from them at the Grand Province of Stormwind and the Army Group Gamma that was at the Grand Province of Munn.
"You can activate it."
I said, after which I looked at the small magic circle that was in front of me.
"Proud sons and daughters of the Holy Imperium, this day, marks the great milestone in the history of our glorious nation. We stand on the side, before the decision and war that will see the complete unification of the Lordran and extermination of the enemy that has been plaguing the lands of the Imperium for whole centuries."
I started the speech, after a while, I made a pause before I continued.
"The Children of Bul-Khatos are cancer in the heart of the Imperium, destroying the stability of the entire Grand Province and thus, they are aiding the foul powers of Ruin and other heretics to the Great Ones that want to wipe us out. And yet, we stand strong, unbent, unbroken and undefeated and we will address the threat that is before us. Our enemy will be broken and destroyed by the might of the Imperium."
Even though I wasn't present among the troops, I could sense that the excitement was rising as was the morale among the troops, because of my speech.
"They would be annihilated under the might of Faith, Steel, Magic and Gunpowder of the Holy Arcadia Empire. They would be hunted to the last person and their entire species would be exterminated from the face of the Known World of Azyr and be buried in the annals of history. In these words, we would fight the Barbarians in their towns and cities, in the plains and forests, in the ground and sky, let them witness the fury of the Imperium, as I declare the Imperial Crusade."
Making a short pause for approximately a few seconds.
"Proud sons and daughters of the Imperium, we shall march and achieve victory; let them witness the might of the Imperium; let this be remembered as our finest hour."
"All Hail Imperium!"
I knew that this speech wasn't transmitted just to the Crusading forces, but with some minor delay, it would be transmitted across the whole Imperium. From the smallest village to the Holy Cities of the Imperium.
"It was a glorious speech, Your Holy Majesty."
Immediately some of the people present here were coming to kiss my ass, not something that was unusual literarily, and I already got used to it.
"You could really pass as someone from the Department of Propaganda."
Maria snarked from the side as she attempted to tease me or maybe even insult me, I didn't know which one, but I was proud of my ability to spout propaganda.
"Thank you very much... something like this is an essential skill for every skilled politician, my beloved fianceé."
I said back with faux haughtiness while I went to join the Stormcast Eternals that were part of the Army Group Alpha.
***
3rd POV
Fortress Storm, Headquarters of the 10th Imperial Legion
As the speech of the Holy Imperator was transmission through all of the Army Groups participating in the Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos, sooner enough with a small time delay, the speech that was given at the start of the invasion was broadcast through the whole Imperium.
The morale among the Crusading Troops was rising with every word being said and with every single sentence that was finished.
The soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire, be it the Imperial Legionaries of the Imperial Legions, the Knights of the Silver Knight Order or various special units such as the Household Guards and Aristocrats, the Battle Wizards, and Scholars of Byrgenwerth were eager for the battle.
Be it for various reasons, everyone now felt eager for the conquest and extermination of the Barbarians.
It was either the fanatical loyalty of the Imperial Legions, Silver Knights, and Stormcast Eternals that would do everything that the Holy Imperator ordered, or the officers of the military that sought opportunity for military accomplishments.
Or the members of the Aristocracy of the Imperium, who aimed for the merits that they could obtain during the Imperial Crusade or the Battle Wizards and Scholars of the Byrgenwerth who wanted to achieve something so they would get more resources for their research.
For the Scholars of Byrgenwerth and the Battle Wizards of the Imperial Battlemage Legion of the Faust, this entire Imperial Crusade was nothing more than a means to the end. And that end were the resources for their research.
Most of them cared a little for the material matters, aside from the fact that they were using this to further their own agenda, which stemmed in pursuing the deepest secrets of the Arcane.
And then there were the mercenaries from the Free Companies across the entire territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire who wanted nothing more than to achieve glory and achievements on the battlefield so they could obtain either the status of Nobility or something that they wanted from the Imperium.
With a single command from the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, this enormous machinery of soldiers, knights, wizards, war machines and others started marching into the Badlands.
With a single command from one man, the fate of the entire species was decided to be extinction and extermination, as everyone was eager to see the Children of Bul-Khatos annihilated from the face of the earth.
***
Badlands, One Day Later with Army Group Alpha
The Badlands or often also called the Barren Lands, was a very inhospitable region that was located in the southernmost area of the Grand Province of Stormwind. The Badlands were the most sandy, dead desert with many mountain ranges and high hills, even though there were not used for much.
According to the various analyses of the Badlands, enormous richness was hidden within these mountains in the form of many precious ores that were not found across the Imperium.
Fortunately enough for all parties that were interested, the Barbarians were not advanced enough to carry out large-scale mining operations and smelting operations. In order to melt the ores into the metals and create advanced weapons and armor.
Even if they attempted to do so, they were sabotaged through the efforts of the Imperial Military Intelligence and House Marian, who were doing everything they could in their power to keep the growing power of the Children of the Bul-Khatos as low as possible.
From a certain point of view, they succeeded in the aspect of hindering their progress as a civilization, which was successful.
If the Barbarians were armed properly, with powerful weapons and armors, that were for example, carrying a certain degree of magic resistance or something along those lines, then, they would be far more dangerous enemies.
So yes, from a certain point of view, this was a great success to cull the civilization of the Children of Bul-Khatos, so they remained rather primitive, which was greatly advantageous to the Holy Imperium.
Right now, an enormous caravan of armored vehicles, war wagons, siege engines and other machines of war that were built either by the Byrgenwerth, Engineering Guild or Dwarves of Khaz-Modan was moving through the Barren Lands under the protection of tens of thousands of soldiers.
Among them, one could see countless Danger Beasts of various Grades, that were serving as mounts for the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order or the Stormcast Eternals that were using all Griffons as their mounts exclusively.
Other common Dangers Beasts were a special type of warhorse that was used by the members of the Imperial Legion or the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order.
Tens of thousands of soldiers were moving in perfect unison, as their target was clear this time.
It was the first major point of interest for the Barbarians and one of the few that their species had; it was called Almorel, which was a small Fortress City that was operated by one of the more powerful and larger Barbarian Tribes of their society.
Fortress Almorel was one of the gates into the deep Barbarian territory and if the Imperium wanted to breach their fortifications and reach the heart of the Badlands, they needed to breach both Almorel and Quaraband that was on the path of Army Group Beta.
"We would be arriving at the vicinity of the Almorel in ten or twelve hours..."
Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor was sitting on the back of Deathclaw, with Maria sitting next to him and hugging him from behind as they were flying above the entire convoy of the Army Group Alpha.
Basically, Almorel would be the first step in the conquest of the entire Badlands and unifying the Grand Province of Stormwind under Imperial rule for once and all... Among the higher-ups of the military command, everyone knew that Almorel was a poor excuse for the Fortress according to the Imperial standards.
However, nobody doubted the fact that the Children of Bul-Khatos would defend the Almorel with all of their military might, and they would give Imperials one hell of a fight for them to gain control over the Fortress City.
And even despite this, nobody had a heavy heart or was nervous because their strategy regarding the two cities of Almorel and Quaraband was clear. They could be destroyed into piles of ash and rubble because they were of no importance.
The Barbarians didn't have any kind of infrastructure or anything that the Imperium wished to preserve and keep for their own use. Due to that fact, they could use the thing that was giving them their greatest advantage in this Crusade.
Their overwhelming firepower of the Aritlleries and Battle Magic of the Battle Wizards.
With that, they will be able to raze all and any fortifications that the Children of the Bul-Khatos would prepare to the ground until nothing remained from them. As unfortunate as it was, the Barbarians didn't have anything that the Imperium considered important to keep for the future.
Thus, the usage of nondiscriminatory artillery bombardment was allowed, together with the free use of War Magic that could envelope large scale. The Army Group Alpha was advancing slowly on the Almorel and in a few hours, the first theatre of war would be opened.
***
Grand Province of Munn, Fortress City of Starlight
The Capital City of the Grand Province of Munn was located on a small island that was in the middle of the Azure Bay. The entrance itself to Azure Bay was protected by the enormous gate that rivaled or even eclipsed that of the Skycrown Gate.
It was an enormous construct that prevented anyone from entering Azure Bay.
In the middle of Azure Bay was a small island, that was often called the God's Eye Islands, due to its solitary position, and the entire Island has been transformed into the Capital City of the Grand Province of Munn.
Right now, the entire Azure Bay was filled with enormous warships, there were countless of them, numbering in hundreds, and each one of them was filled with thousands of soldiers, war machines, materials, and other things that were part of the Imperial Crusade.
The City of Starlight was one of the marvels of the Imperium; it was the white city with an enormous citadel of Stars that was located in the middle of the entire City. The whole city has strong defensive structures.
The walls of the Capital City of Munn were very high and thick, countless watchtowers were built every few meters. On the top of the walls were countless cannons, mortars, scorpions, and other machines for war.
On top of that, every few hundred meters, there were Mage Towers, that served the sole purpose of empowering the Battle Wizards that served on the military garrison of the Starlight, together with several Magitek Machines of War.
The harbor part of the Starlight was well-developed port facilities with docks, warehouses, and shipyards to accommodate a variety of vessels. The harbor was designed to provide shelter from the storms, safety for the ships, but it was it was armed and built with defensive purposes in mind.
The 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn was going to invade the Badlands through the sea, led by the newest Imperial Admiral of the Imperial Navy, Euron Greyjoy.
Their task was also to create a blockade in case the Children of the Bul-Khatos decided to evacuate some of their members through the sea, this was not really possible, but the Imperial Military Intelligence had noticed some connections between the Barbarians of Badlands and Orks of the Orklands.
Euron Greyjoy was standing on the deck of the main battleship of the 1st Imperial Fleet, he was also given an entirely new battleship, that was named Kos's Silence, after a mythical creature from the religion of the Great Ones that dominated the seas and oceans.
"How long till everything is loaded?"
Euron Greyjoy was spending a few past months within the Imperium...
After he was captured by the Holy Imperator himself, when his entire crew was slaughtered, he was soul-bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and given a position within the Imperial Administration and Warmachine.
He knew that as the outsider, he wasn't really met with trust or anything, but because he was bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, he was aware that the moment he showed even the slightest thoughts of betrayal of the Imperium, he would die in the most gruesome death.
Yet, he didn't really care about that; the only thing that he cared about was to sail through the seas and make his own name known across the entire Known World of Azyr as the explorer and sailor, the one that would be remembered through the annals of the history for all eternity.
"We would be done in one hour."
The man who answered him was the General of the 9th Imperial Legion which was native to the Grand Province of Munn, Mazer Rackham. He was a bald man, visibly a bit aged, converted with runic tattoos.
He was born in the Grand Province of Munn, to a tribe of people that were native to the Grand Province of Munn and lived in the deserts of the Munn, called Namyr-Tharos Tribe, the dwellers of the sands.
"Also, the Elector Count's son, Rhuen Allander, would be joining the Crusade together with several hundred of the Household Guards of the Allander; we would be having one of the best swords of the Imperium with us."
Mazer Rackham of the Namyr-Tharos was a natural-born warrior like everyone from the Namyr-Tharos Tribe. From an early age, he was considered as the prodigy of the Namyr-Tharos and after he reached adulthood, he created his own Free Mercenary Company.
After thirty years of acting as the leader of the Free Company, he was scouted by the House Allander and was drafted in as captain of the Household Guards of the House Allander, which was already a very prestigious position within the Grand Province.
Approximately another twenty years later, he was personally approached by the previous General of the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn and entered the Imperial Legion, where he was soon, in only a few years, promoted to the General of the 9th Imperial Legion.
As the General of the 9th Imperial Legion, Mazer Rackham has proven himself to be one of the most capable Generals of the entire Imperial Legion and the entire Imperial Military; within certain circles, he was even considered the next Imperial Bashar of the Imperial Military.
"After establishing the blockade, we will disembark on the shores of the Badlands and take stand where they have built some primitive docks, from there on we will advance onto the Harrogath's southern area, where we will build the fortifications and wait for the Army Groups Alpha and Beta."
The plan of the Imperial Crusade was excellent and there were no blank spots; for that, the role of the Euron Greyjoy as the Admiral of the 1st Fleet that would be leading the attacks on the Baldands was clear.
Nobody can leave the Badlands; not even the smallest ship could leave the shores of the Badlands and he knew this task he was given must be completed splendidly, or else, his head would roll.
After everything was loaded onto the ships, the 1st Imperial Fleet, which was numbering something around one hundred ships of various Classes, started sailing towards the Star Wall, opening the path to them, as the Admiral gave the command to the march.
***
A few days later, somewhere around the Badlands. On the deck of Kos's Silence.
Approximately one hundred ships were now sailing around the seas of the Badlands, not far from the shores of the Badlands itself. Till now, they hadn't seen even a single ship that belonged to the Children of the Bul-Khatos.
"Ships on the horizon!"
Someone shouted as they spotted several ships of very crude design, clearly indicating the Barbarian origin, on the horizon.
"Everybody on the position! Load the cannon and fire at the moment of distance!"
As the Admiral of the 1st Imperial Fleet, Euron Greyjoy was in charge of the assault, so the moment they finally spotted some enemy, everyone was eager for action, because it was becoming a bit boring in here.
There were only a few of the Barbarian ships, but, making up for their small numbers, they were rather huge, even bigger than the average Imperial Warship. This was already some sight to behold because the Imperial Warships of the Imperial Navy were already huge enough to house hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers.
As the ships of the Barbarians were approaching the 1st Imperial Fleet, the sailors and soldiers that were on the ships, all assumed their position, and if they didn't, then those who couldn't get into the combat-ready state.
"Fire!"
The Admiral of the 1st Imperial Fleet shouted when the ships of the Children of Bul-Khatos were close enough, in the distance of their cannons and other machines of war, as the thunderous roaring of the artillery firing was heard through the entire area where they were.
Hundreds if not thousands of cannons and mortars were firing as one, all aiming at the sea hulks of the ships that were built by the barbarians. And as expected, the ships of the barbarians, couldn't withstand the concentrated firepower of the Imperium and were being sunk down one by one.
Only a few of the barbarian sea hulks were still floating on the sea, though they were too heavily damaged from the artillery bombardment. Seeing this, gave Euron Greyjoy the idea of boarding the ships and capturing the people, perhaps they would be able to find some useful information from them.
"Send down the order to prepare for the boarding, we will capture the ships and interrogate the Barbarians."
As soon as the order was passed down, several ships of the 1st Imperial Fleet split from the rest of the Fleet and started surrounding the damaged barbarian warships from all sides, while at the same time, the scorpions from the ships started firing hooks on them, while pulling the ships a bit closer.
When the distance was lowered enough, Imperials outstretched several makeshift bridges in between them, as the soldiers of the Imperium started pouring onto the warships of the Children of Bul-Khatos and massacring barbarians here and there.
It was relatively easy for the Imperials to know who was important and who wasn't because, in the Barbarian society, usually those with higher social status were bigger and stronger, but aside from their physical traits, the greatest indicator were clothes and tattoos.
The barbarians on the ship were already injured from the artillery that was being fired at them some time ago, and when they were met with the ferocious charge of the Imperial Legionaries, they stood no chance as they were quickly killed or subjugated.
***
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After one hour, the long-awaited thing happened when the provisionary teleportation array activated, and the Holy Imperator himself exited the teleportation array, surrounded by the Stormcast Eternals in their bulkier runic armor.
Not only him but next to him was his fainceé, Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower, clad in her typical Hutner outfit because she appreciated the freedom and agility, while her lover was wearing the more armored version of the Hunter outfit of the Old Workshop.
Maria's fighting style revolved around overwhelming speed advantage, dexterity, and superior reflexes over their opponents. This required her to have freedom in her movements, so heavy armor was something that was greatly hindering her.
That didn't mean that her Hunter outfit was a weak form of defense; on the contrary, without overwhelming strength, it was almost nigh impossible to even think about damaging the Hunter outfit and the leather coat she was wearing.
It was made from the leather of Super Danger Beast that was comparable to the Level 6 Professional, so even though it wouldn't be enough to defend against some attacks that were comparable to the Level 6, it was still sufficient to protect her against the average Level 5s attacks and spells.
Together with her overwhelming speed, which made it almost impossible for the enemy to land a hit on Maria, and her combat style, she was a pretty problematic enemy to deal with.
Meanwhile, Karl Franz was wearing the armored version of the Hunter Outift, which had some metal plates on certain places of his body. His combat style didn't really revolve around overwhelming speed and such, but rather on overwhelming offensive power that he could release.
In combination with the Longinuslansze Testament, he was walking destruction incarnate on the battlefield. Even during this Imperial Crusade, it was known and anticipated that the Holy Imperator would be one of the heavy hitters during the Imperial Crusade.
***
MC POV
When I exited the provisional teleportation array, I noticed that the mood within the Fortress Storm was rather tense. This wasn't that surprising actually, considering the situation that was coming, but at the same time, the morale was high.
It seemed that having me present, leading the offensive, and bringing with me Maria and Stormcast Eternals boosted the morale several times over. In the individual clash, the Imperial Soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire were inferior to those of the Barbarians.
Average soldiers of the Imperial Legions were just ordinary humans who drank the weakest version of the Old Blood available, which only gave them a prolonged lifespan and more powerful physique that elevated them to the human limit.
Contrary to the Barbarians, the Children of Bul-Khatos were physically much, much stronger because even their weakest ones were at Level 1 in terms of their physique and the average warrior was at the peak of Level 1.
But the Imperial Legions were making up for their lack of physical strength with their superior equipment, armor, weapons, runes, Magic, and other means.
Through everything, they were able to fight against the Barbarians, and with specifically developed tactics, that was called Anti-Barbarian Tactics, they were even able to kill them if they acted really fast.
The greatest advantage that the Barbarians had was their vitality and physical strength, yet this also resulted in their disadvantage in another aspect. As most of the Barbarians were too confident in their physical power, they neglected the aspect of defense.
This, coupled with the fact that their entire society was relatively primitive and backward, they didn't really have a means of smelting and forging the armor and weapons that were at least a bit advanced.
Soon enough after we arrived, we were welcomed by the General of the 10th Imperial Legion was Anduin Lothar, General of the 5th Imperial Legion Zangru Baruch von Lutheris and Legion Master of the 1st Legion of the Silver Knight Order Artorias the Abysswalker.
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"
All of them saluted me, as I then waved my right hand as a form of greeting and then, together with Maria, we were led to the main planning office. Within the room, there were zero people, as it was reserved just for me and Maria, for a brief time we would be spending at the Fortress Storm.
Now that I was present at the Fortress Storm, it was only a matter of time until the Imperial Crusade could officially begin.
"How is the state of the Army Group Alpha?"
I asked as I sat down on the sofa, with Maria sitting next to me.
The one accompanying us from the Stormcast Eternals was Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple, Atreus Atreides, who was in overall command of the Stormcast Eternals that were accompanying me.
"We can move at any moment; the sole problem is with the speed of movement, as we are taking all of the siege engines and other machines of war so that we would be moving at a relatively slow pace."
I nodded because this was within the exceptions of the Military HighCom; while not welcomed, it was noted to be of necessary sacrifice.
Even though I would welcome much faster traveling speed, that would require the Army Groupds to give up many of the machines of war.
And that would, in turn, significantly weaken our capabilities, and the machines of war were of the utmost importance to us because they were of strategic importance during the Crusade.
Without them, we would be much more vulnerable and it would be harder to break through the defenses of the Harrogath and Mount Arreat. And at the same time, there were several plans on how to use them in the field battle against the Barbarians.
"In two hours, I will officially declare the start of the Crusade to the Army Groups Alpha, Beta and Gamma."
I said to the three men that were gathered here, as they then saluted and left the room to prepare their troops for the march. It would be a long and arduous journey, where we would need to advance with utmost caution.
According to the plan, before the official start of the Imperial Crusade, I was to give a motivation speech for everyone. Something that I wasn't really thrilled about, because I didn't really like giving speeches to people.
It wasn't about the skill, but it was more or like tied to the fact that I needed to think deeply about what I was to say and so on because every speech given by the Holy Imperator of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder was something that would be memorized for the millenias to come.
And the effects it had on society and people listening were great.
"While everyone is tense, many people are getting impatient with this entire endeavor..."
Maria remarked as she leaned over me, and I knew that what she was talking about.
"Yes... this would be the biggest opportunity to obtain Noble Status or to rise in the social ladder; there are even some of the Free Companies congregating on the Borders of the Badlands and would be joining us in this Crusade."
According to the reports of the Imperial Military Intelligence, there were approximately fifteen thousand mercenaries of the Free Companies that would be joining the Crusaders on the Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
That was because it was easiest to obtain the Noble Status within the Holy Arcadia Empire; through war, one could easily accumulate tremendous merit and be raised to the highest Noblity within the Imperium.
There were even cases where some people were directly raised to the Viceroy Status during one conflict.
"I saw that many of the Noble Houses sent personal expeditions into the Crusade in aim to obtain Merit."
Maria said, as I was already aware of the thing. While the lands of the Holy Arcadia Empire, aside from the Household Guards, the Nobiltiy of the Imperium possessed no armies, soldiers or levies.
Greatly contradictory situation to that of the Westeros or even parts of the Essoss, where most, if not all was concentrated in the hands of the Noble Houses.
Yet, despite this, the Noble Houses were focusing on producing powerhouses, powerful warriors, or Mgaic Users. Many mighty Professionals and Sorcerers actually stemmed from some of the Noble Houses of the Imperium.
This, in turn, gave the Nobility a certain degree of power and through this power, they could contribute to the Holy Arcadia Empire because, in the conflicts like this, there was a constant need for high-end Professionals.
Naturally, the Imperial Crusade attracted the attention of many Noble Houses of the Holy Arcadia Empire and many Nobles decided to participate in the entire endeavor to obtain presite, glory, and merit for their House and Lineage.
"That is good; it would increase the number of high-end Professionals by several degrees, which would be really needed to combat the Barbarians effectively."
Most if not all of the nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire were high-end Professionals, as it was the elementary requirement of the Impeirum to raise someone into the status of the aristocracy.
***
Two hours later, Fortress Storm of the 10th Imperial Legion, Grand Province of Stormwind.
The two-hour deadline passed relatively fast; the only thing that happened during the two hours was that the entire Army Group Alpha got into the march-ready state as they were to commence the invasion into the Badlands and fight against the threat of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
I was already prepared to deliver the speech for the invasion forces of Army Group Alpha, Army Group Beta, and Army Group Gamma. Everything was prepared by the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth who were present as part of the Imperial Crusading Force.
"Everything is ready, Your Holy Imperial Majesty."
I heard someone say, noticing that it was one of the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth that was in charge of building up the transmission array to the other Army Groups, the one that was not far from them at the Grand Province of Stormwind and the Army Group Gamma that was at the Grand Province of Munn.
"You can activate it."
I said, after which I looked at the small magic circle that was in front of me.
"Proud sons and daughters of the Holy Imperium, this day, marks the great milestone in the history of our glorious nation. We stand on the side, before the decision and war that will see the complete unification of the Lordran and extermination of the enemy that has been plaguing the lands of the Imperium for whole centuries."
I started the speech, after a while, I made a pause before I continued.
"The Children of Bul-Khatos are cancer in the heart of the Imperium, destroying the stability of the entire Grand Province and thus, they are aiding the foul powers of Ruin and other heretics to the Great Ones that want to wipe us out. And yet, we stand strong, unbent, unbroken and undefeated and we will address the threat that is before us. Our enemy will be broken and destroyed by the might of the Imperium."
Even though I wasn't present among the troops, I could sense that the excitement was rising as was the morale among the troops, because of my speech.
"They would be annihilated under the might of Faith, Steel, Magic and Gunpowder of the Holy Arcadia Empire. They would be hunted to the last person and their entire species would be exterminated from the face of the Known World of Azyr and be buried in the annals of history. In these words, we would fight the Barbarians in their towns and cities, in the plains and forests, in the ground and sky, let them witness the fury of the Imperium, as I declare the Imperial Crusade."
Making a short pause for approximately a few seconds.
"Proud sons and daughters of the Imperium, we shall march and achieve victory; let them witness the might of the Imperium; let this be remembered as our finest hour."
"All Hail Imperium!"
I knew that this speech wasn't transmitted just to the Crusading forces, but with some minor delay, it would be transmitted across the whole Imperium. From the smallest village to the Holy Cities of the Imperium.
"It was a glorious speech, Your Holy Majesty."
Immediately some of the people present here were coming to kiss my ass, not something that was unusual literarily, and I already got used to it.
"You could really pass as someone from the Department of Propaganda."
Maria snarked from the side as she attempted to tease me or maybe even insult me, I didn't know which one, but I was proud of my ability to spout propaganda.
"Thank you very much... something like this is an essential skill for every skilled politician, my beloved fianceé."
I said back with faux haughtiness while I went to join the Stormcast Eternals that were part of the Army Group Alpha.
***
3rd POV
Fortress Storm, Headquarters of the 10th Imperial Legion
As the speech of the Holy Imperator was transmission through all of the Army Groups participating in the Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos, sooner enough with a small time delay, the speech that was given at the start of the invasion was broadcast through the whole Imperium.
The morale among the Crusading Troops was rising with every word being said and with every single sentence that was finished.
The soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire, be it the Imperial Legionaries of the Imperial Legions, the Knights of the Silver Knight Order or various special units such as the Household Guards and Aristocrats, the Battle Wizards, and Scholars of Byrgenwerth were eager for the battle.
Be it for various reasons, everyone now felt eager for the conquest and extermination of the Barbarians.
It was either the fanatical loyalty of the Imperial Legions, Silver Knights, and Stormcast Eternals that would do everything that the Holy Imperator ordered, or the officers of the military that sought opportunity for military accomplishments.
Or the members of the Aristocracy of the Imperium, who aimed for the merits that they could obtain during the Imperial Crusade or the Battle Wizards and Scholars of the Byrgenwerth who wanted to achieve something so they would get more resources for their research.
For the Scholars of Byrgenwerth and the Battle Wizards of the Imperial Battlemage Legion of the Faust, this entire Imperial Crusade was nothing more than a means to the end. And that end were the resources for their research.
Most of them cared a little for the material matters, aside from the fact that they were using this to further their own agenda, which stemmed in pursuing the deepest secrets of the Arcane.
And then there were the mercenaries from the Free Companies across the entire territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire who wanted nothing more than to achieve glory and achievements on the battlefield so they could obtain either the status of Nobility or something that they wanted from the Imperium.
With a single command from the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, this enormous machinery of soldiers, knights, wizards, war machines and others started marching into the Badlands.
With a single command from one man, the fate of the entire species was decided to be extinction and extermination, as everyone was eager to see the Children of Bul-Khatos annihilated from the face of the earth.
***
Badlands, One Day Later with Army Group Alpha
The Badlands or often also called the Barren Lands, was a very inhospitable region that was located in the southernmost area of the Grand Province of Stormwind. The Badlands were the most sandy, dead desert with many mountain ranges and high hills, even though there were not used for much.
According to the various analyses of the Badlands, enormous richness was hidden within these mountains in the form of many precious ores that were not found across the Imperium.
Fortunately enough for all parties that were interested, the Barbarians were not advanced enough to carry out large-scale mining operations and smelting operations. In order to melt the ores into the metals and create advanced weapons and armor.
Even if they attempted to do so, they were sabotaged through the efforts of the Imperial Military Intelligence and House Marian, who were doing everything they could in their power to keep the growing power of the Children of the Bul-Khatos as low as possible.
From a certain point of view, they succeeded in the aspect of hindering their progress as a civilization, which was successful.
If the Barbarians were armed properly, with powerful weapons and armors, that were for example, carrying a certain degree of magic resistance or something along those lines, then, they would be far more dangerous enemies.
So yes, from a certain point of view, this was a great success to cull the civilization of the Children of Bul-Khatos, so they remained rather primitive, which was greatly advantageous to the Holy Imperium.
Right now, an enormous caravan of armored vehicles, war wagons, siege engines and other machines of war that were built either by the Byrgenwerth, Engineering Guild or Dwarves of Khaz-Modan was moving through the Barren Lands under the protection of tens of thousands of soldiers.
Among them, one could see countless Danger Beasts of various Grades, that were serving as mounts for the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order or the Stormcast Eternals that were using all Griffons as their mounts exclusively.
Other common Dangers Beasts were a special type of warhorse that was used by the members of the Imperial Legion or the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order.
Tens of thousands of soldiers were moving in perfect unison, as their target was clear this time.
It was the first major point of interest for the Barbarians and one of the few that their species had; it was called Almorel, which was a small Fortress City that was operated by one of the more powerful and larger Barbarian Tribes of their society.
Fortress Almorel was one of the gates into the deep Barbarian territory and if the Imperium wanted to breach their fortifications and reach the heart of the Badlands, they needed to breach both Almorel and Quaraband that was on the path of Army Group Beta.
"We would be arriving at the vicinity of the Almorel in ten or twelve hours..."
Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor was sitting on the back of Deathclaw, with Maria sitting next to him and hugging him from behind as they were flying above the entire convoy of the Army Group Alpha.
Basically, Almorel would be the first step in the conquest of the entire Badlands and unifying the Grand Province of Stormwind under Imperial rule for once and all... Among the higher-ups of the military command, everyone knew that Almorel was a poor excuse for the Fortress according to the Imperial standards.
However, nobody doubted the fact that the Children of Bul-Khatos would defend the Almorel with all of their military might, and they would give Imperials one hell of a fight for them to gain control over the Fortress City.
And even despite this, nobody had a heavy heart or was nervous because their strategy regarding the two cities of Almorel and Quaraband was clear. They could be destroyed into piles of ash and rubble because they were of no importance.
The Barbarians didn't have any kind of infrastructure or anything that the Imperium wished to preserve and keep for their own use. Due to that fact, they could use the thing that was giving them their greatest advantage in this Crusade.
Their overwhelming firepower of the Aritlleries and Battle Magic of the Battle Wizards.
With that, they will be able to raze all and any fortifications that the Children of the Bul-Khatos would prepare to the ground until nothing remained from them. As unfortunate as it was, the Barbarians didn't have anything that the Imperium considered important to keep for the future.
Thus, the usage of nondiscriminatory artillery bombardment was allowed, together with the free use of War Magic that could envelope large scale. The Army Group Alpha was advancing slowly on the Almorel and in a few hours, the first theatre of war would be opened.
***
Grand Province of Munn, Fortress City of Starlight
The Capital City of the Grand Province of Munn was located on a small island that was in the middle of the Azure Bay. The entrance itself to Azure Bay was protected by the enormous gate that rivaled or even eclipsed that of the Skycrown Gate.
It was an enormous construct that prevented anyone from entering Azure Bay.
In the middle of Azure Bay was a small island, that was often called the God's Eye Islands, due to its solitary position, and the entire Island has been transformed into the Capital City of the Grand Province of Munn.
Right now, the entire Azure Bay was filled with enormous warships, there were countless of them, numbering in hundreds, and each one of them was filled with thousands of soldiers, war machines, materials, and other things that were part of the Imperial Crusade.
The City of Starlight was one of the marvels of the Imperium; it was the white city with an enormous citadel of Stars that was located in the middle of the entire City. The whole city has strong defensive structures.
The walls of the Capital City of Munn were very high and thick, countless watchtowers were built every few meters. On the top of the walls were countless cannons, mortars, scorpions, and other machines for war.
On top of that, every few hundred meters, there were Mage Towers, that served the sole purpose of empowering the Battle Wizards that served on the military garrison of the Starlight, together with several Magitek Machines of War.
The harbor part of the Starlight was well-developed port facilities with docks, warehouses, and shipyards to accommodate a variety of vessels. The harbor was designed to provide shelter from the storms, safety for the ships, but it was it was armed and built with defensive purposes in mind.
The 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn was going to invade the Badlands through the sea, led by the newest Imperial Admiral of the Imperial Navy, Euron Greyjoy.
Their task was also to create a blockade in case the Children of the Bul-Khatos decided to evacuate some of their members through the sea, this was not really possible, but the Imperial Military Intelligence had noticed some connections between the Barbarians of Badlands and Orks of the Orklands.
Euron Greyjoy was standing on the deck of the main battleship of the 1st Imperial Fleet, he was also given an entirely new battleship, that was named Kos's Silence, after a mythical creature from the religion of the Great Ones that dominated the seas and oceans.
"How long till everything is loaded?"
Euron Greyjoy was spending a few past months within the Imperium...
After he was captured by the Holy Imperator himself, when his entire crew was slaughtered, he was soul-bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and given a position within the Imperial Administration and Warmachine.
He knew that as the outsider, he wasn't really met with trust or anything, but because he was bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, he was aware that the moment he showed even the slightest thoughts of betrayal of the Imperium, he would die in the most gruesome death.
Yet, he didn't really care about that; the only thing that he cared about was to sail through the seas and make his own name known across the entire Known World of Azyr as the explorer and sailor, the one that would be remembered through the annals of the history for all eternity.
"We would be done in one hour."
The man who answered him was the General of the 9th Imperial Legion which was native to the Grand Province of Munn, Mazer Rackham. He was a bald man, visibly a bit aged, converted with runic tattoos.
He was born in the Grand Province of Munn, to a tribe of people that were native to the Grand Province of Munn and lived in the deserts of the Munn, called Namyr-Tharos Tribe, the dwellers of the sands.
"Also, the Elector Count's son, Rhuen Allander, would be joining the Crusade together with several hundred of the Household Guards of the Allander; we would be having one of the best swords of the Imperium with us."
Mazer Rackham of the Namyr-Tharos was a natural-born warrior like everyone from the Namyr-Tharos Tribe. From an early age, he was considered as the prodigy of the Namyr-Tharos and after he reached adulthood, he created his own Free Mercenary Company.
After thirty years of acting as the leader of the Free Company, he was scouted by the House Allander and was drafted in as captain of the Household Guards of the House Allander, which was already a very prestigious position within the Grand Province.
Approximately another twenty years later, he was personally approached by the previous General of the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn and entered the Imperial Legion, where he was soon, in only a few years, promoted to the General of the 9th Imperial Legion.
As the General of the 9th Imperial Legion, Mazer Rackham has proven himself to be one of the most capable Generals of the entire Imperial Legion and the entire Imperial Military; within certain circles, he was even considered the next Imperial Bashar of the Imperial Military.
"After establishing the blockade, we will disembark on the shores of the Badlands and take stand where they have built some primitive docks, from there on we will advance onto the Harrogath's southern area, where we will build the fortifications and wait for the Army Groups Alpha and Beta."
The plan of the Imperial Crusade was excellent and there were no blank spots; for that, the role of the Euron Greyjoy as the Admiral of the 1st Fleet that would be leading the attacks on the Baldands was clear.
Nobody can leave the Badlands; not even the smallest ship could leave the shores of the Badlands and he knew this task he was given must be completed splendidly, or else, his head would roll.
After everything was loaded onto the ships, the 1st Imperial Fleet, which was numbering something around one hundred ships of various Classes, started sailing towards the Star Wall, opening the path to them, as the Admiral gave the command to the march.
***
A few days later, somewhere around the Badlands. On the deck of Kos's Silence.
Approximately one hundred ships were now sailing around the seas of the Badlands, not far from the shores of the Badlands itself. Till now, they hadn't seen even a single ship that belonged to the Children of the Bul-Khatos.
"Ships on the horizon!"
Someone shouted as they spotted several ships of very crude design, clearly indicating the Barbarian origin, on the horizon.
"Everybody on the position! Load the cannon and fire at the moment of distance!"
As the Admiral of the 1st Imperial Fleet, Euron Greyjoy was in charge of the assault, so the moment they finally spotted some enemy, everyone was eager for action, because it was becoming a bit boring in here.
There were only a few of the Barbarian ships, but, making up for their small numbers, they were rather huge, even bigger than the average Imperial Warship. This was already some sight to behold because the Imperial Warships of the Imperial Navy were already huge enough to house hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers.
As the ships of the Barbarians were approaching the 1st Imperial Fleet, the sailors and soldiers that were on the ships, all assumed their position, and if they didn't, then those who couldn't get into the combat-ready state.
"Fire!"
The Admiral of the 1st Imperial Fleet shouted when the ships of the Children of Bul-Khatos were close enough, in the distance of their cannons and other machines of war, as the thunderous roaring of the artillery firing was heard through the entire area where they were.
Hundreds if not thousands of cannons and mortars were firing as one, all aiming at the sea hulks of the ships that were built by the barbarians. And as expected, the ships of the barbarians, couldn't withstand the concentrated firepower of the Imperium and were being sunk down one by one.
Only a few of the barbarian sea hulks were still floating on the sea, though they were too heavily damaged from the artillery bombardment. Seeing this, gave Euron Greyjoy the idea of boarding the ships and capturing the people, perhaps they would be able to find some useful information from them.
"Send down the order to prepare for the boarding, we will capture the ships and interrogate the Barbarians."
As soon as the order was passed down, several ships of the 1st Imperial Fleet split from the rest of the Fleet and started surrounding the damaged barbarian warships from all sides, while at the same time, the scorpions from the ships started firing hooks on them, while pulling the ships a bit closer.
When the distance was lowered enough, Imperials outstretched several makeshift bridges in between them, as the soldiers of the Imperium started pouring onto the warships of the Children of Bul-Khatos and massacring barbarians here and there.
It was relatively easy for the Imperials to know who was important and who wasn't because, in the Barbarian society, usually those with higher social status were bigger and stronger, but aside from their physical traits, the greatest indicator were clothes and tattoos.
The barbarians on the ship were already injured from the artillery that was being fired at them some time ago, and when they were met with the ferocious charge of the Imperial Legionaries, they stood no chance as they were quickly killed or subjugated.
***
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Chapter 29 – The Imperial Crusade of Badlands (2)
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Somewhere near the Almorel, with the Army Group Alpha.
Almorel was a sprawling city; buildings were almost all built out of wood and designed to be low and wide, with most households having attached stables and barns as well as gardens and workshops.
It was extremely rare for any building to have more than two stores. Wealthy families or those powerful Barbarians erected stockades around their properties. There were only a few stone buildings, which were mostly built by the population of the grey dwarves who lived in the Almorel.
The grey dwarves of Almorel lived in a series of tunnels beneath the city. Traditionally, barbarians were not allowed down in the tunnels, but the dwarves had set up small guest houses to receive barbarian visitors.
The dwarves did not speak openly about their underground homes, which elicited much rumormongering of the secrets the dwarves kept down there. Most of the dwarves that lived within the Almorel were the ones that were either enslaved by the Barbarians or subjugated by them a very long time ago.
Almorel possessed wooden walls and an ancient six-story wooden tower fortress called the Raumkreml, which was painted black and served as the city's seat of government. The city was also defended by a force of Watchmen, and it also had its own standing army.
In the case of need, the Almorel could be defended by any able man, woman, or child of the Barbarian species, as practically everyone who was capable of holding a weapon could be called to fight.
The Army Group Alpha, which consisted of two Imperial Legions, had effectively surrounded the entirety of the Almorel, as the Barbarians were cut from the means of retreat and the heavy artillery was being placed down.
The entire city was surrounded by the Great Cannons, Mortars, Hellblaster Volley Guns, and Helstrom Rocket Batteries, which were ready for the command to bombard the entire city to oblivion.
Because the Holy Imperator was present at the Army Group Alpha, ironically though, the command over the entire Army Group befell to Karl Franz, who wasn't exactly most thrilled about the idea of commanding the entire Army Group.
Karl Franz personally observed how effectively the Army Groups under the oversight of General Anduin Lothar and General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris were in their acts, together with the Legion Master Artorias the Abysswalker.
"The siege preparations are finished, Your Holy Majesty."
The General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lothar, stated respectfully as he walked up to the Holy Imperator, who was standing on the small hill that was giving him a good view of the Almorel, together with Lady Maria Vileblood and Artorias the Abysswalker, who shadowed over the Holy Imperator for the whole time.
"And the Battle Wizards? Are the magical means of war finished?"
They had entire contingents of the Imperial Battlemage Legion present within the Army Group Alpha, and Karl Franz also ordered the Battle Wizards that were sent here by the Byrgenwerth to prepare the magical sealing of the entire area.
They basically created a domain over the entire city, so nobody would be allowed to enter through the barrier, and nobody would be allowed to leave. Sealing of the entire area was another means to ensure that they wouldn't be attacked by possible reinforcements of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
But that was a very low possibility because the second city, which was standing in the path of the Imperial Crusade, the Fortress City of Quaraband, was also under the siege of the Army Group Beta, so there wouldn't be any reinforcements from there.
And Harrogath was too far to actually send any kind of help to either of the sieged cities and even then, it would be futile because of the Magic interference, so nobody could even send any message for help.
"Everything is finished; we are only waiting for the command to start the bombardment."
General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lothar said, as the Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire nodded and soon gave the command to commence the attack.
"Raze it to the ground..."
Several moments later, everyone heard the deafening sounds of the artillery firing.
***
Fortress City of Almorel
The machines of war of the Holy Arcadia Empire were firing non-stop, be it the Great Cannons, Mortars, Hellblaster Volley Guns, or the Helstrom Rocket Batteries and the hell was unleashed upon the Barbarian Fortress City of the Almorel.
The overwhelming artillery power of the Holy Arcadia Empire wasn't something that the Barbarians could withstand and soon enough, the entire Fortress City, if it could be even called that, was turned into a blazing hell.
Due to the stable supply lines, the Imperials didn't fear a lack of supplies and ammunition and started madly firing at the Almorel, obliterating everything from the face of the earth and ground.
Turning entire city districts into inferno, as they were burned down in a fire, together with most of the inhabitants were being killed. Because the heavy majority of the city was made of civilians, the military personnel of the Almorel was only something about 20% of the overall population.
The bombardment of the Almorel continued for something around half an hour before the Holy Imperator gave the command to stop the bombardment and another command to prepare for the ground invasion.
"Send in half of our forces to clean out the remains of the Almorel. Order the Wizards to cast the protective spells on the Imperial Soldiers to withstand the heat in the city."
The heat from the bombardment in the city was so intense that even the ordinary Imperial Soldiers would have trouble entering the city without proper protection over them.
And naturally, the best protection was that of the Magic, as that would protect them the best; even though the amors of the Imperial Legions had some runes inscribed on them, Karl Franz chose to be extra careful when he ordered the Battle Wizards to cast protections over the Legionaries.
***
1st Regiment of 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind.
Hawthorne Byron was the Commander of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind, an old, seasoned soldier who spent his entire life fighting against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
He was a man with short brown hair and beard and piercing azure blue eyes, stemming from the common origins of the Grand Province of Stormwind. He was also relatively young because he was only sixty years old, an orphan from the streets of the capital city of the Grand Province of Stormwind, the Stormwind City.
When he turned fifteen years old, he entered the Provincial Army of the Grand Province of Stormwind and for the next ten years, he spent on the frontlines against the Children of the Bul-Khatos, having hundreds of kills.
After that, he was recruited into the 10th Imperial Legion, where he rose to the position of Regiment Commander and already commanded a company of 5,000 Imperial Legionaries.
Hawthorne Byron grabbed his one-handed hammer, engraved with the runes of the Great Ones. As a firm believer in the Great Ones, he was also someone who was able to control the Holy Power of the Great Ones, like the former Holy Knight Executioners and now the Stormcast Eternals.
He then looked at five Questors who were in command of five Battalions of his Regiment.
"You all heard the orders; we march in five minutes, everyone prepare your Battalions and the orders are clear; we are taking no survivors, aside from the high-ranking Barbarias, Shamans and Elders."
Regiment Commander Hawthorne Byron issued orders to the Questors of the Battalions, as everyone then went to carry them out and prepare their soldiers for the fight. The soldiers that were tasked with clearing the Almorel or at least what has remained from it, were ordered to kill everything that moved.
Naturally, this meant that all Barbarians who managed to survive the bombardment were to be put to the sword, but only some of the high-ranking ones, such as top warriors, Shamans, Wizards or Elders, were to be taken as prisoners.
Those ones would be either a source of information or be transported into the Byrgenwerth to serve as experimental subjects so they could develop some more advanced Mana-Resistnat Runes and other things from their Genome.
The rest of the ordinary Barbarians, be it warriors or civilians, those ones could be killed instantly because they were of no use to the Imperium.
It wouldn't be the first genocide that the Imperium carried and everybody was certain that it won't be the last one. According to the Final Doctrine of the Holy Imperator, for a better future and certainty, only complete extermination of the enemy would ensure the prosperity of the Imperium.
Thus when the Imperium was fighting some enemy, they would always root them out entirely, not giving them any opportunity to survive any further and cause the Imperium problems in the future.
For that, the Children of Bul-Khatos were too dangerous.
So, the extermination was the only safe way.
The 1st Regiment, numbering 5,000 Imperial Legionaries, was quickly gathered in one place, as everyone stood there in their pristine armor, with facemask helmets covering their faces, as they were holding their halberds and ready to march.
"1st Regiment march!"
Hawthorne Byron shouted as the five thousand Imperial Legionaries started marching in perfect formation toward the ruins of the Almorel.
The Battle Wizards of the Imperial Battlemage Legion put some protective spells on them to protect them from the intense heat and they were ready to go. The heat that was within the Almorel, or the ruins of it, was so intense that it would cause them some light injuries, if not that, then at least some discomfort.
As the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion started marching into the flaming Almorel, everyone was in high spirits. With the bombardment done by the Artillery and Machines of the War and Battle Wizards of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the subsequent ground invasion was a piece of cake.
Most of the resistance was already broken, and there would be zero to no enemies; most of the people were already killed when they bombarded them to oblivion. Nevertheless, because they were going for the complete extermination of the Children of the Bul-Khatos, they needed to be thorough.
For that, the ground invasion and clean-up operation were necessary.
Due to his long military career, Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron saw a lot of situations like this, but this was probably the first time he was leading his men into the flaming inferno.
But he was confident in the soldiers of the Imperium, for the brave sons and daughters that were serving in the Imperial Legion and their Homeland.
When they entered the flaming Almorel, it was evident that the majority of the city was already destroyed, together with its inhabitants. According to the preliminary results from the Spells that were cast by the Battle Wizards present in the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division, only a tiny portion of the original population should have survived.
And even then, most of the people that survived were either right now dying because they were under the rubble of the city, or were being burned alive by some of the infernos that were burning down this place or were succumbing to their injuries.
When the soldiers of the Imperial Legion started marching into the Almorel, they immediately spread out and started searching for survivors of any kind to put them down. It wasn't that hard with some advanced Magic, to locate them all, before they started ruthlessly exterminating them one by one.
Only after five minutes or so did they discover the first wave of the Barbarian soldiers who had survived the artillery bombardment of the Almorel and who were right now counterattacking their forces.
Surprisingly enough, the Barbarian Soldiers that were attacking them were in relatively good state and shape as they were attacking the Imperial Legionaries with newfound hatred and ferocity, not seen anytime before.
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron had to admit that the Children of the Bul-Khatos were strong; they were very, very strong, but their other areas were poor. Most of their weapons were crude, and their protections in terms of armor and supportive equipment were almost non-existent.
This, despite the great physical disparities, especially in terms of physical strength, vitality, and defense, between the Children of Bul-Khatos and the Imperial Legionaries, the Barbarians were the ones at the losing end.
Such was the great advantage of having superior equipment, armor, weapons, supportive equipment, tactics and strategy, and a unified front when advancing, something that the Children of Bul-Khatos lacked.
Yet, even though all things were considered, Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron noticed that his Legionaries were being pushed back by the Barbarians, which was troubling, but it didn't take long for him to realize why such a thing was happening.
"They entered the Blood Rage... this is indeed troubling."
Blood Rage was a special unique state that the Barbarians could enter into, which often resulted in tremendously increased combat prowess. It wasn't often seen, because the requirements for the Children of Bul-Khatos to enter the Blood Rage were severe.
It usually worked in a way where, due to the extreme emotional stimuli, the Barbarians would enter the state of Blood Rage, where all of their physical parameters would increase several folds, their ability to ignore pain would skyrocket, and they would basically fight until they were incapable of fighting one way or another.
It was very similar to that of the Berserker Warriors of the Grand Province of Fenris, who also could enter a similar state, albeit a bit weaker, because they could actually control their transformation to a great degree.
The Barbarians that entered the Blood Rage lost most of their sanity, and they could not even tell foes from friends in most of the cases, though this only made them even more dangerous than ever before, so...
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time that Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron saw something similar and knew how to act when fighting the Barbarians that entered the Blood Rage effectively and without suffering high casualties.
"Order for the retreat, Battle Wizards slow them down and once the Legionaries find defensive positions, create a shield wall and hold the ground."
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron barked one order after another, as eh knew how exactly to deal with the Barbarians that were in the Blood Rage state. As someone who spent his lifetime fighting theme within the Grand Province of Stormwind, he knew of their weakness very well.
The one reason why the Barbarians obtained such high explosive power when they entered the Blood Rage was because they were essentially burning their very own Lifeforce on an almost subconscious level...
So, while this Blood Rage resulted in a tremendous increase of explosive power, but a the same time, the Barbarians could maintain the Blood Rage state only for a very limited amount of time.
And when the time was gone, the music had finished... the ball had ended.
Death has come.
"We need to hold down until the Blood Rage ends and their force depletes, then we won't have any problems to deal with."
Once the Blood Rage has ended, the Barbarians won't be a problem. And from what the Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron saw, the Barbarians here were not the most powerful ones.
The more powerful the Barbarian was, the stronger his Lifeforce was and then, it was equally translated into the length of the Blood Rage. The stronger they were, the longer they could maintain the Blood Rage and the more power they obtained from the Blood Rage.
Fortunately enough, most of the Children of Bul-Khatos were relatively weak in the great scheme of things, so the only thing that they needed to do was to wait. And that was exactly what the 1st Regiment was doing.
Instantly after getting the orders from the Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron, the Legionaries started withdrawing from the parts of the Almorel, where they encountered the Barbarians in the Blood Rage and started searching for the defensive position.
Meanwhile, the Battle Wizards and Gunners of the 1st Regiment, be they of the Gunner Cohorts of Heavy Crossbow Cohort were covering the retreat of the Infantry of the 1st Regiment and very effectively at that.
Battle Wizards were casting elemental spells that were meant to hinder the progress of the Barbarians or to bind them down, while the Gunner Cohors or Heavy Crossbow Cohorts were aiming at the weak, unprotected spots of the Barbarians to bring them down.
When the infantry of the 1st Regiment found an excellent position to defend, they created a shield wall from their shields and put their halberds out so they could strike the incoming Barbarians while the volleys from the Guns and Heavy Crossbows were still being shot at the Children of Bul-Khatos.
While a few of the Barbarians in the Blood Rage state were killed by the Guns and Heavy Crossbows, it didn't really change the overall fact that soon enough, the Blood Rage Barbarians clashed with the Imperial Legionaries that were holding up the shield wall.
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron observed how the Imperial Legionaries of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion defended against the Blood Rage Barbarians, as they were falling down.
Once the Imperial Legionaries created the shield wall around a very well-defendable position, they started counterattacking the Blood Rage Children of Bul-Khatos. The Barbarians that were within the effects of the Blood Rage completely lost their very own sanity and any resemblance of the logic and reason.
When they saw the shield wall around the place, the first thing that they did was to rush madly at the position of the Imperial Legionaries without any care for anything within the world and tried breaching the shield wall.
"Send them greetings from the Crane Gunners."
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron ordered as it was time to speed up this endeavor because he noticed that due to the state of the Blood Rage that was prevalent among the Barbarians fighting his men, they were able to take even a few projectiles from the Guns before they were killed.
Their ability to ignore the pain and even increased healing factor was proving to be a great hindrance and the Imperial Legionaries within the shield wall were mainly focusing on the defense and not on the offense.
The mighty Crane Gun requires two people to lift, set up, and fire. One is positioned at the trigger, ready to sight and shoot anything in a massive range. The other carries the tower shield on which the gun rests, steadying the shooter as well as providing built-in cover.
It is a specialist device for the highly trained, but it can be devastatingly effective when properly employed. Range and precision are nothing to scoff at, especially if they are pointed at your head.
The firepower of the Crane Gun was many times higher than that of the ordinary gun, especially considering the fact, that with the newest Runic Enhancements over the guns, the Crane Guns were even more fearsome than even before.
The effect was almost immediate, as the Crane Guns took the position on the half-destroyed buildings and like small portable canons they were, they started firing rounds at the incoming Barbarians in the Blood Rage.
Contrary to the ordinary guns that required at least a few of the good-positioned shots at the Barbarian in the Blood Rage to kill them, one shot from the Crane Gun was enough to cull them down, as they were shooting almost non-stop for more than ten minutes.
Together with the cooperation of other Gunners, Heavy Crossbowmen and Battle Wizards, they were able to clear out the Barbarians in the Blood Rage inducted state rather easily within the next half an hour.
This was already being considered as a splendid result because they suffered very low casualties numbering only a few tens, which was already far better than anyone could actually ask for.
So the Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron was very pleased with the results, as he then started barking another wave of the orders now that they had dealt with the Barbarians, as according to the Wizards, they were already safe.
The reconnaissance spells were not showing any hostiles or enemies in their vicinity and he already got a message from the other Commanders that they too, encountered and cleared out the remnants of the Children of Bul-Khatos within the Almorel.
"Advance deeper into the city, search through the ruins of the building and kill the survivors, advance into the central castle and search every nook and cranny of it, link with the 3rd Regiment of 2nd Divison and 1st Regiment of 1st Division that are advancing into the central castle."
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron ordered as it was time to finish the fun within the Almorel because the real battle would await them at the Harrogath and Mout Aralat. That would be where the real fun began, this time, it was only an appetizer.
Cleaning out the rest of the Almorel wasn't much of a problem, because the majority of the resistance coming from the Children of Bul-Khatos was already broken during the time when the first Regiments of the 10th Imperial Legions entered the flaming ruins of the city.
***
MC POV
Listening to the reports that were coming during the battle was probably one of the most exciting things to do during the battle. It was always something that I enjoyed, especially when the good news was flooding in like in this case.
Right now, I was within the command center of the G-1 Base Landcruiser, which was the newest machine of war, straight out of the Forges of the Ironforge in collaboration with other Dwarven Clans and Byrgenwerth itself.
G-1 Base Landcruiser was an enormous machine of war, something akin to a movable mobile fortress of steel and margin, which housed a series of facilities, like an entire armory, field hospital, command center and many other things.
Right now, there was only a single one constructed and it was given to the Imperial House, before the Imperial Crusade started, I got a request from the Dwarves to test it in the field because, in the future, it would be mass-produced.
The overall plan was to distribute one for every single Imperial Legion because it would tremendously increase the combat prowess of the Imperial Legions if they had a movable fortress, because, despite its enormous size, this thing was pretty useful.
Considering the number of weapons and features that the Dwarves and Scholars of Byrgenwerth built here, It would be disappointing if it wasn't.
"Your Holy Majesty, the Almorel was effectively destroyed and right now the Imperial Legionaries are searching through the ruins of the city, but according to the preliminary results, there are no things of importance or interest."
Anduin Lothar the General of the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind, submitted the report, as I just nodded my head, because the result was already predictable and nothing new.
"How are our casualties?"
I asked about the more negative aspect of waging war, but since the establishment of the Holy Imperium, things often turned out for the good, especially when it came to healthcare and giving the soldiers the best healthcare and protection means as possible.
"Overall we lost only around 350 of the Imperial Legionaries due to the surprise attacks by the Barbarians that survived the artillery bombardment and subsequent fire and entered the Blood Rage state. Fortunately, the commanders that were present on the battlefield acted swiftly and executed tactics that were developed to handle such problems."
Imperial General Anduin Lothar said with a certain degree of pride in his voice as he said that he was one of the people who developed the so-called Anti-Barbarian Tactics that was right now commonly used against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
"We need to head toward the Harrogath and Mount Arreat before the leadership of the Barbarians recall the rest of their population to defend their sacred places."
I said that right now,m we were in some sort of theoretical race against time because it was clear that a large part of the population was living outside of the Harrogath, as the Barbarians were not really an urbanized society.
Due to the fundamental nature of the Harrogath and Mount Arreat as Holy Sites for their race, it was relatively hard to get a permanent residence in that place and only members of the powerful Clans and Tribes of the Children of the Bul-Khatos were allowed to live there permanently.
I was aware that sooner or later, hopefully later, the leadership of the Harrogath, the Elder Council, will recall all of their members back to the Harrogath and Mount Arreat to defend their most holy place within the Badlands, where they will make their final stand.
Such a situation was, naturally, unacceptable.
"We also got the report from the Army Group Beta and Army Group Delta."
I turned my sight to one of the members of the Imperial Military Intelligence who was assigned to the Army Group Alpha. The person who spoke was in charge of the Intelligence and Information exchange between various branches of the Imperial Military.
"And?"
If the results of the attack on Quarabrand and the southern coast of the Badlands were the same as ours on the Almorel, then we have basically accomplished Phase 1 of the invasion, which would be great progress.
The Children of the Bul-Khatos would be bound and imprisoned within the Badlands with no possibility of escape. With them constrained to the Badlands and no possibility of escape, the Imperium would have no problem when it came to the systematic extermination of their species.
"The 1st Imperial Fleet led by Admiral Euron Greyjoy has completely decimated the Navy of the Children of the Bul-Khatos and took over the entire southern coast of the Badlands. As we speak right now, the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn should be securing the last remaining holds of the Barbarians on the coast."
The unnamed man from the Imperial Military Intelligence reported I smiled hearing that, because this was a splendid piece of news. With the sea routes cut down, they don't have anywhere to escape, and we are not even talking about the possible reinforcements from the Orks of the Orklands.
The Imperial Military Intelligence already concluded that there was a relatively high chance of some of the Orkish Tribes and more powerful Klanz or even Warbands sending reinforcements for the Barbarians in case they were attacked by the Imperium.
Now that the sea routes were held by the Imperium, the Orks would need to clash with our Fleets on the sea and that would result in their loss because even though the Imperium wasn't really used to the concepts of Naval Warfare, the Greenskisn were even less.
Not to mention, this was a problem that we were already working on correcting now that we obtained someone with real experience when it came to Naval Warfare.
"That is indeed splendid news... and of the Army Group Beta?"
The Army Group Beta consisted of the 4th Imperial Legion of Faelor, the 8th Imperial Legion of Caladan and the 3rd Legion of the Silver Knights led by the Legion Master Hawkey Gough.
"The siege of the Quarabrand was executed as planned and the city was captured with minimal casualties with the entire population being exterminated. Only a few of the strongest Barbarians that somehow managed to survive were captured and transported to the Byrgenwerth as test subjects."
This wasn't a surprising result, considering the size and strength of each of the Army Groups that were participating in the Imperial Crusade. With their firepower, they were able to raze the Qaurabrand to the ground, even faster than the Army Group Alpha.
But the real reason for that was that Almorel was actually a bigger city of the two of them and had an even bigger population, so we were stuck at the siege of the Almorel for a bit longer, while Army Group Beta was already advancing on the Harrogant near the Mount Arreat.
"Is there anything of importance to report?"
I asked when I noticed that this was probably the end of the report, as the person from the Imperial Military Intelligence shook his head in denial, so this meant that we could advance further on the Harrogath.
"Now that we heard the reports, we need to strike at the Harrogath as fast as possible, what is the approximate time in linking with the Army Group Beta?"
Looking at the two generals of the Imperial Legions, for a brief time, General Anduin Lothar and General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris before the General of the 5th Imperial Legion stepped forward to answer.
"In a few days, we would be within reach and could create a wall against the potential counterattacks from the Children of the Bul-Khatos."
When they linked together, the two Army Groups would be able to support each other in case one of them was attacked. The HighCom of the Imperial Military counted on the possibility of the Barbarians organizing large-scale counterattacks against their Crusading Forces.
Still, considering all the facts, I doubted that the Barbarians would organize any kind of large-scale counterattack because they were right now facing different problems, namely the incoming collapse of their fortifications on the southern coast and also, they lacked inner unity for such an act.
The Elder Council formally ruled their entire species and the territory of the Badlands consisted of the representatives of the most powerful Tribes and many of them had very deep-seeded hatred for each other or very different philosophies of life.
***
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Almorel was a sprawling city; buildings were almost all built out of wood and designed to be low and wide, with most households having attached stables and barns as well as gardens and workshops.
It was extremely rare for any building to have more than two stores. Wealthy families or those powerful Barbarians erected stockades around their properties. There were only a few stone buildings, which were mostly built by the population of the grey dwarves who lived in the Almorel.
The grey dwarves of Almorel lived in a series of tunnels beneath the city. Traditionally, barbarians were not allowed down in the tunnels, but the dwarves had set up small guest houses to receive barbarian visitors.
The dwarves did not speak openly about their underground homes, which elicited much rumormongering of the secrets the dwarves kept down there. Most of the dwarves that lived within the Almorel were the ones that were either enslaved by the Barbarians or subjugated by them a very long time ago.
Almorel possessed wooden walls and an ancient six-story wooden tower fortress called the Raumkreml, which was painted black and served as the city's seat of government. The city was also defended by a force of Watchmen, and it also had its own standing army.
In the case of need, the Almorel could be defended by any able man, woman, or child of the Barbarian species, as practically everyone who was capable of holding a weapon could be called to fight.
The Army Group Alpha, which consisted of two Imperial Legions, had effectively surrounded the entirety of the Almorel, as the Barbarians were cut from the means of retreat and the heavy artillery was being placed down.
The entire city was surrounded by the Great Cannons, Mortars, Hellblaster Volley Guns, and Helstrom Rocket Batteries, which were ready for the command to bombard the entire city to oblivion.
Because the Holy Imperator was present at the Army Group Alpha, ironically though, the command over the entire Army Group befell to Karl Franz, who wasn't exactly most thrilled about the idea of commanding the entire Army Group.
Karl Franz personally observed how effectively the Army Groups under the oversight of General Anduin Lothar and General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris were in their acts, together with the Legion Master Artorias the Abysswalker.
"The siege preparations are finished, Your Holy Majesty."
The General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lothar, stated respectfully as he walked up to the Holy Imperator, who was standing on the small hill that was giving him a good view of the Almorel, together with Lady Maria Vileblood and Artorias the Abysswalker, who shadowed over the Holy Imperator for the whole time.
"And the Battle Wizards? Are the magical means of war finished?"
They had entire contingents of the Imperial Battlemage Legion present within the Army Group Alpha, and Karl Franz also ordered the Battle Wizards that were sent here by the Byrgenwerth to prepare the magical sealing of the entire area.
They basically created a domain over the entire city, so nobody would be allowed to enter through the barrier, and nobody would be allowed to leave. Sealing of the entire area was another means to ensure that they wouldn't be attacked by possible reinforcements of the Children of Bul-Khatos.
But that was a very low possibility because the second city, which was standing in the path of the Imperial Crusade, the Fortress City of Quaraband, was also under the siege of the Army Group Beta, so there wouldn't be any reinforcements from there.
And Harrogath was too far to actually send any kind of help to either of the sieged cities and even then, it would be futile because of the Magic interference, so nobody could even send any message for help.
"Everything is finished; we are only waiting for the command to start the bombardment."
General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lothar said, as the Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire nodded and soon gave the command to commence the attack.
"Raze it to the ground..."
Several moments later, everyone heard the deafening sounds of the artillery firing.
***
Fortress City of Almorel
The machines of war of the Holy Arcadia Empire were firing non-stop, be it the Great Cannons, Mortars, Hellblaster Volley Guns, or the Helstrom Rocket Batteries and the hell was unleashed upon the Barbarian Fortress City of the Almorel.
The overwhelming artillery power of the Holy Arcadia Empire wasn't something that the Barbarians could withstand and soon enough, the entire Fortress City, if it could be even called that, was turned into a blazing hell.
Due to the stable supply lines, the Imperials didn't fear a lack of supplies and ammunition and started madly firing at the Almorel, obliterating everything from the face of the earth and ground.
Turning entire city districts into inferno, as they were burned down in a fire, together with most of the inhabitants were being killed. Because the heavy majority of the city was made of civilians, the military personnel of the Almorel was only something about 20% of the overall population.
The bombardment of the Almorel continued for something around half an hour before the Holy Imperator gave the command to stop the bombardment and another command to prepare for the ground invasion.
"Send in half of our forces to clean out the remains of the Almorel. Order the Wizards to cast the protective spells on the Imperial Soldiers to withstand the heat in the city."
The heat from the bombardment in the city was so intense that even the ordinary Imperial Soldiers would have trouble entering the city without proper protection over them.
And naturally, the best protection was that of the Magic, as that would protect them the best; even though the amors of the Imperial Legions had some runes inscribed on them, Karl Franz chose to be extra careful when he ordered the Battle Wizards to cast protections over the Legionaries.
***
1st Regiment of 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind.
Hawthorne Byron was the Commander of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind, an old, seasoned soldier who spent his entire life fighting against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
He was a man with short brown hair and beard and piercing azure blue eyes, stemming from the common origins of the Grand Province of Stormwind. He was also relatively young because he was only sixty years old, an orphan from the streets of the capital city of the Grand Province of Stormwind, the Stormwind City.
When he turned fifteen years old, he entered the Provincial Army of the Grand Province of Stormwind and for the next ten years, he spent on the frontlines against the Children of the Bul-Khatos, having hundreds of kills.
After that, he was recruited into the 10th Imperial Legion, where he rose to the position of Regiment Commander and already commanded a company of 5,000 Imperial Legionaries.
Hawthorne Byron grabbed his one-handed hammer, engraved with the runes of the Great Ones. As a firm believer in the Great Ones, he was also someone who was able to control the Holy Power of the Great Ones, like the former Holy Knight Executioners and now the Stormcast Eternals.
He then looked at five Questors who were in command of five Battalions of his Regiment.
"You all heard the orders; we march in five minutes, everyone prepare your Battalions and the orders are clear; we are taking no survivors, aside from the high-ranking Barbarias, Shamans and Elders."
Regiment Commander Hawthorne Byron issued orders to the Questors of the Battalions, as everyone then went to carry them out and prepare their soldiers for the fight. The soldiers that were tasked with clearing the Almorel or at least what has remained from it, were ordered to kill everything that moved.
Naturally, this meant that all Barbarians who managed to survive the bombardment were to be put to the sword, but only some of the high-ranking ones, such as top warriors, Shamans, Wizards or Elders, were to be taken as prisoners.
Those ones would be either a source of information or be transported into the Byrgenwerth to serve as experimental subjects so they could develop some more advanced Mana-Resistnat Runes and other things from their Genome.
The rest of the ordinary Barbarians, be it warriors or civilians, those ones could be killed instantly because they were of no use to the Imperium.
It wouldn't be the first genocide that the Imperium carried and everybody was certain that it won't be the last one. According to the Final Doctrine of the Holy Imperator, for a better future and certainty, only complete extermination of the enemy would ensure the prosperity of the Imperium.
Thus when the Imperium was fighting some enemy, they would always root them out entirely, not giving them any opportunity to survive any further and cause the Imperium problems in the future.
For that, the Children of Bul-Khatos were too dangerous.
So, the extermination was the only safe way.
The 1st Regiment, numbering 5,000 Imperial Legionaries, was quickly gathered in one place, as everyone stood there in their pristine armor, with facemask helmets covering their faces, as they were holding their halberds and ready to march.
"1st Regiment march!"
Hawthorne Byron shouted as the five thousand Imperial Legionaries started marching in perfect formation toward the ruins of the Almorel.
The Battle Wizards of the Imperial Battlemage Legion put some protective spells on them to protect them from the intense heat and they were ready to go. The heat that was within the Almorel, or the ruins of it, was so intense that it would cause them some light injuries, if not that, then at least some discomfort.
As the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion started marching into the flaming Almorel, everyone was in high spirits. With the bombardment done by the Artillery and Machines of the War and Battle Wizards of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the subsequent ground invasion was a piece of cake.
Most of the resistance was already broken, and there would be zero to no enemies; most of the people were already killed when they bombarded them to oblivion. Nevertheless, because they were going for the complete extermination of the Children of the Bul-Khatos, they needed to be thorough.
For that, the ground invasion and clean-up operation were necessary.
Due to his long military career, Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron saw a lot of situations like this, but this was probably the first time he was leading his men into the flaming inferno.
But he was confident in the soldiers of the Imperium, for the brave sons and daughters that were serving in the Imperial Legion and their Homeland.
When they entered the flaming Almorel, it was evident that the majority of the city was already destroyed, together with its inhabitants. According to the preliminary results from the Spells that were cast by the Battle Wizards present in the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division, only a tiny portion of the original population should have survived.
And even then, most of the people that survived were either right now dying because they were under the rubble of the city, or were being burned alive by some of the infernos that were burning down this place or were succumbing to their injuries.
When the soldiers of the Imperial Legion started marching into the Almorel, they immediately spread out and started searching for survivors of any kind to put them down. It wasn't that hard with some advanced Magic, to locate them all, before they started ruthlessly exterminating them one by one.
Only after five minutes or so did they discover the first wave of the Barbarian soldiers who had survived the artillery bombardment of the Almorel and who were right now counterattacking their forces.
Surprisingly enough, the Barbarian Soldiers that were attacking them were in relatively good state and shape as they were attacking the Imperial Legionaries with newfound hatred and ferocity, not seen anytime before.
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron had to admit that the Children of the Bul-Khatos were strong; they were very, very strong, but their other areas were poor. Most of their weapons were crude, and their protections in terms of armor and supportive equipment were almost non-existent.
This, despite the great physical disparities, especially in terms of physical strength, vitality, and defense, between the Children of Bul-Khatos and the Imperial Legionaries, the Barbarians were the ones at the losing end.
Such was the great advantage of having superior equipment, armor, weapons, supportive equipment, tactics and strategy, and a unified front when advancing, something that the Children of Bul-Khatos lacked.
Yet, even though all things were considered, Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron noticed that his Legionaries were being pushed back by the Barbarians, which was troubling, but it didn't take long for him to realize why such a thing was happening.
"They entered the Blood Rage... this is indeed troubling."
Blood Rage was a special unique state that the Barbarians could enter into, which often resulted in tremendously increased combat prowess. It wasn't often seen, because the requirements for the Children of Bul-Khatos to enter the Blood Rage were severe.
It usually worked in a way where, due to the extreme emotional stimuli, the Barbarians would enter the state of Blood Rage, where all of their physical parameters would increase several folds, their ability to ignore pain would skyrocket, and they would basically fight until they were incapable of fighting one way or another.
It was very similar to that of the Berserker Warriors of the Grand Province of Fenris, who also could enter a similar state, albeit a bit weaker, because they could actually control their transformation to a great degree.
The Barbarians that entered the Blood Rage lost most of their sanity, and they could not even tell foes from friends in most of the cases, though this only made them even more dangerous than ever before, so...
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time that Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron saw something similar and knew how to act when fighting the Barbarians that entered the Blood Rage effectively and without suffering high casualties.
"Order for the retreat, Battle Wizards slow them down and once the Legionaries find defensive positions, create a shield wall and hold the ground."
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron barked one order after another, as eh knew how exactly to deal with the Barbarians that were in the Blood Rage state. As someone who spent his lifetime fighting theme within the Grand Province of Stormwind, he knew of their weakness very well.
The one reason why the Barbarians obtained such high explosive power when they entered the Blood Rage was because they were essentially burning their very own Lifeforce on an almost subconscious level...
So, while this Blood Rage resulted in a tremendous increase of explosive power, but a the same time, the Barbarians could maintain the Blood Rage state only for a very limited amount of time.
And when the time was gone, the music had finished... the ball had ended.
Death has come.
"We need to hold down until the Blood Rage ends and their force depletes, then we won't have any problems to deal with."
Once the Blood Rage has ended, the Barbarians won't be a problem. And from what the Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron saw, the Barbarians here were not the most powerful ones.
The more powerful the Barbarian was, the stronger his Lifeforce was and then, it was equally translated into the length of the Blood Rage. The stronger they were, the longer they could maintain the Blood Rage and the more power they obtained from the Blood Rage.
Fortunately enough, most of the Children of Bul-Khatos were relatively weak in the great scheme of things, so the only thing that they needed to do was to wait. And that was exactly what the 1st Regiment was doing.
Instantly after getting the orders from the Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron, the Legionaries started withdrawing from the parts of the Almorel, where they encountered the Barbarians in the Blood Rage and started searching for the defensive position.
Meanwhile, the Battle Wizards and Gunners of the 1st Regiment, be they of the Gunner Cohorts of Heavy Crossbow Cohort were covering the retreat of the Infantry of the 1st Regiment and very effectively at that.
Battle Wizards were casting elemental spells that were meant to hinder the progress of the Barbarians or to bind them down, while the Gunner Cohors or Heavy Crossbow Cohorts were aiming at the weak, unprotected spots of the Barbarians to bring them down.
When the infantry of the 1st Regiment found an excellent position to defend, they created a shield wall from their shields and put their halberds out so they could strike the incoming Barbarians while the volleys from the Guns and Heavy Crossbows were still being shot at the Children of Bul-Khatos.
While a few of the Barbarians in the Blood Rage state were killed by the Guns and Heavy Crossbows, it didn't really change the overall fact that soon enough, the Blood Rage Barbarians clashed with the Imperial Legionaries that were holding up the shield wall.
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron observed how the Imperial Legionaries of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 10th Imperial Legion defended against the Blood Rage Barbarians, as they were falling down.
Once the Imperial Legionaries created the shield wall around a very well-defendable position, they started counterattacking the Blood Rage Children of Bul-Khatos. The Barbarians that were within the effects of the Blood Rage completely lost their very own sanity and any resemblance of the logic and reason.
When they saw the shield wall around the place, the first thing that they did was to rush madly at the position of the Imperial Legionaries without any care for anything within the world and tried breaching the shield wall.
"Send them greetings from the Crane Gunners."
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron ordered as it was time to speed up this endeavor because he noticed that due to the state of the Blood Rage that was prevalent among the Barbarians fighting his men, they were able to take even a few projectiles from the Guns before they were killed.
Their ability to ignore the pain and even increased healing factor was proving to be a great hindrance and the Imperial Legionaries within the shield wall were mainly focusing on the defense and not on the offense.
The mighty Crane Gun requires two people to lift, set up, and fire. One is positioned at the trigger, ready to sight and shoot anything in a massive range. The other carries the tower shield on which the gun rests, steadying the shooter as well as providing built-in cover.
It is a specialist device for the highly trained, but it can be devastatingly effective when properly employed. Range and precision are nothing to scoff at, especially if they are pointed at your head.
The firepower of the Crane Gun was many times higher than that of the ordinary gun, especially considering the fact, that with the newest Runic Enhancements over the guns, the Crane Guns were even more fearsome than even before.
The effect was almost immediate, as the Crane Guns took the position on the half-destroyed buildings and like small portable canons they were, they started firing rounds at the incoming Barbarians in the Blood Rage.
Contrary to the ordinary guns that required at least a few of the good-positioned shots at the Barbarian in the Blood Rage to kill them, one shot from the Crane Gun was enough to cull them down, as they were shooting almost non-stop for more than ten minutes.
Together with the cooperation of other Gunners, Heavy Crossbowmen and Battle Wizards, they were able to clear out the Barbarians in the Blood Rage inducted state rather easily within the next half an hour.
This was already being considered as a splendid result because they suffered very low casualties numbering only a few tens, which was already far better than anyone could actually ask for.
So the Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron was very pleased with the results, as he then started barking another wave of the orders now that they had dealt with the Barbarians, as according to the Wizards, they were already safe.
The reconnaissance spells were not showing any hostiles or enemies in their vicinity and he already got a message from the other Commanders that they too, encountered and cleared out the remnants of the Children of Bul-Khatos within the Almorel.
"Advance deeper into the city, search through the ruins of the building and kill the survivors, advance into the central castle and search every nook and cranny of it, link with the 3rd Regiment of 2nd Divison and 1st Regiment of 1st Division that are advancing into the central castle."
Regimental Commander Hawthorne Byron ordered as it was time to finish the fun within the Almorel because the real battle would await them at the Harrogath and Mout Aralat. That would be where the real fun began, this time, it was only an appetizer.
Cleaning out the rest of the Almorel wasn't much of a problem, because the majority of the resistance coming from the Children of Bul-Khatos was already broken during the time when the first Regiments of the 10th Imperial Legions entered the flaming ruins of the city.
***
MC POV
Listening to the reports that were coming during the battle was probably one of the most exciting things to do during the battle. It was always something that I enjoyed, especially when the good news was flooding in like in this case.
Right now, I was within the command center of the G-1 Base Landcruiser, which was the newest machine of war, straight out of the Forges of the Ironforge in collaboration with other Dwarven Clans and Byrgenwerth itself.
G-1 Base Landcruiser was an enormous machine of war, something akin to a movable mobile fortress of steel and margin, which housed a series of facilities, like an entire armory, field hospital, command center and many other things.
Right now, there was only a single one constructed and it was given to the Imperial House, before the Imperial Crusade started, I got a request from the Dwarves to test it in the field because, in the future, it would be mass-produced.
The overall plan was to distribute one for every single Imperial Legion because it would tremendously increase the combat prowess of the Imperial Legions if they had a movable fortress, because, despite its enormous size, this thing was pretty useful.
Considering the number of weapons and features that the Dwarves and Scholars of Byrgenwerth built here, It would be disappointing if it wasn't.
"Your Holy Majesty, the Almorel was effectively destroyed and right now the Imperial Legionaries are searching through the ruins of the city, but according to the preliminary results, there are no things of importance or interest."
Anduin Lothar the General of the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind, submitted the report, as I just nodded my head, because the result was already predictable and nothing new.
"How are our casualties?"
I asked about the more negative aspect of waging war, but since the establishment of the Holy Imperium, things often turned out for the good, especially when it came to healthcare and giving the soldiers the best healthcare and protection means as possible.
"Overall we lost only around 350 of the Imperial Legionaries due to the surprise attacks by the Barbarians that survived the artillery bombardment and subsequent fire and entered the Blood Rage state. Fortunately, the commanders that were present on the battlefield acted swiftly and executed tactics that were developed to handle such problems."
Imperial General Anduin Lothar said with a certain degree of pride in his voice as he said that he was one of the people who developed the so-called Anti-Barbarian Tactics that was right now commonly used against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
"We need to head toward the Harrogath and Mount Arreat before the leadership of the Barbarians recall the rest of their population to defend their sacred places."
I said that right now,m we were in some sort of theoretical race against time because it was clear that a large part of the population was living outside of the Harrogath, as the Barbarians were not really an urbanized society.
Due to the fundamental nature of the Harrogath and Mount Arreat as Holy Sites for their race, it was relatively hard to get a permanent residence in that place and only members of the powerful Clans and Tribes of the Children of the Bul-Khatos were allowed to live there permanently.
I was aware that sooner or later, hopefully later, the leadership of the Harrogath, the Elder Council, will recall all of their members back to the Harrogath and Mount Arreat to defend their most holy place within the Badlands, where they will make their final stand.
Such a situation was, naturally, unacceptable.
"We also got the report from the Army Group Beta and Army Group Delta."
I turned my sight to one of the members of the Imperial Military Intelligence who was assigned to the Army Group Alpha. The person who spoke was in charge of the Intelligence and Information exchange between various branches of the Imperial Military.
"And?"
If the results of the attack on Quarabrand and the southern coast of the Badlands were the same as ours on the Almorel, then we have basically accomplished Phase 1 of the invasion, which would be great progress.
The Children of the Bul-Khatos would be bound and imprisoned within the Badlands with no possibility of escape. With them constrained to the Badlands and no possibility of escape, the Imperium would have no problem when it came to the systematic extermination of their species.
"The 1st Imperial Fleet led by Admiral Euron Greyjoy has completely decimated the Navy of the Children of the Bul-Khatos and took over the entire southern coast of the Badlands. As we speak right now, the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn should be securing the last remaining holds of the Barbarians on the coast."
The unnamed man from the Imperial Military Intelligence reported I smiled hearing that, because this was a splendid piece of news. With the sea routes cut down, they don't have anywhere to escape, and we are not even talking about the possible reinforcements from the Orks of the Orklands.
The Imperial Military Intelligence already concluded that there was a relatively high chance of some of the Orkish Tribes and more powerful Klanz or even Warbands sending reinforcements for the Barbarians in case they were attacked by the Imperium.
Now that the sea routes were held by the Imperium, the Orks would need to clash with our Fleets on the sea and that would result in their loss because even though the Imperium wasn't really used to the concepts of Naval Warfare, the Greenskisn were even less.
Not to mention, this was a problem that we were already working on correcting now that we obtained someone with real experience when it came to Naval Warfare.
"That is indeed splendid news... and of the Army Group Beta?"
The Army Group Beta consisted of the 4th Imperial Legion of Faelor, the 8th Imperial Legion of Caladan and the 3rd Legion of the Silver Knights led by the Legion Master Hawkey Gough.
"The siege of the Quarabrand was executed as planned and the city was captured with minimal casualties with the entire population being exterminated. Only a few of the strongest Barbarians that somehow managed to survive were captured and transported to the Byrgenwerth as test subjects."
This wasn't a surprising result, considering the size and strength of each of the Army Groups that were participating in the Imperial Crusade. With their firepower, they were able to raze the Qaurabrand to the ground, even faster than the Army Group Alpha.
But the real reason for that was that Almorel was actually a bigger city of the two of them and had an even bigger population, so we were stuck at the siege of the Almorel for a bit longer, while Army Group Beta was already advancing on the Harrogant near the Mount Arreat.
"Is there anything of importance to report?"
I asked when I noticed that this was probably the end of the report, as the person from the Imperial Military Intelligence shook his head in denial, so this meant that we could advance further on the Harrogath.
"Now that we heard the reports, we need to strike at the Harrogath as fast as possible, what is the approximate time in linking with the Army Group Beta?"
Looking at the two generals of the Imperial Legions, for a brief time, General Anduin Lothar and General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris before the General of the 5th Imperial Legion stepped forward to answer.
"In a few days, we would be within reach and could create a wall against the potential counterattacks from the Children of the Bul-Khatos."
When they linked together, the two Army Groups would be able to support each other in case one of them was attacked. The HighCom of the Imperial Military counted on the possibility of the Barbarians organizing large-scale counterattacks against their Crusading Forces.
Still, considering all the facts, I doubted that the Barbarians would organize any kind of large-scale counterattack because they were right now facing different problems, namely the incoming collapse of their fortifications on the southern coast and also, they lacked inner unity for such an act.
The Elder Council formally ruled their entire species and the territory of the Badlands consisted of the representatives of the most powerful Tribes and many of them had very deep-seeded hatred for each other or very different philosophies of life.
***
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