Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Dynasty of Dovak	By : JohnDoe Category: +A through F > Exalted RPG Views: 4985 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: White Wolf, Exalted and Exalted 3rd Edition are all trademarks of White Wolf Publishing AB, and official characters, names, places and text are copyrighted by White Wolf. I do not own Exalted and I'm not making money from this fiction.

Chapter List
- 64
- 65
- 66
Session 60 – End Chapter 5 – Reya (180XP 144DX, 179/139 spent; 9GP 30SP), Melody (180XP 144DX, 176/143 spent), and Ganan (180XP 144DX, 170/144 spent; 8WhP 44GP 42SP)

Disclaimer: I don’t own Exalted or Aida. I assume Disney owns Aida, no challenge to the rightful copyright holders intended.

Satisfied that the House of Black Waters has been emptied of House Iselsi, Reya and Ganan close and lock the manse, hoping to turn its defensive enchantments against its former owners. When they have time, sorcerous workings will be needed to fully wrest the manse away and subvert its defenses.

Ledaal Ludila arrives on the scene, flanked by a pair of Dynasts and some mortal retainers, and she confirms that Iselsi scions were seen fleeing for the protection of the Palace Sublime.

Melody grumbles, “How can the Mouth of Peace continue to offer shelter to these traitors!”

“The ‘how’ doesn’t matter. But the fact is that she is. We’ve disrupted Iselsi operations here, and I don’t think even these traitors have the gall to plan assassinations from the Palace Sublime.” Reya says with confidence, before turning to Ludila and her companions, “Thank you for bringing support, but it seems it is no longer required.” She gives a courteous bow.

Ludila returns the gesture, “The Flashing Tempest Council has decided that you might need some more direct assistance. We’re are at your disposal. This is my cousin, Ledaal Kebok Coren. Coren, may I present Mnemon Alinos Danireya, and her husband-”

Coren cuts in, “My cousin, Cynis Ganan. How is Aunt Ibelin?”

Ganan gives a stiff bow reserved for family members, “Well, she recently did battle with a ghost of one of the ancients that House Ragara unleashed, and has now returned to guard the Heptagram. How is your grandmother?” He asks awkwardly.

Coren bends easily, and smiles affably, “She’s very well, likely as not to outlive us all.” The sun comes out from behind a cloud and shines brightly on the Dynasts below.

Ludila pulls a face as she tries to work out exactly how closely related she is to Cynis Ganan, before launching into the other introductions. “And this is Sesus Eshuvar.”

Reya’s mind races through her encyclopedic knowledge of whos-who in the Dynasty, “But of course, how are Rela and the children?”

Sesus Eshuvar smiles affably and gives a charming, noncommittal response. “Well, where to?” He says stretching out as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.

Reya points to the North-West, “The Enduring Breath of Hesiesh. We need to rally with Oban, then strike cross-country for Bright Obelisk.”

Sesus Eshuvar tosses his hair casually, “Weeks on the road. So glad that I volunteered.”

“Hours, days maybe,” Melody reassures him as Reya, Nula, and Ludila start casting Stormwind Rider. Eshuvar makes a face to show his discomfort but says nothing.

****

The trail from Sion to the Enduring Breath of Hesiesh is blessedly deserted. Melody easily navigates them back to the manse. The Stormwind Riders blow snow in all directions, Sesus Eshuvar somehow manages to look immaculate as they rush through the hundred-mile-an-hour wind. No snow has settled around the manse, the geothermal heat of the manse melting any stray flakes. It’s evening by the time they reach the manse.

Ganan jumps off the Stormwind and starts to gather up his materials and Melody stops to make sure Clapper is okay as Reya checks in with the others. The camp has vastly expanded, as crude structures in various states of construction have been thrown up to house the legion encamped there. Already camp followers have started to flock to the camp.

Righteous River and Kingfisher Swift intercept Reya and the others, they warmly greet her and the new reinforcements from Sion. River and Swift peel off with Eshuvar, as Reya finds Berit and Oban.

Berit doesn’t look up from the battle-plans she’s drawn up as Reya approaches, “I assume you’ve made good on killing all the Iselsi?” There’s a friendly banter to Berit’s tone.

Reya laughs, lightly, “Unfortunately, most of them fled to the Palace Sublime. I don’t think we’re in a position to attack the Immaculate Order, but we’ve taken their last stronghold of any significance. We can deal with them after the war.”

Berit makes a thoughtful, “hmm” noise, “Oban is in the manse proper. He’s eager to be on the move.”

“How is our position here?” Reya asks, “Is there anything you need before we leave?”

Berit looks up, “House Peleps have withdrawn their troops from the capital, and House Cathak has encamped. This leaves their traditional holdings vulnerable, but I want to gather what forces we have to here the better to make a push for the capital. We’re blockading Ragara into a stalemate. I don’t think Cathak with march this close to Calibration. Of course, if they do then we’re done for, but Cainan has been making noises of conciliation – he thinks we’re beaten, and rumor has it he’s planning a campaign to march on Thorns.”

“Which would solidify his rule, and spend what troops who might rebel against him in a glorious campaign. Ledaal would jump on that, even Sesus would see it as an honorable way out of an endless civil war.” Reya nods in appreciation, “You’re right, he’s not going to march on us with a plan like that.” Reya pauses and rubs her temples, “Are we the bad guys?”

Berit scoffs, “The self-centered Dynasts willing to bring the Realm to its knees for personal gain, instead of uniting against the Anathema? Yes. We’re the bad guys. Not the Anathema who started a civil war, tore apart the Valley of the Ancients, and set the Imperial City aflame. He’s perfectly innocent and well suited to be Empress.”

Reya bows out of respect to Berit, “Is there anything you need?”

Berit turns her attention back to her battle plans, “More legions. Cementing this alliance with Sesus is a start, but with House Cynis against us we need another three legions at least.”

Reya stands primly, “I will work on House Nellens and Tepet. And as soon as the weddings are done we’ll approach Lookshy.”

Berit snorts, “A Nellens-Sesus alliance?”

“Stranger than a Mnemon-V’neef-Berit alliance?” Reya teases as she turns and leaves to pick up Oban.

Reya climbs the sides of the hill on foot and passes a sweating Melody who is tending for Clapper in the oppressive, sweltering heat of the thermal vents. She approaches her sister-in-law.

“We’re going to want Clapper when we march on the Imperial City.” She broaches delicately.

Melody nods, “I’ve… been working on something. But you’re right. It’s cold: he likes it here.”

Together, they approach Oban, son of the Scarlet Empress and Widower to the Matriarch of House Sesus, and Reya uses her Charms to call him out of the manse.

Oban comes out looking flawless and energized, “Let’s go.”

Reya bows back at him, “We leave first thing tomorrow.”

****

The next morning, Reya gathers the Alinos household together, she doesn’t comment when Sesus Eshuvar brings Swift and River, turning instead to pet her elemental. There’s only one conspicuous absence. Nula pinches the bridge of her nose, “Where’s dad?” She asks despairingly.

No-one has seen him, so Melody looks for heavy-weight bronze tracks in the craggy ground. She picks up his spoor and leads Reya to the edge of the camp, past a merchant selling parchment and coals to a tree. Ganan sits with his back to the tree, his demons materialized around him, sketching furiously. (-5SP to create a fourth Major Project slot, and -3GP to create a Level 3 Superior Project Slot.) His anima burns and a javelin made of stone lies impaled at his feet – the area around him looks ravaged as if by a sandstorm.

Reya pinches the bridge of her nose, “Mela’s name!” She curses, “Gan, we have to go.”

Ganan doesn’t look up, working the design swiftly with sweeping strokes across the page.

Melody looks at Reya, “So do we leave him or...”

Reya speaks the Burning Name and tosses a ball of fire at Ganan’s head. He ducks, tucks his drawings away, and rises to his feet. He joins the others (instructing his demons to Hurry Home to him after twelve hours), and Reya, Nula, and Ludila all cast Stormwind Rider, taking Oban and the others into the sky.

They dart across the land. Little snow has fallen over the foothills surrounding the Imperial Mountain. The top of the mountain is graced with snow, but the stabilizing influence of the pole of Earth keeps the weather to a fixed autumnal.

The dragons stop once to eat at mid-day. Swift complains bitterly about traveling across mountains, cross country, on the sorcerous conveyance, but offers no alternative mode of transportation. The prefecture has clearly seen troop movements: country homes are deserted, fields are torn up. If any bandits are lurking, they think better of attacking the large crowd of Dynasts in broad-daylight.

Eventually, they cross into Arjuf Dominion, and Ledaal Ludila leads them towards the city of Iron Scripture. The austere Ledaal holding unfolds in a faceless gray valley beneath the watchful eye of the Nine Herb Mountain Monastery overlooking the city from on-high. Set on the main road, and by the Caracal River, once this dour and pious city served as a vital trade hub. Now it is a battlefield.

The campfires of the constant Cathak presence burn bright in the foothills, keeping House Ledaal hemmed into Arjuf, and preventing them from crossing the border to trade and treat with House Tepet and House Nellens. The Cathak Flight isn’t large enough to seize the city but is too large to be driven off as it secures the vital transcontinental artery of west to east coast overland travel for House Cathak.

Melody does a quick scan of the fires, estimating three Dragons of infantry, with perhaps forty or so Dragon-Blooded officers to be expected among the one-thousand five hundred soldiers.

They dismiss their Stormwinds and proceed into the city on foot. A curfew is in place, and once they’re past the guards on the city gate, the streets are deserted. Ledaal Ludila leads them confidently to the Ledaal Catala estate within the city. The city’s temporary governor, Ledaal Gamam comes forth from the estate to welcome them into her home. She is an air aspect, tall and thin. Her white hair is tinged with streaks of pale blue and tied back into a pony-tail. Even at this hour, she wears a buff-jacket for protection.

“It’s strange,” The governor begins after introductions have been made, “This time last year, I was fighting side-by-side with Cathak forces: we drove a Deathknight from Scorpion Ridge. Now they’re camped to the north, hemming us in and raiding our caravans.” She smiles ruefully, “But I suppose I don’t need to be telling a Mnemon about how strange it is to be fighting against House Cathak: your houses are bosom-buddies in piety.”

Reya returns the smile, “Well, the so-called-Emperor is calling for a campaign to retake Thorns. We could all be marching happily to our deaths against the Anathema again sooner than you think.”

Ledaal Gamam shakes her head, “Nothing would bring me greater pleasure. The Deathlords and their servants have become an obsession of mine – did you know there is hardly any record of them from before the Great Contagion? I theorize that somehow the very barriers between life and death…” She catches herself and waves away the thought, “But you’ve heard the rumors, no doubt? Cathak Cainan’s youth is a result of a dark pact with the Anathema. They say he now moves with a cursed and unnatural swiftness, and that he calls up dark powers. House Ledaal will not succumb to the deprecations of an Anathema on the Throne, no matter what his honeyed promises.”

Melody is not impressed with Gamam’s platitudes, doubting that House Ledaal in general and Ledaal Catala Gamam specifically would remain steadfast against House Cathak if this campaign against Thorns ever truly materialized. “We need to get to Bright Obelisk.” She states, with the tone of a question.

Ledaal Gamam nods cordially, and spreads her palms to the sky, “Then you have to go through House Cathak. They have three Dragons encamped across our northern border, and auxiliaries spread throughout the hills and side-roads. Their officers do not want for the blood of dragons.”

Internally, Melody revises her estimates for Exalted opposition from forty or so to fifty or so. She spits a crude, Low Realm curse.

Sesus Eshuvar discretely clears his throat (Reya fancies that she sees Kingfisher swift nudge him in the ribs to prompt him), “I know a little sorcery. Nothing so fast as the Stormwinds we blew in on. I could ferry us one at a time, high in the air above the Cathak forces.”

Reya shakes her head, “That will take all night.”

Ganan pitches in, “Tisi and Ndiza could help. Not exactly inconspicuous, but if we fly above bow range, what can the Cathak troops do?”

“They can follow us, then mob us as we set down. Bad plan.” Melody says.

Reya considers, “What about monks?”

Ledaal Gamam is intrigued, “What about monks?”

Reya elaborates, “Are the Cathak troops stopping monks from passing? We could shave our heads, wear robes-”

Ganan, outraged, blusters, “I am not impersonating an Immaculate monk!”

Reya laughs lightly, “I don’t see why not, you’re more skilled in Immaculate Martial Arts than the average monk.”

“It’s blasphemous!” Ganan objects.

Melody considers, “It’s not a bad idea.”

Mnemon Muli looks ready to burst into tears, “You want me to get married with a shaved head?”

“It does rather send the wrong impression,” Oban adds, with a touch of distaste.

Ganan puts his hands in his pockets and feels something cool and smooth under his fingers, “What about Tepets?” He asks, his brow furrowing in concentration as he pulls out the House Tepet tokens V’neef bequeathed them with.

Tepet Agoram suddenly becomes animated, “A party of Tepets, returned from the Threshold, passing through from port at Arjuf back to Lord’s Crossing. House Cathak might not respect us anymore, but we haven’t declared against them… it might work!”

Ganan snorts, and mutters quietly to himself, “No-one respects House Tepet anymore.” But the others ignore him.

Reya addresses those assembled, “Dump anything that bears a family Mon. I don’t want to see a hint of House Colors unless those colors are blue and white. We rest tonight and set off at first light.” She turns to Ledaal Gamam, “We’re going to need to buy some clothes.”

Ledaal Gamam furnishes them with clothes from out of season wardrobes and sends troops to requisition cloth from local tailors. Cynis Ganan alters outfits, cutting away Ledaal gray and Mnemon purple to stitch blue to white (9SP). Blessedly, Sesus Eshuvar is dressed fashionably – the war not miring his style with such frivolities as openly wearing the Sesus Mon as part of his exquisite blue-and-white outfit. Once everyone has suitable disguises, they turn in for the night.

****

At first light, the Dynasts leave Iron Scripture, heading north on foot

Ganan walks in the middle of the pack, his demons materialized and flanking his Invulnerable Bronze form, and Laurels pacing at his side, the very picture of an aloof, anti-social sorcerer. Melody and Reya take up the front of the convoy, wearing their Tepet necklaces and new clothing, with Tepet Agoram moving naturally at their side. Oban has boot-black in his hair, and he slouches, appearing to be a changed man. They move cautiously, but with purpose, striding along the main road as only entitled Dynasts can.

When they come to the Cathak roadblock, Danireya imperiously orders them to stand-aside.

A stocky Cathak officer, with a chest like a barrel wearing a reinforced Jade Breastplate, “I am Winglord Cathak Izar, and I decide who stands aside here. No traffic may pass by order of the Emperor.”

Melody’s eyes narrow dangerously, “Do we look like peasant merchants to you, Cathak Izar? Emperor or Empress, we are Dynasts of House Tepet and we have every right to use the roads.”

Izar smiles sardonically, “Far be it for a lowly Cathak to keep the mighty scions of House Tepet from their business.” His troops level their weapons, “But the road remains closed.”

Reya strikes a pose, giving the Cathak Izar bedroom eyes, as she entices him like a siren away from his soldiers, slinking towards him as she sways her hips.

Ganan tenses his hands into fists, clenches his jaw, and looks ready to explode. Laurels senses the tension and rubs up against him.

Reya embraces Cathak Izar, her lips lightly brush against his stubbly cheek and she whispers into his ear, “Surely, the Emperor won’t mind if you allow some allies to return home.”

Cathak Izar swallows hard and takes a step backward, composing himself, “Allies?”

Reya pouts and looks offended, “You wouldn’t send us back to House Ledaal’s lands would you?”

A female junior officer blusters forward, “Sir, our orders are clear, no-one can be allowed to pass. They could be spies!”

Cathak Izar takes Reya’s Tepet pendent in his hands and looks it over carefully, “These are authentic.” He sighs, “Let them pass.”

The mortal Cathak troops rest easy and part, but four Dragon-Blooded, including the junior officer, still bar the path.

Reya clears her throat softly and waves her disguised band forward. She spreads her hands in a gesture of peace and makes to walk through the Cathak officers.

The junior officer stands in Reya’s way and draws her Longfang, “I am Scalelord Cathak Maren. You shall not pass.”

Reya forces a polite smile, and Melody strikes up an old song about peace and unity between the Ten-Thousand Dragons. The other three Scalelords part to let the Dynast’s pass, but Maren shakes off the feelings of fraternity and levels her spear.

Reya holds her empty hands apart and approaches Maren slowly, “Fine, we won’t pass through. May we camp here whilst you send a missive to the Emperor, or do we have to return to Arjuf and spend our jade there?” She smiles affably.

“You can’t camp here!” Maren screeches hysterically.

Reya tosses Cathak Izar a winning smile, “Do you have orders not to let anyone camp here as well.”

Izar folds his arms across his chest, “No we do not. Scalelord Maren is right, our orders are that you can’t pass. What she doesn’t seem to understand is the chain of command, and when orders need to be reinterpreted by the commanding officer. But certainly, there’s no prohibition on allied Dragon-Blooded sharing our camp. Men!” The Cathak troops, including the other three Scalelords, rank up, weapons drawn against Maren, “That’s the kind of insubordination I’d expect from a Sesus infiltrator, or an Anathema looking to bring down the unity of the Realm.”

Reya backs up to Izar’s side, “Clearly this war is more serious than I thought. I believed this was a political skirmish: surely everyone sees that Cathak Cainan has been chosen by the Elemental Dragons to lead the Realm?”

Izar puffs himself up and lays a protective hand on Reya’s shoulder, “See, men! I told you the Realm supports our cause! Just a few malingerers like these Ledaal intelligentsia and the undisciplined curs of House Sesus. House Tepet and anyone with an ounce of honor stands with us!”

Reya looks up and him and smiles invitingly, “Where can we put our things whilst we wait for permission to pass?”

Izar leads her off the road, “You are welcome to rest in my tent, Tepet… ?”

“Ana, Tepet Berel Ana, but please just ‘Ana’ is fine.” Reya looks deeply into Izar’s eyes.

“Well Ana, Scalelord Maren will guard you to make sure you aren’t Ledaal spies on a dastardly mission. I’m sure your sorcerer,” He gestures vaguely in Ganan’s direction, “Can make an appeal for passage, and once Maren is satisfied, you may pass on with your journey. Of course, if it takes until nightfall for permission to come through, you are welcome to spend the night.”

Reya smiles seductively back at him, “Let us hope that the Emperor has better things to do than grant us passage then.”

The Cathak troops peel off, leaving the ‘Tepets’ alone with Cathak Maren. Ganan makes a flashy gesture as if he is about to cast a spell, using his anima to shake the ground. Maren looks at him, weapon still in hand, as Reya subtly casts Peacock Shadow Eyes on her. As Maren lapses into a suggestive state, Reya convinces her that they really do have permission to continue on their journey.

Reya makes a great show of washing out her mouth as Ganan leers at her jealously. They cast Stormwind Rider again, and head up through Lord’s Crossing Dominion to Ventus Prefecture, leaving Maren behind to inform her commander that the ‘Tepets’ had permission to pass.

****

Bright Obelisk lies high in the mountains, and the Dynasts have to wend their Stormwinds over treacherous mountain paths. The secluded forests would be perfect for an ambush, but no mortal bandits are brave enough to assault our Dynasts, and House Cathak’s forces are focused on defense. They pass orchards, open-pit mines, and fields of hardy winter vegetables. The city of twelve thousand is bright and clear, but our heroes feel immediately on edge as they arrive in the city with the setting sun. They pick their way through the streets as the locals hurry past, hooded, and guarded. The center of town is ringed with important residences, all built around The Plaza of Light – a grand public square with vivid mosaics, whose colors brightly shine even in the fading evening light. At the center of the Plaza is a great pylon of white stone and silver – the eponymous Bright Obelisk.

Reya sights Mnemon Alinos Bekara’s residence and makes for it, but Ledaal Coren steers them towards the governor’s mansion, “Surely you want to deliver Oban to Governor Sesus Nerys?” She gently prompts.

Melody smoothly steps in, “Of course, of course. It’s been a long flight. Oban, shall we?” She offers the Empress’s son her arm as she escorts him to the Governor.

Reya sets Ganan and her children aside, “Ferad, take the others to Aunt Bekara’s. I’m going to go show our faces to the governor.”

Ferad takes the party to Bekara’s as Reya, Ganan, Muli and Nula fall in with Melody and Oban. As they cross the plaza to Nerys’ residence, they notice the weather suddenly gets warmer. All of a sudden, Ledaal Coren is at Mnemon Muli’s side, and his hand is in hers.

“The governor is a family friend.” She offers by way of explanation, “I’ve spent many summers here, I’ll help you make a good first impression.”

Ganan gives Coren a trademark scowl but says nothing.

Mnemon Nula leans into Coren, “Don’t mind father, that’s just his face.”

The servants of Sesus Nerys are reluctant to admit them. They force the Dynasts to wait outside whilst they confirm the governor is expecting them at this late hour. The cast dubious looks at Oban’s boot-blacked hair, and suspicion at their Tepet colored clothing. They do, however, recognize Ledaal Coren, and a short moment later the Dynasts are escorted to a drawing room and made to wait. They feel the presence of unseen eyes watching them, and they shift uncomfortably in the oppressive atmosphere. The previous warmth of the evening evaporates into a stark chill, despite being inside.

Eventually, a haggard-looking Sesus Nerys, flanked by guards enters the room. She regards them carefully for a beat, then crosses over to Oban, takes his hands in hers, and sincerely says, “I’m sorry for your loss. The House is lessened immeasurably by the loss of Raenyah. She was the best of us.”

Oban graciously bows back at her, “These,” He says, “Are the heroes of House Mnemon. Mnemon Alinos Danireya, her sister Mnemon Melody, husband Cynis Ganan, and our bride and groom: Mnemon Alinos Nula and Mnemon Alinos Muli. You already know Ledaal Coren – a family friend?”

Reya clears her throat, “How are the wedding preparations?”

Nerys waves, dismissively, “Decorations, food, a judge have all been lined up. Mnemon and her party arrived yesterday. We’re just waiting for the Sesus bride and groom.” She turns to Oban, “Your children are traveling separately and under-guard. I would have advised the same caution to House Mnemon, but I suppose that the risk paid off.” She casts a dour eye at Ledaal Coren, “Isn’t she sitting rather close to our groom?”

Muli shifts uncomfortably. A peal of distant thunder rings out. Melody speaks quickly, “I can assure you it’s perfectly proper. Ledaal Kebok Coren here is good with a blade, she’s been our assurance against any attack. I understood that she was known to you. They’re cousins.”

Coren smiles at Muli, “Once removed.”

Sesus Nerys doesn’t quite seem mollified, “Well. Calibration is coming. It’s looking like a wedding in Resplendent Air: plenty of time for something to go wrong.”

Muli looks inappropriately relieved.

Ganan jumps in, “That long? Where are these children, we’ll pick them up ourselves!”

Sesus Nerys’s eyes narrow, “We are not talking of simply two Dragon-Blooded. These are our late Matriarch’s children. They travel with their honor guards or not at all, and in far greater numbers than you have come here. House Cathak are securing their power-base, Ragara is locked fighting Ledaal, and Peleps loses their power inland. They are traveling over the mountains and will get here when they get here: no enemy army will oppose them over the winter. Frankly, I don’t see why you rushed so.”

Ganan mutters to himself, “Resplendent Air is six weeks away, seven with Calibration. Are we seriously going to let Cainan sit on the throne for seven weeks?”

The others ignore him, they rise to leave. Reya gives Oban and Nerys a bow, and they say their farewells. Leaving Oban behind, they trek back across the Plaza.

“That went well!” Melody laments bitterly, as they cross past the Bright Obelisk.

Reya pinches the bridge of her nose, “At least we’re here. Safe in the mountains. Inland.”

Ganan mutters, “Until they send House Cynis after us.”

Coren laughs, “Oh no! The dreaded warriors of House Cynis!”

Melody shakes her head, “They won’t travel until after Calibration.”

Ganan stares sidelong at her, “Bet your life?”

Reya holds up a hand for silence, “Bright Obelisk is well defended, we’ll take it as it comes.”

They let themselves into Mnemon Alinos Bekara’s estate. Mnemon is waiting for them. Standing behind her is a ten-foot-tall demon: his skin is black and oily, his maw is elephant tusked, and his chest and arms are more than well-muscled – they are enormous. The demon wears nothing but a loin-cloth, and a cracked skull strung on a strand of jade beads. In his hand, he holds a massive staff. The demon leers over Mnemon’s shoulder as the House Matriarch makes her displeasure known.

Mnemon folds her arms over her chest, “Is there a reason why you took my brother to the governor before checking-in with me?” She asks with a note of warning in her voice.

Reya bows low and the others follow suit as she speaks, “My Matriarch, we meant no disrespect. We… didn’t expect you to be here. No insult was intended, but even I make mistakes. From time to time.”

Mnemon’s eyes narrow suspiciously, “And why wouldn’t I be here?”

Melody steps in, “Well the bride and groom aren’t here. And the rumor was that you were in Mnemon-Darjilis, preparing a super-weapon to end the war.”

Octavian, the Living Tower, laughs with dark malice. Mnemon turns her warning gaze upon the still smirking demon, before returning her attention to her wayward scions, “I am considerably more competent than my niece and nephew, which is why when Oban sent word that the weddings were to go ahead, I arrived here in good time. And I would not put stock in rumor.”

Reya bows again, “Of course, my Matriarch.”

Mnemon unfolds her arms, more aggravated than angry, “Who did you find as a suitable substitute for your brother?”

Ganan shoves Muli forward with one hand. He stumbles, bows, then looks at his feet.

Reya brushes him off, “My son. Mnemon Alinos Muli. House of Bells Graduate, a veteran of our Dovak Campaign, helped rescue Berit from the field after the murder of Sesus Raenyah, and most recently was part of the attack on the House of Black Waters – House Iselsi are responsible for the murder of the Regent.”

Mnemon waves a hand dismissively, “I know. I have always fought vigorously against those despicable traitors. When I am Empress-” She catches herself, “Your mother and grandmother are here. In the morning, I expect you to go over the wedding arrangements. You!” She points at Melody, “My chief military advisors are dead, captured, or on the other side of the Blessed Isle. You will join my war council, what’s your rank girl?”

Melody curtsies, “I was a Winglord in the Imperial Legions, mistress. I… haven’t been granted a commission in the Mnemon legions.”

Mnemon gives another gesture of annoyance, “Well consider yourself a Dragonlord in the First Legion, or whatever we have left. Alinos tells me you ride some kind of Siege Lizard?”

Melody bites her tongue, “A Shieldback Lizard. Invaluable in our siege of Urza Arcus.”

Mnemon nods, considering, “We will discuss this further on the morrow.”

****

The next morning, Ganan puts the final touches on Reya’s composite bow, leaving it for her on the bed (-10SP; 9GP, 4SP). He sets out into town, looking for a rotatory table and more jade.

****

Reya wakes, touched by Ganan’s gift, and resolved to pay the bill for whatever other extravagant purchase is coming – even though in this town of hunters, she could probably buy a composite bow of equal quality for far less than what Ganan’s workmanship will cost her.

Muli enters her room without knocking, “I won’t do it, mother! You can’t make me marry this woman. I’d rather die!”

Reya looks at her son for a long time, “You’d really rather die?”

“Yes!” Muli spits savagely, then his tone softens, “Mother, I want to be with Tepet Agoram. I thought you understood that. I thought… I thought you supported that, marrying a powerful Dynast into our House. Keeping your son, and my...” He gestures awkwardly at his testicles, “Essence in our family. In House Alinos-Mnemon. Don’t make me live my life married this Sesus woman.”

Reya sighs, stands, and walks to her traveling supplies. She withdraws a small vial and passes it to Muli, “You will wed Sesus Raenyah Ilana, you will bed her. Once you have get a child upon her, and not before, you may drink the contents of this vial. It is hemlock, such as your father drank in the Iselsi manse. If you’d rather die than remain married to her, then death by hemlock implicates our House’s enemies, and your death will secure our alliance.”

Muli looks from the vial to his mother, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I am your son!”

Reya looks back at him, fixing him with a hard stare, “And I expect my son to do his duty. An Anathema sits on the Throne. It falls to us to use every ounce of strength we have to depose him, but if you’d rather shirk your duty to Creation: to me, to your grandmother, your sister, to Creation. If you’d rather lay down and die than fight the Anathema with every weapon available to you, then you may do so. I will grant you that. But you’ll do it in a way that doesn’t condemn the rest of the world to follow you into the grave. Those are the stakes. We need this alliance. Find me another Mnemon with your pedigree and achievements, and we will discuss putting him in your stead. You have seven weeks, by all accounts.”

Muli sulks, he hands the hemlock back, “You know there isn’t anyone else.” He says grimly, looking at his feet.

Reya takes the poison and tucks it away, she lifts her son’s chin with her hand, “And so do you. Go, spend the day with Tepet Agoram. It looks like it’s going to be a fine day.” It does the sun is shining brightly on the crisp snow, there’s hardly any wind – it’s warm and pleasant, a crisp autumnal day without the bite of mountain cold.

Muli shakes his head, “He’s out with that Ledaal girl, Coren.”

Reya gently pats his hand, “Well I’m going to plan the wedding. You’re welcome to tag along. Let’s go find your daimother...”

****

Melody borrows some clothes in white and purple, having woken from a nightmare she can’t quite remember.

She heads for coffee, then Mnemon, walking into what was Bekara’s main receiving room before Mnemon converted it to her war room. The center of the room is dominated by a top-down map of the Blessed Isle. Legions and fleets are marked with tiny figurines. The walls of the room are plastered with tactical information: point-of-view maps, troop reports, coded letters, formation designs, and other bewildering notes.

Mnemon Johon and Nanals are hunched over the war map. Mnemon herself stands in the corner of the room, Octavian by her side, and the two are deep in conversation. Melody doesn’t recognize the other two Dragon-Blooded in the room, but Nanals is suddenly at her side pointing at a woman sharpening a sword in the middle of the war room, “My daughter, Mnemon Maisi. Bekara’s little sister, your aunt, I suppose. House of Bells graduate.” She points to another woman working on ciphers, “Mnemon Rulinsei Suki, House of Bells. I’ve already decoded the ciphers, of course, we just don’t have a better use for her. All our better options are gone – dead, captured, or on the wrong side of the Isle. Frankly, Johon is probably the only one here more qualified than you, and he’s well past his prime.”

Melody looks at Nanals, trying the hard stare Reya has developed. The older woman simply smiles at her, “We’re not friends, Wolf’s Blade.” She says levelly.

Nanals puts a hand on Melody’s belly, “True enough. But we’re family, and we’re desperate. And we need horse archers and cavalry charges to outmaneuver our enemies.”

Mnemon gestures for Melody to approach and Nanals makes herself scarce.

“So, tell me more about Shieldback Lizards.”

****

The days pass to Calibration, and the Alinos family is set increasingly on edge. Whispers and rumors of a curse upon Bright Obelisk have turned from idle gossip to terrified concern. The only person unfazed seems to be Cynis Ganan who spends all his time slaving over jade and ironwood, hammering and carving, using his tools and his hands to shape his vision into something solid.

Reya walks in on Ganan working, grabs him by the back of the neck, and physically pulls him up and away from his work. She then fetches Nanals and Udi and drags them to the Plaza. “It’s this!” She says confidently.

Ganan looks blankly at the Bright Obelisk, “Bright Obelisk? What the city is named for? It blesses the city...”

Reya shakes her head, “It’s cursed!”

Ganan shakes his head, “It’s the only thing fighting the curse...”

“No!” Reya says, pointing at it hysterically, “It’s cursed! I’ve been asking around! I’m a Heptagram trained sorcerer! I know a curse when I see one!”

Nanals draws lines between the building’s and the obelisk with her thumb, “Hmm… maybe.”

Reya jabs a finger at her daimother, “It’s Calibration! I will build a portal, and send you back to hell! Don’t you ‘maybe’ me old woman!”

Nanals takes a deep breath, “The geomancy is off. It’s subtle.”

Ganan shrugs, “I’m not a geomancer. Call me when you want something built or knocked down.” He walks back to his room to work on his artifact.

Reya throws his hands up in frustration.

Ludila speaks, “What do you need, we’ll help you fix it.”

“Well…” Reya begins, “I have an idea… but it’s a little… blasphemous.”

****

Calibration passes in relative quiet. Legions don’t move over the five moonless days. No missives come from the Imperial City. Ganan and Reya work on their projects. Melody sells Mnemon on the idea of using mounted troops to engage superior numbers of foot-slogging legionnaires.

On the last day of Calibration, Reya is ready to set her project into motion. Aided by Ludila and Nanals, she sets about “blessing” the Bright Obelisk. The stone and moonsilver construction was built to ward off negative emotions and evil dreams. The curse of Bright Obelisk manifests those emotions, giving them a life of their own to haunt the city driving its citizens to madness. Reya’s blessing warps the haunted shadows, forcing them to manifest directly (and relatively harmlessly, certainly attenuated) allowing people to confront their demons head-on rather than being haunted into madness. The first blessing goes well, but clearly, there’s still work to be done to make the blessings stick.

On the first day of the new year, sorcerous entreaties come in for key figures in the Tripartite Alliance urging surrender for good terms. Danireya is delighted to receive an Infallible Messenger personally, which she duly reports to Mnemon.

“We might be able to use that. Stall for time.” Mnemon nods sagely and dismisses her. The first snow of the year falls in a flurry.

At the end of the first week of the new year, Reya trudges through the snow to bless the statue again. She inscribes wards into the snow with lines of salt, tracing out the geometric lines mapped by Nanals. Ganan doesn’t come out of his room, eating only every other day and sleeping less.

Melody coordinates with Berit on the status of their forces across the Isle. Octavian offers his tactical advice on how to retake the Imperial City: Melody doesn’t disagree that his advice will work, but is concerned about his incredibly high tolerance of collateral damage.

At the end of the second week of the new year, Reya completes her blessing of the Bright Obelisk. There’s no grand, flashy sign that the working has taken hold, but Reya feels her will manifest upon the world. She doesn’t feel as if the weight of her nightmares has been lifted from her – not yet. But over the next couple of days, she faces down insecurities that manifest in mirrors with rhetoric and uses cold logic to diffuse eerie dreams. The mood of the city lightens over the next couple of days, though it soon becomes apparent that whilst the negative emotions of Bright Obelisk are easily quietened… they’re not necessarily linked to their progenitors. A family might sleep soundly as their neighbors grapple with their unconscious nightmares. The beautiful young men of the town face the jealousy others feel towards them when they look in the mirror. The curse is not precisely lifted, but tranquility and peace return to the haunted city of Bright Obelisk.

At the end of the third week, couriers arrive, urging Sesus Nerys to surrender to the will of the Emperor, and threatening the city with the Imperial Legions should they refuse. Emperor Cainan demands a token: an ewer of water and a mason jar of soil from Bright Obelisk to make their subservience to the Cathak regime. Without consulting Mnemon, Nerys sends back a pitcher of her piss and a turd in an urn, knowing the weather will turn and no attack will come. The riots in Arjuf have quieted. V’neef sends word that her navy has regrouped. Reya tries sending sorcerous messages to Gens Amilar to recruit them for the Civil War.

The real snow starts in the fourth week. Mortal trappers and hunters brave the mountain-side only when desperate. The Dynasts become a fixture of the city. Many times do Melody and the others (not Ganan) venture out for game, and Reya practices with her bow. No further missives, couriered nor mystical, entreat the Dynasts from the Cathak Coalition.

****

As Reya’s pregnancy progresses, she feels the child grow and move inside her. Melody examines her and listens to the baby with a Pinard horn. The sisters spend time together, and Reya reads to Melody’s growing belly. Ferad occasionally calls in on his wife and sister, seeing to their needs, and Nula helps secure the staff they will need to look after two young children.

****

Resplendent Air is a bitter season. Even the Dynasts have to stay inside and wrap up warm. Ganan works through the cold unperturbed – melting and reforging jade-steel to stay warm. The only respite seems to come when Ledaal Corin and Mnemon Muli go out hunting together: they are always blessed with the mildest of weather, ever blessed by being downwind of their prey. Though Muli feels no physical attraction to the woman, they become fast companions.

At the end of the month, Ganan goes into a frenzy. In some respects, his pace slows as he stops to eat and sleep every day. But his every waking moment is consumed by a singular vision. He works frantically, often consulting the manual he acquired in Kirighast and drilling the correct forms for using a fireward as the manuscript details.

On the first day of the last week of Resplendent Air, Ganan shapes the jade-steel into a hollow tube the length of his left shoulder to his outstretched fingertips. His fingers burn with the heat of a furnace as he smooths the steel barrel impossibly narrow – no more than a half-an-inch across. He mixes the exotic components – brick dust from the Enduring Breath, Garda Bird feathers, and the like, into the steel-alloy. He works with his carving skills as he goes, wicking the inside of the barrel – not rifling for any kind of solid projectile but carving runes into the steel that it will hold its shape against immense heat.

On the second day, Ganan hews a receiver from a solid block of stabilizing white jade, with a red jade firing pin and bolt. Unlike a traditional firewand, his masterwork will not be breech-loading, but instead, take firedust from a chamber just above the trigger mechanism, and close that housing off from the rest of the flamethrower with a firing pin that closes the action to chamber the shot. He carves prayers to Pasiap (for stability), Hesiesh (for power), and Mela (for accuracy) into the mechanism.

On the third day, he carves the wood of the stock. As for his conventional design, he punches holes in the ironwood, skeletonizing it. On the inside of the lattice, he carves prayers to Sextus Jylis and Daana’d for flexibility.

On the fourth day, he shapes the bayonet, shearing the end of the barrel like a hypodermic needle and carefully filing it to a hardened point. He adds a rod of unalloyed, solid red jade to the under-barrel, running the entire length of the weapon into the stock. He quenches the tip of the blade in the blood of a Fire Elemental summoned by Danireya for that purpose, requested the day before in a brief moment of lucidity as he tears himself away from his work.

On Saturnsday, he takes brass from Cresta’s nautilus-horn tower and works it into the fittings: plates and pins. Almost reverently, he assembles the parts of his glorious weapon into one coherent whole, dedicating the weapon to the Reciter of Loud Prayers and Efficacious Hymns. His vision is born, and Burnt Offering comes screaming into the world. Ganan collapses, clinging to his weapon like a life preserver.

The resulting weapon appears simple and unadorned: the carefully carved inscriptions are hidden inside the weapon, leaving clean, smooth lines. Every flourish and fitting serves a practical purpose, and the weapon is slim and minimalistic: long and thin. Ganan cleans up (a simple affair thanks to his mystic necklace – he shaves and crops his hair close to his skull) and follows his nose to the evening meal. He finds that at some point during the day Sesus Raenyah Ilana and her retinue have arrived, and they have joined Bekara’s household for supper.

****

Reya sees Ganan guilelessly blunder into dinner, and subtly makes room for him by shuffling Tepet Agoram further down the table so that Muli is wedged between his parents. She notes that Ganan at least has had the presence of mind to clean up and change his clothes. Mnemon and Nanals are both absent, but the others are present.

She shows him off, “Cynis Falen Ganan, Muli’s father, a direct descendant of Tepet and the Scarlet Empress through Cynis. A veritable savant of Shogunate history.” She announces proudly. Ganan gives a short bow and sits. Sesus Ilana does not rise but returns the gesture with a polite nod.

The dinner goes well, Ilana shows interest in Muli, and Melody spins the tale of their time in Dovak, subtly aggrandizing the achievements of Muli of Nula in the campaign. Ledaal Coren, seated with Ludila, exchanges verbal barbs with Ilana all night as they match wits – both women give a good account, and Alinos and Bekara flawlessly smooth over any unpleasantness.

At the end of the evening, the non-Alinos are dismissed in the proper fashion: Ludila and Coren going home, Tepet Agoram withdraws to bed. Mnemon Bekara invites Ilana and the Alinos women to the salon for brandy and tobacco to talk of politics, leaving Muli and the Alinos men in the dining room to take tea and chat.

****

“Shall we then, chaps?” Ferad begins brightly, pouring the tea himself, serving his father first, then his nephew. “Well let’s have a proper look at it, Gan!”

Ganan’s nose wrinkles, both from his hatred of chit-chat and dislike of tea, “Look at what?”

Ferad laughs, “That puny little thing you carry around with you and are inordinately proud of despite its diminutive size. The thing you’ve spent the last six weeks locked alone in your room playing with, to the despair of your wife.”

Ganan shifts uncomfortably and looks puzzled.

Muli leans into his father, “Your new Dragon Sigh Wand.”

“Oh,” Ganan says, readying the weapon, begrudgingly he hands it off to Ferad, “It’s a new kind of Dragon Sigh Wand.”

Ferad carefully turns the weapon over in his hands, treating it with reverence, more out of seeing Ganan on edge and not wanting his throat ripped out with Ganan’s teeth. “It’s… simple.”

Ganan nods, not realizing he’s being insulted, “Not a line wasted. Every component serves a purpose here. It loads from the receiver there, not the muzzle. Don’t touch the muzzle, it’s sharp.”

Ferad hands the weapon off to Jorod, who hardly glances at it before giving it to Muli.

Ganan looks at his son, “So… what did you think of Ilana?”

Muli stares at the weapon in his hands, “She’s… nice.”

He nudges Muli gently, probably not the wisest thing to do when he’s holding a slab of sharp jade, “She seemed to like you. And get on with the others.” Ganan looks around at the other men, who nod and make encouraging noises of assent. “Good breeding. Sorcerer.”

Muli hands the weapon back, takes a sip of tea, and tries not to cry.

****

Reya pours brandy and passes it out to the women. Bekara offers cigarillos. Reya wrinkles her nose and declines; Ilana accepts the brandy and politely declines the cigarillo, she swirls her drink but doesn’t drink it.

Once everyone has their drinks, Melody rounds on Ilana, “So, be honest, what do you think of Muli?”

Ilana giggles charmingly, “Well they say that war makes strange bedfellows, but he’s a perfectly suitable match.”

Melody needles her, “‘Perfectly suitable’. It must be true love!”

Ilana looks to the elders for support, but finding none forthcoming she presses on, “No, really. House Sesus has a pure bloodline. One that must be preserved. Traditionally marriages into House Mnemon have been with exquisitely bred nobodies. One almost gets the impression that you think you’re better than us. So, when the offer came to marry General Tinis, a man of exceptional breeding and distinguished achievement, that was something to seriously consider. One of Mnemon’s finest, a real up-and-comer. Only… as it turns out, he was a has-been. Replaced by subordinated to Berit, then lost in the first real battle of the war.” Ilana takes a beat to read the mood of the room, “No disrespect intended to the fallen, but if you’re going to poke me into speaking honestly, then let us speak honestly. Father says that no sooner had you settled on Muli as a replacement, that he plunged head-first into battle to avenge the fallen Regent. That is an up-and-comer. Same quality bloodline, perhaps not quite as accomplished, yet, but the war is young.”

“Good answer!” Melody raises a glass in a toast, and the (only mildly offended) Alinos women drink.

Reya clears her throat, “Well, I think we’d be remiss if we didn’t let you know that you do have a say. Mnemon is not a House of black widows, there are other men. If my son is too young, or not accomplished enough for you.”

Ilana smiles good-naturedly, “Who? Bright Obelisk is filled with married men, mortals, and retirees. Muli is a respected military man with great success on the Threshold, rescued Berit after the death of my mother, struck out at the Regent’s assassins. It’s hard to match that pedigree. You should be very proud of him.”

Nula interrupts, “Well it doesn’t have to be a man.” The other women in the room look at her sidelong, “How many sorcerers are there in this room? You could marry any Mnemon you had your eye on, regardless of gender.”

Ilana laughs once more, “This is like a House Cynis salon!” She clears her throat, “I think it would break my poor father’s heart if I married outside of the matches in house Alinos that he has carefully vetted. Which means marrying you.” She looks right at Nula, and smiles with genuine warmth, “That would be quite satisfactory for me, but it leaves our brothers to wed, and I can tell you now that Muli is not to Terel’s taste.”

“Oh.” Nula says flatly, she takes a drink.

Ilana looks to Alinos, “But I’m quite flattered.”

Reya changes the subject, “When can we expect your brother?”

Ilana shrugs affably, “That I don’t know. We traveled separately for security’s sake. He’s so competitive, I’m surprised he’s not here already. Though I suppose it’s for the best, that I got to meet you all first.”

Bekara refills the drinks herself, the others invite Ilana to continue.

“There’s nothing, wrong with him. Understand, but he is competitive. The youngest child, he wants to prove his worth. He tends to challenge people to duels and has a hard time distinguishing a duel with an ally and fight to the death. I’d keep that Ledaal Coren girl away from him, for example, or there will be blood on the streets. He is witty and charming, but not as easily separated from his entourage as I am. The model of an officer, I think you’ll like him Nula, I do. But he does tend to suck all the air out of a room.” She smiles apologetically.

Nula nods her head, “There’s anyways plenty of air in any room I am in,” She reassures, “And I’m not perturbed by an army of hangers-on – frankly it’s to be expected of the Empress’s grandson.”

Ilana addresses Alinos and Bekara, “Well, we are going to need another name to address grandmother by before the war’s end. Terel likes the ‘First Empress’, but I rather fancy calling her ‘Scarlet’.”

The women talk into the night, as the snow softly continues to fall.

****

It’s two more weeks before Sesus Raenyah Terel arrives, with some fanfare. Ganan spends the time securing firedust for his new toy – the local mines have a supply for blasting. Rather than use a traditional powder horn, Ganan instead rolls wax paper shells with precisely measured levels of powder that can be inserted whole into his Dragon Sigh Wand (7SP). He also creates a pair of scissors made from ironwood and black nephrite, stylized like butterflies never separating, and ties them with a black ribbon to a jade obel for Nula to give as a wedding gift (-10SP; 9GP 3SP). Reya and Melody drill together when Melody is not attending Mnemon. Jorod joins Mnemon’s war council, working closely with his mother, and spending nearly every other moment with his father. Nula, Muli, Agoram, Sesus Ilana, and Ledaal Coren spend their days together. Righteous River comments on the tempestuous weather the first few days, but by the end of the week, the worst of the snow has passed and the weather is quite pleasant. In the evenings Ilana and Nula put the finishing touches on Oban’s wedding plans – Mnemon does not deign to interfere, but Alinos and Reya offer constant suggestions to the brides-to-be.

When Sesus Terel is heralded by runners sent ahead of the main column. Governor Nerys sends a brute-squad to round up peasants to clear the snow from the road. A carpet of black velvet is laid crossing from the far side of the Plaza of Light to the door of the governor's mansion. A second carpet of red silk is laid over the top of the black one, precisely in the middle and just wide enough to walk upon two abreast. Oban is positioned under an awning erected by the Bright Obelisk to receive his son.

Ganan leans in to talk to his wife as they assemble in the street outside of Bekara’s mansion, “Did they do all this for the other one?”

Melody, overhearing, shakes her head, “We all welcomed her into the city, but they didn’t do the carpet thing.” Then after a pause, she adds, “Well most of us welcomed her to the city.” And she gives Ganan and disapproving stare.

Ganan starts to defend himself, but Reya shushes him and draws her winter fur cloak around her body.

A scale of guards modeled after the Legion of Silence (tall, well-muscled, wearing black articulated plate and carrying poleaxes) lead the procession. Obviously not true members of the Legion of Silence, these soldiers stand only around the six-foot mark and don’t carry tower shields, wielding their poleaxes in two-hands. After them comes the procession proper, two wings of infantry in Sesus colors, flanking a gaggle of champions and heroes, some of them Exalted, others not. One of the Mountain Folk stands as one of the “not”, wielding a crossbow of curious design. A couple of the champions are mounted, but most walk. Terel is carried on a litter by eight of the black-armored guards, and he waves with casual indifference at the patricians and common folk lined up to welcome him. Behind him come wagons and carts carrying supplies, weapons, survival equipment, and presumably behind that is a rear-guard, but that is not visible to our heroes.

Terel’s litter is carried to the Bright Obelisk, where it is carefully lowered to the ground. It’s only now that Ganan and the others see that Terel’s litter is the same width as the red carpet, so that his pole-bearers may stand on the black velvet, but only Terel and Oban walk on the red silk. Oban takes his son by the arm, and they walk together into the governor’s residence. About a dozen of Terel’s champions follow him into the house, and the rest of the guards disperse – tending to other duties.

A messenger delivers an invitation to Mnemon Alinos Nula inviting her to dinner at the governor’s mansion. The others are not invited. Nula accepts and heads back inside.

“Nice day for a walk?” Reya suggests mischievously to Ganan and Melody.

They slink around the block, sticking to the back alleys. Melody keeps watch as Ganan and Reya lay their palms to the stone wall of the governor’s mansion and listen in on the proceedings.

Nerys, Oban, Ilana, and Terel are conversing in the privacy of the governor’s study.

Terel speaks, “So how bad is it?”

Oban sighs, “I assume you’re talking about your impending nuptials rather than the state of the war?”

Ilana cuts in, “It’s not that bad. Good breeding. Few actual achievements, but they have the right proximity to power. Mnemon is here, you may have seen her on the way in.”

Terel snaps, irritated, “Well what’s wrong with her? You’ve been here a week, father says, you must have found something!”

Ilana gives a light chuckle, “There’s nothing wrong with your one. You’re getting Mnemon’s first choice. I’m the one getting leftovers.”

Terel rounds on his sister, “Nothing wrong with her? You’re one to talk! I know she’s a sorcerer!”

Oban intercedes, and our eavesdropping Dynasts can practically hear him putting his arms around his children, “A sorcerer from a good bloodline. Who meets your bizarre requirements to not have graduated from a school of combat or religious instruction.”

Terel pouts, “Well I thought sorcery went without saying. I can’t believe you’re marrying me off into a family of sorcerers!”

Governor Nerys speaks, “Be reasonable, Terel. You will be in the field a lot. You won’t have to see your wife outside of the bedroom, and that’s the way sorcerers like it.”

Ilana makes an indignant noise, then clears her throat and changes the subject, “There is another matter. No dueling. We need this alliance.”

Terel waves her off, “I won’t start anything, but you can’t expect me not to defend my honor! I am the grandson of the Empress!”

“I can and do!” Ilana snaps, “Our legions have been devastated. We’re at less than half-strength: House Mnemon is formalizing this alliance based on our military strength when we can barely field as many soldiers as they can. Mother is gone. Grandmother is gone. The only saving grace we have is that House Mnemon is just as desperate as we are. If you go around decapitating our allies, we could lose everything. If Cainan wins, he’ll have us on the executioner’s block before Mnemon’s body is cold. So less of the ‘grandson of the Empress’ crap. There is no Empress.”

Oban speaks, “Your sister is right. We need to present a strong front to the other Sesus households. We are still in control here, and we are brokering the alliances that will save our house. We. Oban and his children. Not Sesus Raenyah, and not the Scarlet Empress. The three of us, and your sister.”

Nerys clears her throat, obviously miffed at being left out, “Well, dinner tonight, wedding tomorrow?”

Ganan and Reya peel their hands from the wall and return to Bekara’s house.

****

Tepet Agoram and Mnemon Muli stand together in a sheltered courtyard.

Muli takes the older man’s hands in his, his voice low and conspiratorial, “Never wonder what I'll feel as living shuffles by. You don't have to ask me and I need not reply. Every moment of my life from now until I die, I will think or dream of you and fail to understand how a perfect love can be confounded out of hand.”

Agoram squeezes his hand back, “Marry the Princess, Muli. You can help my House. This could be our chance to do something important. Don't you see it? This alliance could be the last hope for House Tepet.”

Muli shakes his head bitterly, “That would be a cruel trick!”

Agoram smiles sadly at him, “Not if the Dragons brought us together for some greater purpose. Nothing can be altered, there is nothing to decide: no escape, no change of heart, nor any place to hide.”

Muli hangs his head, resigned “You are all I'll ever want, but this I am denied. Sometimes in my darkest thoughts, I wish I'd never learned what it is to be in love and have that love returned.”

****

That night, our heroes are troubled by the curse of Bright Obelisk.

Ganan dreams of watching the man he loves forced into a loveless political marriage. He urges his love to use the marriage to help his people.

Reya dreams of drowning. Every time she kicks to the surface, another woman grabs at her ankles and pulls her back under. The taste of salt-water is in her mouth and nose. She kicks off the grasping hands and breaks the surface, sucking in great lungfuls of air.

Melody dreams of failing to assassinate a key target. Her bowstring breaks as she takes aim. Realizing the disgrace she faces returning to her family a failure, she dives from her vantage point to strangle her target with her ruined bow, knowing that it is better to die a success than live as a failure.

****

The next day, the entire Plaza of Light is bedecked with flowers, no mean feat for the middle of winter. Banners of red-and-black, and white-and-purple, are hung around the square. A stage is set for an Imperial Judge. Sesus Terel’s black guard is posted at every interchange and house troops patrol both the plaza and the surrounding city. A banquet is prepared, food tasters unleashed, and wine enough to drown a legion uncorked. Might braziers are lit to keep away the cold, rendered almost unnecessary by the bright sun in the cloudless sky – a fine day for the worst part of winter in the mountains. Red petals and colored paper are strewn over the floor.

Muli and Nula both dress in white. Ganan consents to allow Bekara’s servants to dress him in modern fashionable black robes, though he refuses to dispense with his Skin of Bronze. Melody and Reya both wear their armor, but dress formally over the top. Reya has added a few extra links to her armor to accommodate her swelling belly (4SP).

Reya fusses over her son, as she worries over giving him away.

Muli blushes, “I thought I was the one who was supposed to be worried about marrying into another House.”

Reya brushes imagined lint from Muli’s shoulder, feeling tears well up behind her implacable facade, “We need this.” She says softly.

Muli nods, “I know. I won’t let you down.” He smiles weakly, “No hemlock required.”

Reya nods and smiles back, “No matter what, I’m here for you. If you get into trouble, no matter what it is, come back to me. I will fix it.”

Muli nods again, “I will.”

Reya sniffs, “And have lots of babies. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it will deflect suspicion. And don’t worry about preserving your progenitive Essence – not for the first three years. Mortal children are almost as good for securing an alliance, there’s dozen of things that can be done with mortals, so long as at least one of your children Exalts. Then, once things are calmer, you can settle down and have children every couple of decades, four or five will be enough.”

Muli kisses his mother on the forehead, “Mother, I know all this. Everything will be fine. I will make this alliance work.”

****

The wedding is a small affair. Every Dynast and Exalt in Bright Obelisk is invited, then to make up the numbers to threescore, Patrician relatives are begrudgingly invited to attend. The security outnumbers the guests nearly ten-to-one. A few figures look from windows overlooking the plaza: Melody strains her eyes looking for anything suspicious, she catches sight of a veiled figure watching the proceedings from the mansion next to governor Nerys’s.

Ilana and Reya stand before the judge, wearing dresses of shining white, with peasant crowns set in their hair, and faces painted. Ganan stands at the head of the guests, with Oban, and the other high ranking guests such as Mnemon are seated at the front of the procession and proceeding back with rank (the Patricians sat in the back). The oldest of Oban and Raenyah’s children isn’t present, neither is Mnemon Rulinsei, nor the heads of the major Sesus bloodlines: just in case. An orchestra strikes up, and even Melody is impressed by their caliber (though, of course, she is better). Muli and Terel are led from their respective dwellings by their mothers, both men have their hair set in top-knots tied with colorful cotton threads, but Muli wears white and Terel wears black. The men’s faces are wet, to mark the tears shed in reluctance to leave home. Firecrackers are lit as Reya and Nerys lead them to their brides and stand by their sides. The brides kowtow three times – to respect the Dragons, the grooms, and the parents.

Mnemon Ulrin fills the role of the Immaculate Monk, reading from the texts – it is the first the Alinos family has seen of Mnemon’s son, who has kept to seclusion. Ulrin asks who gives these husbands to their wives, and Reya and Nerys say they do. The brides present gifts to their mothers-in-law to be, marking the dowry owed and the acceptance that their family will pay the stipends of the husbands. Terel’s mother being dead, Reya gives her ironwood scissors to Sesus Nerys. Reya receives a fine red masonry jar of wine, emblazoned with the symbols for peace and prosperity. Reya and Nerys withdraw, and Nerys reverently hands the scissors over to Oban. Ulrin then hands over to the Imperial Judge who presides over the wedding.

The judge leads them through vows to respect the rightful empress (forsaking all usurpers), the Immaculate Dragons, the brides’ and grooms’ parents and Matriarchs, and to each other. Finally, she pronounces them married. The brides lead their grooms through the crowd, who hurls flower petals and colored paper at them – Nula and Terel back to Bekara’s house, and Ilana and Muli back to Nerys’s. Oban and Reya then stand at the head of the wedding party, proudly displaying their gifts from their new daughters-in-law, and invite the guests to enjoy the food and hospitality of Houses Mnemon and Sesus (that order), and the first course of food is served (first to Mnemon, then working back in order of seniority as Oban and Reya look on).

Before even Ganan can be brought food, screams ring out from both houses simultaneously. Ganan barges past the servants and guests alike, practically trampling Mnemon to save his daughter and her husband – Melody and Reya follow him as Oban and the Sesus Dynasts make for Nerys’s house. It takes a matter of seconds for Ganan to crash through Bekara’s door, kicking it off its hinges without slowing down. The inside of the mansion is a gore-splattered sight: the throats of the mortal House Mnemon guards have been cut, and their bodies dumped unceremoniously. Nula and Terel both are on the ground, ligatures still tied around their necks – blessedly, neither of them are dead, both stirring to life and removing the garrotes even as Ganan enters the room. Their assailants, half-a-dozen bald-headed Dragon-Blooded dressed in the style of Immaculate Monks, are already dead. Octavian is sucking the marrow from a cracked thigh bone, he looks up at Ganan and snarls, “You’re welcome.”

Ganan doesn’t pause, he runs for the governor’s mansion, shouting “They’re fine,” as Melody and Reya catch up with him. They find Muli, Tepet Agoram, Ledaal Corin, Oban, and other Sesus scions putting the last of the Iselsi assassins to the sword. Blood gushes from a nasty wound on Muli’s head, and his throat is bruised by a garrote. His anima burns the soft furnishings in Nerys’s dwelling, fire lashing out in all directions. His eyes are fixed at a body on the ground: the dead body of Sesus Raenyah Ilana.

****

Reya spends 8DX to cast her working on Bright Obelisk. As this is never going to come up in play again, the cost is now refunded at the end of the current story. She then spends 2DX to train Archery 2, 6DX to train Athletics 3. She gains 3SP for completing a Craft project.

Melody spends 8XP to train Drawing Lightning Style x2, and 7DX to train War 5.

Ganan spends 4DX to train Martial Arts: Righteous Devil Style 2. He gains 15SP for using 5 Craft Abilities rated 3+ to complete projects, and 5GP for completing an artifact.
- 64
- 65
- 66
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Dynasty of Dovak