In the year that follows the Komaran army’s victory at Sirocco, two noteworthy presentations are made to the Royal Council. The first, given by the baroness Phoebe Bellatrix, details the progress of the Church’s peacekeeping force within Komaru. The second, given by the marquess Mineko Minamet, details the aftermath of the Komaran occupation of the desert city Sirocco. Stories of both speeches spread throughout the land, and in the telling the tales grow. By the spring of 213, the countryside is rife with rumors: that the Church reigns in the kingdom once more, or that the peacekeeping force levied by the nobility is paid more richly than any king, or even just that they are paid in the flesh of peasant children. Other peasants spread stories of rebellious peacekeepers overthrowing the kingdom’s laws to establish a realm ruled by the peasantry, often in the same taverns as peasants telling stories of the peacekeepers’ ties to darker powers. Then, as the winter ends, even these stories pale before a new rumor of the destruction of the Crown Prince’s army in Sirocco. As the snows melt, much of Komaru finds itself bogged down beneath a morass of lies.
And yet, even the nobility, the holders of the true words spoken by Phoebe and Mineko, cannot escape the lies.
Lady Phoebe Bellatrix, Baroness of Straightwall, delivered the following statement to the Royal Council on 6 Waxing of 17, Paraceln 212, as recorded by the Council Scribe Pedro Minamet.
Your Graces, Excellencies, and Lords and Ladies of the
Royal Council. For the past season, I have acted on the behalf of the Principal
Light Alnarim of the Church of Inner Light to play a crucial role within
Komaru. From the moment I was asked to step in to replace the unfortunate Luminance
Aimery du Bois, I knew the critical importance of my task. Now, at the head of
a great force of Komaru’s finest soldiers, I have ensured that the rioting that
has gripped this land has been brought to an end. Once more, the towns,
villages, and roads of the kingdom are safe.
This effort is the result of a joint project between
the Yuasa and the Church, with generous assistance from many other families
throughout Komaru. However, it is my honor and privilege to share with you the
knowledge that one of your own, His Grace Faust Yuasa, Duke of Alban, has acted
above and beyond the boundaries of his position to gather support for this
effort. Due to his generous funding, wheat and rice stores have been purchased
and distributed to regions of discontent, a well-funded peacekeeping force has
dealt with the majority of the country’s malcontents, and in general the peace
of the realm has been assured. I am pleased to share with you the news that a
coalition of merchants has already commissioned a statue of His Grace, to be
displayed here within the Royal Capital in tribute to his generosity. Your
Grace, I bow to you.
That said, there remain matters concerning the
distribution of the peacekeeping force that may interest you as a whole.
Doubtless, you have already heard the latest rounds of songs detailing the, ah,
prowess of some of the more accomplished mercenaries. I assure you that while
such stories are not exaggerated….
Ah, yes, I do find that just as funny as you.
Nevertheless, let me assure you that the peacekeeping force has no desire to
trespass on the territory of the nobility it is protecting. As always, my lords
and ladies, the first blossoms of spring are yours to sample. And, furthermore,
let me assure you that the rumors of a population boom, while very true, will
simply ensure that there are sufficient peasants to work your lands in the
coming years.
You may also have heard about the peacekeeping force’s
actions in the city of Hotei. While investigating rumors of unrest in the city,
our forces encountered a renegade cell of what we believe to have been members
of the Twilight Crux. Unlike the majority of their order, it seems they lacked
the sense to cooperate with the Touraine family, and instead chose to attempt
to call upon darkened powers to lash out at the nobility. We believe they may
have even been responsible for the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince
many years past. I am pleased to say that, to a man, they have been captured
and remanded into the Church’s custody. Already, we have made substantial
progress on investigating other renegade cells with which they have contact.
This matter is now quite well in hand.
Finally, you may have heard of the curious
disappearance of the soldiery on loan from the Minamet family, while on patrol
in the southern edges of Sone lands. While their location remains a mystery, we
are devoting all of our resources to bringing this matter to resolution. We are
quite certain that it will be solved shortly.
Are there any questions that I might answer for the Royal Council’s further edification?
Her Grace Mineko Minamet, Marquess of Last Stand, delivered the following statement to the Royal Council on 4 Waning of 21, Paraceln 212, as recorded by the Council Scribe Pedro Minamet.
Your Graces, Excellencies, and Lords and Ladies of the
Royal Council. I come bearing dire news that concerns the fate of our kingdom.
The Crown Prince Alessandro and his armies are lost.
You have all heard of the battles at the city of
Sirocco by now, I trust, of how last spring the combined army of the Komaru and
the Minamet marched into the desert to challenge the Black Pharaoh on the
outskirts of his lair. In the course of that battle, we faced mighty foes, but
at last, under the leadership of His Excellency Yamato Komaru, we drove the
serpents from their sand-swept city. In the course of the battle, we faced our
true foes: a circle of Aten, the animal-headed demons that grant the desert
dwellers their inhuman powers. My report on this engagement and my subsequent
investigations of our enemy are on record, in the report I have provided to
Yamato-san, but suffice to say that in the months since I have learned much of
our bestial nemesis. As summer aged and died, we fought off countless assaults
from the desert, but throughout the armies of the Minamet and Komaru held
against their foes. We realized quickly that our enemies’ strategy was
changing: rather than trying to attack and hold the city, they were simply
throwing wave after wave of raiders against our defenses. A month ago, we
realized why.
You have all heard of the Aten penchant for
construction. We saw signs of it everywhere in Sirocco: buildings built of
ancient stonework supported by fresh-hewn wood next to mounds of pressed
sandstone carved with myriad designs. As the Aten wasted their troops against
us, they were raising a ring of buildings around us. We realized this before
the circle closed, and pressed to attack them. That was all that let many of us
escape. The forces protecting the Aten construction were small, but there were
many of them. We had to divide the army into many small patrols to attack all
of the sites, and while we triumphed, it was not enough. It was, in fact,
exactly what they had intended we do.
It seems that the sites we attacked were simply
diversions. At each location, we found the entrance into a set of tunnels that
ran into the earth. As we began to explore the tunnel systems, they collapsed,
causing no small amount of loss of life. These sites were some distance from
the city; nearer in, we saw swirls of dust as the tunnels collapsed, followed
by stone pillars that rose from the earth like claws. On my flanks, I could see
the Princess Consort’s army charge the city, but my cavalry were the first to
reach the rising barrier of wind and sand. Whatever the Aten did, it has sealed
the city inside it. I do not know the fate of those within.
Since then, we have maintained a defensive perimeter
around the city, taking advantage of the portions of its oasis not caught
within the sandstorm. We face continuous attacks from the sands, and although
we are holding our own, I do not know how much longer that will be true. I have
heard that the Touraine and others within Komaru have made great strides in
understanding the arts long forgotten to the rest of us. I hope that this
knowledge they possess is enough to find a way to reverse the Aten spell. Until
a solution is found, my place is in the desert.
A season has passed since the desert’s magic swallowed Komaru’s Crown Prince, and the land is uneasy without its lord. In the capital, the Royal Council debates the empty throne and weighs the Princess Consort’s fitness as the kingdom’s Regent. In the east, endless battles against the tides of desert-dwellers batter the kingdom’s defenders, while in the north and south the Yuasa and Sone scheme to proffer their own solutions. But as the cherry blossoms bloom, the kingdom’s eyes once again turn to the west, as a set of simple invitations spread their way across Komaru. Their message is clearly stated:
His Excellency Crescentino Sone, Count of Ketatsu,
cordially invites you to a Colloquium on Komaran Metaphysics and the Cosmos
Deck, to be held at Castle Touraine on the 8th Anniversary of Verity
Touraine’s death. All participants are asked to make a contribution to the
proceedings. Please contact Crescentino Sone
for further details.
And so, in the spring of the 213th year of Paraceln’ Age, the learned and wise of Komaru traveled to the edge of the sea, upon their shoulders the fate of kings.