EMPIRE! A Clash from the Past [Year 465]

[QuintonBeck]

Vapeema Argulus was a proud warrior and a proud leader of his people. He was tall, nearly 6 ft, dark tan skin with a complex pattern of decorative scars along his arms and chest which he preferred to keep bare. His head was shaven clean when he was captured though it had grown un-molested since he had been captured and he now wore the ebony strands pulled back in a simple pony tail. No beard touched his face despite a similar lack of shaving and his eyes glinted with a dark displeasure at his current situation. He was, all told, a specimen of the most upstanding warrior.He was also now prisoner to those who claimed to be the combined forces of Lyradissians and a member state of the Salterri Imperium.

It was like some sick joke. His forces had been slaughtered as though they were the shepherds of Trinacria falling before the blades of his own men. It was a humbling and infuriating defeat all at once. He should have known that the northern forces were more powerful than they seemed. A platoon a third the size of his own forces from those claiming Imperial obedience had matched him in the field not but a few years prior but he had been of the mind that harrying and chasing down that force would decimate them, not unleash and unholy wave of men decrying his own as demons and devils.

The revelation of the butchers and his captors though, that was where the real shock and fury arose. He had half expected the men to be Imperium. Kell legend spoke of them often as the eternal foe, but that Lyradissians, the very definition of cowards had stepped forward and claimed to have joined the Imperial forces, it was nearly too much for the Argulus to take. Cowards and turncoats, it was hardly a surprise really, though how they had managed to survive what had driven the Kell to near extinction was.

Nonetheless Vapeema had turned himself over to the defeating army as was his honor bound duty to do and been moved from camp to camp and then prison to prison for what must have been at least a year since the battle. It was growing tiresome and he had yet to be granted audience with the leaders who had properly captured him being subject instead to many generals and inquisitors poking for information. He had just two days ago resolved to give the leaders a week and at the end of it to escape with extreme prejudice when news reached him that an audience had finally been arranged. He waited now eager for the chance to see Old Foe and Old Coward again, to see how well the legends captured them. And to show them the Kell had not forgotten.

[Aedilred]

Alfmark didn't need the doctors to tell him he was dying, but they lingered nonetheless, hanging around as if they thought he couldn't see him, waiting for his resolve to weaken or the other crowds around him to disperse slightly before stepping forward to proffer some quack remedy. At some point he might take laudanum from them, but not until he had finished his business. To that end he paid more attention to the lawyers, signing or sealing the documents they presented for his attention. Dying or not, his name carried the stamp of authority, and it would be easier for Elwyr to action decrees in his name. Elwyr himself hovered guiltily, grateful that his brother was taking the time to make the transition as smooth as possible, but ashamed that his final days or hours were being taken up by making his own life easier.

Alfmark had hoped to speak with the Vapeema himself, but died before the audience could be granted. From that point onwards, it seemed all was confusion and activity. The king's body was burned and returned to Jarrland for interment, and despite his efforts Elwyr found himself almost immediately swamped with demands and responsibilities. The army was restless and required dispersal, the Eyrecradian troops first to leave for home, and managing that process in an orderly manner deprived him of some of his most trusted councillors as well as yet more paperwork. His coronation took further time to arrange, all the while the legacy of the battle slipping.

Eventually he felt able to summon the Vapeema, and sent a further message to Girard informing the Emperor of his plans and inviting him to attend. He took to his throne in the newly renovated palace hall, on the throne Alfmark had built but never sat. Most of the peerage was here to witness, too, as well as chosen representatives from the military and the Kinisvara Kodu: few of them had ever seen the new throne before either, at least not in its completed state, and he hoped that the spectacle would distract from any weakness in his own performance. At the foot of the throne stood Eldred, the atheling, now rather deaf thanks to the events in Palas Caercia, and Wiltor, the Duke of Sunder and king's champion, while automata representing birds and lions of gold, mithril and orichalcum lined the steps, and by the king's side was a lion of flesh and blood, one of the ever-growing menagerie that lived within the palace grounds.

At a pre-arranged signal, the doors opened and the Vapeema was marched in, escorted by a group of thingmen and the Earl of Scowen, who had been charged with his maintennce. The thingmen were there partly for ceremony, partly for protection, but mostly to keep back the dozens of curious spectators, both from the kingdom and Lyradissian guests, who otherwise tried to step forward and obstruct their path to the throne.

"Vapeema Argulus," Elwyr said when Argulus reached the foot of the steps. The throne and hall had supposedly been redesigned in such a way that the king need not raise his voice to be heard, though he was unsure if it was working. "I bid you welcome to my court. I regret it has taken so long to arrange this audience." The automata buzzed and clicked as the king spoke, turning to look down at his guest.

[QuintonBeck]

"Vapeema Argulus," Elwyr said when Argulus reached the foot of the steps. The throne and hall had supposedly been redesigned in such a way that the king need not raise his voice to be heard, though he was unsure if it was working. "I bid you welcome to my court. I regret it has taken so long to arrange this audience." The automata buzzed and clicked as the king spoke, turning to look down at his guest.

Vapeema eyed the automatons and the rested lion warily, as a field commander would assess the opposing army. He had put on a simple fur vest for the audience but it did little to restrict his imposing stature and width. He raised his left hand, palm towards the king and slowly closed it into a fist starting with his pinky and ending with his thumb. He lowered the closed fist after a moment of silence.

"You are not the only one to regret the delay King Alfmark*, I have hungered to speak with you and the one bearing the colors of Lyradis since my capture. The delay of the discussion of ransom and explanations has caused me no undue amount of discomfort, but tell me, I do not see the great lord of Lyradis here with you, has he been summoned? I should most desire to look into his eyes and see if it is true what the legends say of a Lyr coward's eyes."

*OOC: I know this is Elwyr, he doesn't.

[Aedilred]

"You are not the only one to regret the delay King Alfmark*, I have hungered to speak with you and the one bearing the colors of Lyradis since my capture. The delay of the discussion of ransom and explanations has caused me no undue amount of discomfort, but tell me, I do not see the great lord of Lyradis here with you, has he been summoned? I should most desire to look into his eyes and see if it is true what the legends say of a Lyr coward's eyes."

*OOC: I know this is Elwyr, he doesn't.

A moment of silence carried round the room for a moment after Argulus's address to "King Alfmark", followed by a low murmur, and the air of curiosity was momentarily replaced with a slightly dangerous frisson.

"King Alfmark is dead," Elwyr said, in a matter-of-fact voice. Had the Kell ever set eyes on either of them before there would have been no mistaking the difference, but more than that he was surprised at quite how ill-informed the captive was. "He died more than a year ago, from injuries sustained in the very battle in which you were taken captive. The lengthy delay between that day and your audience is largely as a result of that fact. I am his brother and successor, Elwyr, the selfsame Defier of the Dark for whose head I believe you called during your invasion.

"As to our cousin of Lyradis, I should not presume to summon the Emperor of Dawn, but he has been informed of this occasion and to my knowledge will be gracing us with his presence at his convenience."

[QuintonBeck]

A moment of silence carried round the room for a moment after Argulus's address to "King Alfmark", followed by a low murmur, and the air of curiosity was momentarily replaced with a slightly dangerous frisson.

"King Alfmark is dead," Elwyr said, in a matter-of-fact voice. Had the Kell ever set eyes on either of them before there would have been no mistaking the difference, but more than that he was surprised at quite how ill-informed the captive was. "He died more than a year ago, from injuries sustained in the very battle in which you were taken captive. The lengthy delay between that day and your audience is largely as a result of that fact. I am his brother and successor, Elwyr, the selfsame Defier of the Dark for whose head I believe you called during your invasion.

"As to our cousin of Lyradis, I should not presume to summon the Emperor of Dawn, but he has been informed of this occasion and to my knowledge will be gracing us with his presence at his convenience."

"Emperor of Dawn?" the Kell asked, nearly laughing out loud as he said the words, "Oh what a cruel world is this where cowards call themselves emperors."

"I do apologize for my misinformation though, as you may not be aware I've been a prisoner of a foreign country and haven't taken to being so bereft of my own thought as to lend my mind and ear to translating the gossiping tongues of foreigners. Allow me to apologize as well for calling for your head, though I would certainly have taken it had I won our encounter as you were not the commander of your forces at the time, it would be against the laws of the Kell to continue to carry forward that threat now that you have your own command."

"But perhaps now that I speak with a fellow commander I might ask some questions that have concerned my thoughts in these past months? Yours is a representative of the Qzare, no? Does the line of Xiu still rule from that ridiculous Silver Throne? And this 'Emperor of Dawn' is he another servant of the Qzare or simply a loyal lapdog who comes when called by the Imperium?"

[Aedilred]

"But perhaps now that I speak with a fellow commander I might ask some questions that have concerned my thoughts in these past months? Yours is a representative of the Qzare, no? Does the line of Xiu still rule from that ridiculous Silver Throne? And this 'Emperor of Dawn' is he another servant of the Qzare or simply a loyal lapdog who comes when called by the Imperium?"

"The line of Xiu ended more than forty years ago, when the traitor Zanper Fidious struck down Qzare Hanyeo and Emperor Zhuang was executed. Qzarina Tianshi now sits the Silver Throne, as representative of the line of Li, her father's house." He spoke as neutrally as possible, always more comfortable in dispensing information than in making conversation. "I serve as Imperial proconsul, and warden of the east. Emperor Girard stands independent of the Imperium, though he holds territory in his own right within its borders. Nor did we call for his assistance against your army, for upon hearing of your arrival he immediately offered his assistance. The Lyradissians are not a warlike people, and they bear your kind a great emnity. Few would expect them to take up arms against any other so readily."

[QuintonBeck]

"The line of Xiu ended more than forty years ago, when the traitor Zanper Fidious struck down Qzare Hanyeo and Emperor Zhuang was executed. Qzarina Tianshi now sits the Silver Throne, as representative of the line of Li, her father's house." He spoke as neutrally as possible, always more comfortable in dispensing information than in making conversation. "I serve as Imperial proconsul, and warden of the east. Emperor Girard stands independent of the Imperium, though he holds territory in his own right within its borders. Nor did we call for his assistance against your army, for upon hearing of your arrival he immediately offered his assistance. The Lyradissians are not a warlike people, and they bear your kind a great emnity. Few would expect them to take up arms against any other so readily."

"Believe me King, I know the Lyradissians refuse to face war, it seems they have acquiesced to throwing troops behind a military campaign already assured victory however, even more when it might erase one of the few who remember them for what they are. You've certainly intrigued me though, what tales have the Lyr spun about the Kells to ingratiate themselves with your Imperium?"

[Aedilred]

"Believe me King, I know the Lyradissians refuse to face war, it seems they have acquiesced to throwing troops behind a military campaign already assured victory however, even more when it might erase one of the few who remember them for what they are. You've certainly intrigued me though, what tales have the Lyr spun about the Kells to ingratiate themselves with your Imperium?"

There was a small clamour from some of the Lyradissian nobles present, which soon turned into a general conversation that moved around the room like ripples in a pool. Elwyr hated this sort of thing, and it was one of the reasons he had been sceptical about a public audience: his father, or any of his brothers, would have restored order with a single word, but he did not trust his own voice to carry the requisite authority. Wiltor lacked the conviction to decide to do so on his own account, and Eldred likely could not hear the disturbance.

He seemed to remember there was a lever or toggle somewhere that would induce the mechanical lions to roar, but he couldn't for the life of him remember where and even more than the idea of scrabbling around looking for some secret trigger he didn't want to set off some unforseen reaction by mistake, the throne rotating or rising into the air or somesuch. Or was all that controlled from somwhere else and he had to give a signal to the relevant courtier? He should really have learned how this throne worked properly before sitting the bloody thing. Fortunately the real lion at his side seemed to sense his anxiety and stirred, uttering a low growl which nevertheless stopped the nearest conversation dead, and just as the murmurs had started, silence spread outward from the throne, all eyes returned to him.

Had he got away with that? Doing his best to make as if the last few moments had been entirely intentional, he spoke again. "The histories of Lyradis and the Imperium both make reference to the Kells in various levels of detail. To my understanding the Imperium displaced the Kells in this region as the Kells had previously displaced the kingdom of Lyradis. As a scholar, I should be interested to hear a different perspective on the events of the past. As a king, however, I am more concerned with the repeated and unprovoked incursions into Imperial territory which have over the past thirty years cost the lives of thousands, even tens of thousands, of our subjects and allies, not to mention a king and a prince of the blood. Lyradis needed not spin us any tales to turn us against you, Lord Argulus, for Kelldria has in that regard performed admirably on its own account."

[QuintonBeck]

There was a small clamour from some of the Lyradissian nobles present, which soon turned into a general conversation that moved around the room like ripples in a pool. Elwyr hated this sort of thing, and it was one of the reasons he had been sceptical about a public audience: his father, or any of his brothers, would have restored order with a single word, but he did not trust his own voice to carry the requisite authority. Wiltor lacked the conviction to decide to do so on his own account, and Eldred likely could not hear the disturbance.

He seemed to remember there was a lever or toggle somewhere that would induce the mechanical lions to roar, but he couldn't for the life of him remember where and even more than the idea of scrabbling around looking for some secret trigger he didn't want to set off some unforseen reaction by mistake, the throne rotating or rising into the air or somesuch. Or was all that controlled from somwhere else and he had to give a signal to the relevant courtier? He should really have learned how this throne worked properly before sitting the bloody thing. Fortunately the real lion at his side seemed to sense his anxiety and stirred, uttering a low growl which nevertheless stopped the nearest conversation dead, and just as the murmurs had started, silence spread outward from the throne, all eyes returned to him.

Had he got away with that? Doing his best to make as if the last few moments had been entirely intentional, he spoke again. "The histories of Lyradis and the Imperium both make reference to the Kells in various levels of detail. To my understanding the Imperium displaced the Kells in this region as the Kells had previously displaced the kingdom of Lyradis. As a scholar, I should be interested to hear a different perspective on the events of the past. As a king, however, I am more concerned with the repeated and unprovoked incursions into Imperial territory which have over the past thirty years cost the lives of thousands, even tens of thousands, of our subjects and allies, not to mention a king and a prince of the blood. Lyradis needed not spin us any tales to turn us against you, Lord Argulus, for Kelldria has in that regard performed admirably on its own account."

"And of the tens of thousands of Kell slain directly by your Imperium or the hundreds of thousands whose lives lost they are also ultimately responsible for? Though, fairness in dictates at least a portion of the blame for those lost to frozen winters in the gods forsaken ice lands should weigh on the heads of the Lyr as well. The Kells were not simply 'displaced' by your Imperium King Elwyr, they were driven out by swordpoint by the vicious conquerors you claim to be a part of, and the Lyr were not 'displaced' by the Kell, they fled from our refugees who landed on their doorsteps ahead of the Imperium begging for aid. No my lord, the Lyr 'displaced' themselves with their cowardice."

"When the Last Vasil reached out to the Lyr for their assistance and unification with the Kingdoms of Kell and Farridon to resist the foreign invaders, your Imperium, they refused. Your Imperium unleashed hell, fell upon our people like predators to wounded prey, we fled into the lands of the Lyr, begging, pleading for assistance but the Lyr took our arrival only as a herald of their own doom and fled without us, leaving us behind to delay the Imperium further that they might escape."

[Aedilred]

"And of the tens of thousands of Kell slain directly by your Imperium or the hundreds of thousands whose lives lost they are also ultimately responsible for? Though, fairness in dictates at least a portion of the blame for those lost to frozen winters in the gods forsaken ice lands should weigh on the heads of the Lyr as well. The Kells were not simply 'displaced' by your Imperium King Elwyr, they were driven out by swordpoint by the vicious conquerors you claim to be a part of, and the Lyr were not 'displaced' by the Kell, they fled from our refugees who landed on their doorsteps ahead of the Imperium begging for aid. No my lord, the Lyr 'displaced' themselves with their cowardice."

"When the Last Vasil reached out to the Lyr for their assistance and unification with the Kingdoms of Kell and Farridon to resist the foreign invaders, your Imperium, they refused. Your Imperium unleashed hell, fell upon our people like predators to wounded prey, we fled into the lands of the Lyr, begging, pleading for assistance but the Lyr took our arrival only as a herald of their own doom and fled without us, leaving us behind to delay the Imperium further that they might escape."

A roar went up from some of the Lyradissian nobles and again angry words began to circulate, with some even stepping forward and prompting defensive stances from the thingmen. This time Elwyr was more prepared and reached forward to grip the arms of the throne dramatically before rising to his feet. His lion stood with him, and again silence broke out.

"My lords," he said to the room at large, "you wished to lay eyes on our foe and you have. You have my permission to leave." Though phrased as a suggestion, the meaning was clear, and not without a degree of sullenness the spectators began to file out, save only for a handful with whom it had been arranged in advance could stay were such measures deemed necessary. Clearly, many wished the king to return the accusations and insults, but Elwyr had no intention of allowing this to become a public bear-baiting, nor to lower his own dignity, such as it was, by engaging in an unseemly public argument. Enough of the nobles remained that hopefully word would spread of what was said here, but not so many as to continue disrupting proceedings.

He retook his seat. "You will forgive me, my lord, for placing a higher priority on the deaths of those whose families still live to mourn them than those lost three centuries past and whose names and numbers are unknown even to those who profess to fight in their memory. The histories of that period are ancient and riddled with inconsistencies and bias, notwithstanding our Lyradissian cousins' obsession with it, and had I encountered your people peacefully I should have borne you no ill will on their basis. The history of Lyradis tells much the same story about you as you tell about the Imperium. The history of the Imperium makes mention of your people in the same breath as a dozen others."

He leaned back again. "Our own history indicates that my people have lived in this land for centuries, millennia even, since long before the rise of Lyradis or Kelldria or Aus-Teire. Were we to follow the line of reasoning that has seen Kell and Lyradissian at each others' throats for generations we should hate you all. In the event, we accepted suzerainty from the Silver Throne and since then have only prospered: had your people done the same, if indeed your version of events is accurate, you might have shared in that prosperity."

[QuintonBeck]

A roar went up from some of the Lyradissian nobles and again angry words began to circulate, with some even stepping forward and prompting defensive stances from the thingmen. This time Elwyr was more prepared and reached forward to grip the arms of the throne dramatically before rising to his feet. His lion stood with him, and again silence broke out.

"My lords," he said to the room at large, "you wished to lay eyes on our foe and you have. You have my permission to leave." Though phrased as a suggestion, the meaning was clear, and not without a degree of sullenness the spectators began to file out, save only for a handful with whom it had been arranged in advance could stay were such measures deemed necessary. Clearly, many wished the king to return the accusations and insults, but Elwyr had no intention of allowing this to become a public bear-baiting, nor to lower his own dignity, such as it was, by engaging in an unseemly public argument. Enough of the nobles remained that hopefully word would spread of what was said here, but not so many as to continue disrupting proceedings.

He retook his seat. "You will forgive me, my lord, for placing a higher priority on the deaths of those whose families still live to mourn them than those lost three centuries past and whose names and numbers are unknown even to those who profess to fight in their memory. The histories of that period are ancient and riddled with inconsistencies and bias, notwithstanding our Lyradissian cousins' obsession with it, and had I encountered your people peacefully I should have borne you no ill will on their basis. The history of Lyradis tells much the same story about you as you tell about the Imperium. The history of the Imperium makes mention of your people in the same breath as a dozen others."

He leaned back again. "Our own history indicates that my people have lived in this land for centuries, millennia even, since long before the rise of Lyradis or Kelldria or Aus-Teire. Were we to follow the line of reasoning that has seen Kell and Lyradissian at each others' throats for generations we should hate you all. In the event, we accepted suzerainty from the Silver Throne and since then have only prospered: had your people done the same, if indeed your version of events is accurate, you might have shared in that prosperity."

"And what loyal servants you appear to be. You'll forgive me for my predecessor's disposition to fight back when foreigners from a land so far away as to have never been met before landed on his doorstep and demanded he surrender his lands and the people within to foreign rule. If Aus-Teire is the land that lies to the west lying on the sea that sparkles golden in the morning's light then you speak of the Kell's ancient home. It may be your liege was satisfied to allow your continued operation independent of direct Imperial hand but if you know Imperium history you know your overlords are not natives to these lands and so too you are intelligent enough to ascertain that they did not become masters of the land they now command without driving out the old masters."

"As to the deaths I lament, while the deaths of our forefathers are still ever present in memory do not think for a moment the Kell have not continued to suffer the penalties of your master's forerunners. Our people were driven to the very end reaches of the world, where night can last for days and the sun can shine eternally in equal measure. It is the Argulus such as myself that keep our people from dying in the forsaken wastes. Yes, we prey on the shepherds of Trinacria but only because our land is too barren to bear fruit and until recent years we had not yet had the means to support a force large enough for conquest. Then we did, and you slayed them to the man, though the fault for that defeat is mine. Still, I wonder how long we would have had until your Imperium claimed Trinacria and claimed us as enemies to your 'civilization'?"

"Not that I begrudge you your victory, or the Imperium's ancient victory King, but it is the place of a good commander and leader to recognize the lives he is sacrificing that his own people may live, and those are not just the lives of his own soldiers."

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Lord Girard's name was decreed, interupting the discussion between prisoner and King. The doors opened to the hall, and Girard entered. He glanced around the room, noting the Automata, the live lion, King Elwyr on the throne.

"Lord Elwyr," Girard intoned, nodding his head respectfully. "I have come."

He approached the Dias, eyed the lion, and stood along side the Carmine King, opposite the lion. He stared down at the prisioner, and his icy blue eyes twinkled. "I am Emperor Girard, of House Serendel. Lord of the Empire of Dawn."

[QuintonBeck]

Lord Girard's name was decreed, interupting the discussion between prisoner and King. The doors opened to the hall, and Girard entered. He glanced around the room, noting the Automata, the live lion, King Elwyr on the throne.

"Lord Elwyr," Girard intoned, nodding his head respectfully. "I have come."

He approached the Dias, eyed the lion, and stood along side the Carmine King, opposite the lion. He stared down at the prisioner, and his icy blue eyes twinkled. "I am Emperor Girard, of House Serendel. Lord of the Empire of Dawn."

"And I Vapeema Argulus of Kelldria, sworn foe to you and yours. Leader of those trampled by the escaping hooves of the Lyr. I have heard it said that you came with an army simply to see my men thoroughly slaughtered in a battle we had already lost? Satisfy my curiosity 'Emperor' Girard, did you think if you slaughtered us that your people's history would be erased and forgotten as it is known? I can only imagine this to be so for what other reason would a coward seek a fight but in an attempt to hide their own cowardice?"

[Aedilred]

"Not that I begrudge you your victory, or the Imperium's ancient victory King, but it is the place of a good commander and leader to recognize the lives he is sacrificing that his own people may live, and those are not just the lives of his own soldiers."
"Such as the near twenty thousand folk driven northward to their deaths by the Kells thirty years ago, the survivors of whom are now among my subjects. The Imperium was once an aggressive and militaristic power, but when it comes to relations between crowns there are few with clean hands, or at least, few that survive. I have made a study of history, and unlike many of my peers, it seems, I do not consider war inherently immoral nor those who undertake it villains by nature, though I have no relish or aptitude for it myself. I do however hold a profound distaste for pointless, futile or spiteful conflict, especially when it is the innocent who suffer most."


Lord Girard's name was decreed, interupting the discussion between prisoner and King. The doors opened to the hall, and Girard entered. He glanced around the room, noting the Automata, the live lion, King Elwyr on the throne.

"Lord Elwyr," Girard intoned, nodding his head respectfully. "I have come."

He approached the Dias, eyed the lion, and stood along side the Carmine King, opposite the lion. He stared down at the prisioner, and his icy blue eyes twinkled. "I am Emperor Girard, of House Serendel. Lord of the Empire of Dawn."

Elwyr stood to acknowledge Girard's arrival, and nodded in response to his greeting. "My lord."

[TheWombatOfDoom]

"And I Vapeema Argulus of Kelldria, sworn foe to you and yours. Leader of those trampled by the escaping hooves of the Lyr. I have heard it said that you came with an army simply to see my men thoroughly slaughtered in a battle we had already lost? Satisfy my curiosity 'Emperor' Girard, did you think if you slaughtered us that your people's history would be erased and forgotten as it is known? I can only imagine this to be so for what other reason would a coward seek a fight but in an attempt to hide their own cowardice?"

"I am not here to satisfy your curiosity. I am here for information, Vapeema. If you call aiding a close ally and relative of my people against a common foe cowardice, then I'd hate to see what your people call bravery." Stabbing one another in the back, more than likely, Girard thought with venom.

[QuintonBeck]

"Such as the near twenty thousand folk driven northward to their deaths by the Kells thirty years ago, the survivors of whom are now among my subjects. The Imperium was once an aggressive and militaristic power, but when it comes to relations between crowns there are few with clean hands, or at least, few that survive. I have made a study of history, and unlike many of my peers, it seems, I do not consider war inherently immoral nor those who undertake it villains by nature, though I have no relish or aptitude for it myself. I do however hold a profound distaste for pointless, futile or spiteful conflict, especially when it is the innocent who suffer most."


"Of war I take no issue, war is a necessary part in establishing peace in a realm, anyone who says otherwise is a fool or a liar, but when war turns to honorless slaughter it is no longer to be revered. I have heard rumors of those who fled Trinacria in our first attempt to reclaim land beyond the furthest frozen reaches to which we were driven, I also heard they were slain nearly to the man when they fled our armies. I had thought perhaps the Lyr had evolved from fleeing those begging for sanctuary to slaying them, but I would wager it was your kingdom that saw swords driven through them. If you look to place blame for their slaughter, share the burden King Elwyr."


"I am not here to satisfy your curiosity. I am here for information, Vapeema. If you call aiding a close ally and relative of my people against a common foe cowardice, then I'd hate to see what your people call bravery." Stabbing one another in the back, more than likely, Girard thought with venom.

"Bravery would be to face a foe on equal ground and not hide beneath the skirts of the conquerors that drove both our people out of our homelands. I imagine such a concept would be quite foreign to yourself. I can't possibly imagine what 'information' you could seek. Do you wish to hear the stories of a century of wandering and being driven onward by Imperium swords until finally finding a frozen hellscape no other mortal would desire to live in that we might finally settle? Do you wish to hear of how a century of hardship culminated in a push finally to greener pastures only to find our efforts crushed by foes who lay claim to vast expanses of land already more than suitable for supporting their own people? What information do you seek 'Emperor'?"

[Aedilred]

Elwyr tried to disguise his surprise at quite how ignorant the Argulus was about affairs north of his own country, though as regards the former wildling invasion he did nothing to correct him. If Vapeema knew that his people had relied on their allies to turn back the invasion, or that that time had been the closest the Imperium and the Empire of Dawn had come to war, it would undermine the impression of might and unity he was doing his best to project. The Imperium stood more powerful now than it had been in those days, but these Kells were apparently slow to adjust to realities.

It was Eldred who spoke for him, slightly too loudly, not only because he did not enjoy the acoustic benefits of the throne but to overcome his own limited hearing. "The Imperium has changed in many respects since last your people knew them, Argulus, but in one respect it remains as it ever was. We give that which we receive. Those who greet us with open hands or coin can expect friendship or trade. Those who approach with swords unsheathed will be met with swords of our own, and we are not short of them. The wildlings realised their error, though it is regrettable that so many had to die before they did. It seems the Kells have yet to learn that lesson despite centuries to think on it."

There was a rumble of approval from many of the remaining spectators, especially those from Discordia and Vennland.

[QuintonBeck]

Elwyr tried to disguise his surprise at quite how ignorant the Argulus was about affairs north of his own country, though as regards the former wildling invasion he did nothing to correct him. If Vapeema knew that his people had relied on their allies to turn back the invasion, or that that time had been the closest the Imperium and the Empire of Dawn had come to war, it would undermine the impression of might and unity he was doing his best to project. The Imperium stood more powerful now than it had been in those days, but these Kells were apparently slow to adjust to realities.

It was Eldred who spoke for him, slightly too loudly, not only because he did not enjoy the acoustic benefits of the throne but to overcome his own limited hearing. "The Imperium has changed in many respects since last your people knew them, Argulus, but in one respect it remains as it ever was. We give that which we receive. Those who greet us with open hands or coin can expect friendship or trade. Those who approach with swords unsheathed will be met with swords of our own, and we are not short of them. The wildlings realised their error, though it is regrettable that so many had to die before they did. It seems the Kells have yet to learn that lesson despite centuries to think on it."

There was a rumble of approval from many of the remaining spectators, especially those from Discordia and Vennland.

"You speak ignorantly then. Pacified with tales of a noble Imperium. When the invaders landed on our shores in ancient days they did so with swords drawn, intent to invade, and invade they did. Slaughtered our women and children, drove us into Lyr, and enslaved and put into service those left behind. The Lyr ran ahead of us, suffered lightly for the pains of the Imperium were borne by my people and not theirs. When after 200 years our people stretched out beyond the frozen hellscape left to us into a land devoid of Imperial presence, yours swept down appearing from nowhere and claimed the land, long raided by our people without protection from your Imperium, as if it was your own."

"You know well what happened next, we marched upon you seeking to break an Imperium that claimed land but sent only 3,000 men to protect it when the threat became greater than simple raids. Fortunately for your head King Elwyr it seems the Imperium was not stretched thin, but merely claiming control of land it had not quite yet fully subjugated. My men are dead because of my error and your swords, two commanders responsible for the lives that were lost as it always is. Just as in ancient times it was the success of the Imperium's Qzare and the failure of the Lyr King that saw Kell and Farridon fall while the Lyr escaped to the sounds of their brother nations being slaughtered."

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Girard went rigid, and it took some effort to not slap the man. What shores were these that the Imperium landed on? By all accounts, the Salterri had come from the penninsula to the west of the main southron lands. And by all accounts, the Kell had invaded Lyradis by the south, from Farridon and beyond...

Girard wished he had been present at the beginning of the conversation, perhaps the Kell prisioner had said more on this recounting of his history.

"Responsibility seems to be a thing your people historically lack, if you think for a second that my people were cowards to flee in the Conquest of Old Lyradis. The prince had been tortured by Kell hand. Invasion of soldiers from the south bearing Kell standards slaughtered soldier and citizen alike. Those that fought were overrun. Lyradis lost much to Kell. A thing the Kell were responsible for, not the Imperium. Where is it that you would call your homelands that you so seek? Your people came south, the Salterri came from the northwest. You accounts don't seem to add up."

[QuintonBeck]

Girard went rigid, and it took some effort to not slap the man. What shores were these that the Imperium landed on? By all accounts, the Salterri had come from the penninsula to the west of the main southron lands. And by all accounts, the Kell had invaded Lyradis by the south, from Farridon and beyond...

Girard wished he had been present at the beginning of the conversation, perhaps the Kell prisioner had said more on this recounting of his history.

"Responsibility seems to be a thing your people historically lack, if you think for a second that my people were cowards to flee in the Conquest of Old Lyradis. The prince had been tortured by Kell hand. Invasion of soldiers from the south bearing Kell standards slaughtered soldier and citizen alike. Those that fought were overrun. Lyradis lost much to Kell. A thing the Kell were responsible for, not the Imperium. Where is it that you would call your homelands that you so seek? Your people came south, the Salterri came from the northwest. You accounts don't seem to add up."

The Argulus shook his head and sighed, "The Kell 'soldiers' you speak of Girard, were Kell refugees, driven to desperation and begging for Lyr help which was denied to them as they were pushed south-east by the incoming foreigners, the Salterri. The ancient Kell homelands lay on the coast of the Sea that Shimmers Gold, east of the peninsulas from which the Salterri began their invasions."

"Do not seek to tell me where my people come from Girard, the Kell may have been forced to eek out our existence in the frozen expanses to the south but we have not forgotten our history filled with the ancient stories of our homeland. I would wager your histories of advancing Kell armies taking the place of desperate refugees pleading for help after your failure to join Farridon and Kell in repelling the invaders were intended to ease the conscience of future generations over the cowardly actions of their fore bearers. A ploy that seems to have worked well judging by present company."

[Aedilred]

"Alas, it is my experience that history is forgotten altogether too easily," Elwyr said, hoping to inject a degree of reason into the discussion. "People forget or distort even the details of their own lives, whether because they prefer to delude themselves as to their own rectitude, to increase their standing in the eyes of others, or simple forgetfulness. One need only look to Inigo of Guilder to see that: the man has witnessed a hundred years of history and I would not trust him to tell me yesterday's weather. My own people kept no written record before the Imperial arrival to tell of the coming and going of migrants or conquerors to this land, only the vaguest of generational hearsay, with the result that this kingdom might first have been founded thousands of years ago or but a few hundred, and we will never know. It might indeed be as you say, Argulus: perhaps the Kells were an innocent and peaceful people driven from their lands by the Imperial invaders and abandoned by Lyradis when they were needed. That is not the version the Lyradissian histories tell. I suspect both narratives have been informed by generations of grief and anger and any objective truth, if such a thing is possible, has long since been lost. I have myself made a study of the sources from the period, and unless there are new documents you can bring to our attention, Argulus, there is no hope of discovering precisely what happened three hundred years past.

"While as a scholar and a resident of this land I have a personal interest in determining the most accurate history of it, as a king I must view that as an indulgence. My concern now must be whether this ancient and ill-defined squabble presents a threat to my kingdom. After all, the only reason my brother chose to occupy Tuhiland was in response to the wildlings driven into Tempestia and Farridon by the latest movement of the Kells. The expedition into the region we are coming to call Pirkelland was likewise driven by Kell attacks on Tuhiland. I do not speak of ancient history, Argulus, when I say that the experience of my people with the Kells has been one of unprovoked raiding and violence. This is not an experience which provokes a great deal of sympathy."

[QuintonBeck]

"Alas, it is my experience that history is forgotten altogether too easily," Elwyr said, hoping to inject a degree of reason into the discussion. "People forget or distort even the details of their own lives, whether because they prefer to delude themselves as to their own rectitude, to increase their standing in the eyes of others, or simple forgetfulness. One need only look to Inigo of Guilder to see that: the man has witnessed a hundred years of history and I would not trust him to tell me yesterday's weather. My own people kept no written record before the Imperial arrival to tell of the coming and going of migrants or conquerors to this land, only the vaguest of generational hearsay, with the result that this kingdom might first have been founded thousands of years ago or but a few hundred, and we will never know. It might indeed be as you say, Argulus: perhaps the Kells were an innocent and peaceful people driven from their lands by the Imperial invaders and abandoned by Lyradis when they were needed. That is not the version the Lyradissian histories tell. I suspect both narratives have been informed by generations of grief and anger and any objective truth, if such a thing is possible, has long since been lost. I have myself made a study of the sources from the period, and unless there are new documents you can bring to our attention, Argulus, there is no hope of discovering precisely what happened three hundred years past.

"While as a scholar and a resident of this land I have a personal interest in determining the most accurate history of it, as a king I must view that as an indulgence. My concern now must be whether this ancient and ill-defined squabble presents a threat to my kingdom. After all, the only reason my brother chose to occupy Tuhiland was in response to the wildlings driven into Tempestia and Farridon by the latest movement of the Kells. The expedition into the region we are coming to call Pirkelland was likewise driven by Kell attacks on Tuhiland. I do not speak of ancient history, Argulus, when I say that the experience of my people with the Kells has been one of unprovoked raiding and violence. This is not an experience which provokes a great deal of sympathy."

"Very well King Elwyr, let us speak of modern happenings," the Argulus said with an inclination of his head, "As I have stated, the Kell have been eking out their existence in the frozen and unforgiving reaches of the far south for generations. Only in the last thirty years have we been able to gather together a sizable enough and well equipped army, the one I commanded in our battle, to be able to push outside our frozen prison and seek greener pastures. Unfortunately it seems we did so in conjunction with your own more well blessed and well equipped soldiers who under your orders seek to expand your rich lands even further."

"The wildlings you speak of were natives fleeing our expansion into what you call Pirkelland and we know as Trinacria. Yours then decided to expand into this region and when my army returned to finish its conquest so that my people might migrate north into more hospitable lands it found your men. I did what any commander finding another sniffing at the corpse of a great trophy he had not felled and sought to drive you out and punish you for your greed. Of course, we both know what happened then."

The Argulus gestured at his surroundings.

"I do not expect you will be willing to give up your pursuits, the Imperium to which you claim kinship is known to be relentless and ever expanding, even beyond meeting its needs. I asked to speak with you however not just to see the faces of the Kell's old foes but to request that when you reach the land my people call home you slay every man, woman, and child that another generation of my people do not have to suffer in exile or under tyranny as this last generation has and to pledge to you that if you do not I shall make it my mission to undo every overture towards peace you take and to carry out my word upon my own sword if you are not willing to carry it out yourself."

[Aedilred]

Elwyr's face grew steadily stonier as the Argulus talked.

"No," he said, eventually. "I will not be responsible for the butchery of innocent people for the sake of another's spite. Tell me, Argulus, are all your people as self-pitying as you? Our allies of Glazfell, those who defeated the wildlings you drove ahead of you, reside in the far frozen reaches of the north, and they have made a home there and built a power to rival any in this world. Our friends in Calorum have territories even farther to the north, stretching almost to the pole. Of course more fertile and warmer lands are preferable, but if you have failed to find purchase in your new home because you were consumed with self-pity over losing the old, that is nobody's fault but your own.

"When I was a boy, my father's whole army could be contained within this room. Vennland, Farridon and Tempestia came over to his crown without the loss of a single life. Only where the Kell are concerned has violence been necessary, a necessity which has driven the expansion of our army that you so resent. Had you made your approach peacefully, we could have reached an accommodation without the loss of a single Kell life. There is green land to the west crying out for people to settle it. Instead you insisted on fighting a war you lost three centuries ago, and untold suffering has resulted.

He stood. "Too many have died. Wildlings, Kells, Frosten, Pavonians, Frosten, Calorumites, Lyradissians, to say nothing of my own peoples. Tens of thousands. I am sick of it. If you wish more death upon your own people, you are not fit to lead them."

[QuintonBeck]

Elwyr's face grew steadily stonier as the Argulus talked.

"No," he said, eventually. "I will not be responsible for the butchery of innocent people for the sake of another's spite. Tell me, Argulus, are all your people as self-pitying as you? Our allies of Glazfell, those who defeated the wildlings you drove ahead of you, reside in the far frozen reaches of the north, and they have made a home there and built a power to rival any in this world. Our friends in Calorum have territories even farther to the north, stretching almost to the pole. Of course more fertile and warmer lands are preferable, but if you have failed to find purchase in your new home because you were consumed with self-pity over losing the old, that is nobody's fault but your own.

"When I was a boy, my father's whole army could be contained within this room. Vennland, Farridon and Tempestia came over to his crown without the loss of a single life. Only where the Kell are concerned has violence been necessary, a necessity which has driven the expansion of our army that you so resent. Had you made your approach peacefully, we could have reached an accommodation without the loss of a single Kell life. There is green land to the west crying out for people to settle it. Instead you insisted on fighting a war you lost three centuries ago, and untold suffering has resulted.

He stood. "Too many have died. Wildlings, Kells, Frosten, Pavonians, Frosten, Calorumites, Lyradissians, to say nothing of my own peoples. Tens of thousands. I am sick of it. If you wish more death upon your own people, you are not fit to lead them."

"Then it is good for you I do not lead them any longer. You have killed those I led King Elwyr, the people you speak of now are the flock we guided, without a shepherd and condemned to the frozen lands you find so prosperous they are already as good as dead. I will not see them suffer more for your sense of conscience."

"We have talked long now King, 'Emperor.' I have answered all your questions, now you answer mine, what shall you do with me? Release me as is honorable or take from me my head now that I am without arms or means to match steel to steel?"

[Aedilred]

"Then it is good for you I do not lead them any longer. You have killed those I led King Elwyr, the people you speak of now are the flock we guided, without a shepherd and condemned to the frozen lands you find so prosperous they are already as good as dead. I will not see them suffer more for your sense of conscience."

"We have talked long now King, 'Emperor.' I have answered all your questions, now you answer mine, what shall you do with me? Release me as is honorable or take from me my head now that I am without arms or means to match steel to steel?"

"I will not kill you, though I cannot say you do not deserve death. You have abandoned your people in body and in spirit. You would have done better to have died with them on the field. I shall not do the same." He called to Eldred. "Lord prince, prepare a party to travel to the south and find the surviving Kell people. I have a message for them."

The atheling bowed and walked away. Elwyr began descending the steps, followed by his lion. "My father signed a treaty, one my brother and sister drafted, concerning the treatment of prisoners of war, by which I am bound, and so I shall not kill you. But nor can I release you, since you have made your intention clear to cause whatever further strife you can. My lord Girard, if you would be prepared to take responsibility for this prisoner, I shall remand him to your custody." He turned to look back at Vapeema. "Otherwise you will remain in my custody, with the dignity I think appropriate to your station."


This is the message for Eldred to be delivered to the surviving Kells, if he can find them:


Proud people of Kelldria,

“When you reach the land my people call home, slay every man, woman, and child. If you do not I shall make it my mission to undo every overture towards peace you take and to carry out my word upon my own sword if you are not willing to carry it out yourself."

These are the words your erstwhile leader, Vapeema Argulus, spoke to us during negotiations following the battle in Tuhiland.

We have no intention of acting upon this instruction, nor of releasing him to perpetrate further crimes against you, his own people. Too many people on all sides of this pointless war have already died.

Vapeema Argulus informed us that the Kell have long been confined to the frozen lands of the south and that this is what spurred your migration northward and our regrettable conflicts over the last twenty years. Had he made his approach peacefully and with intent to negotiate, this could have been resolved without loss of life, but he chose to throw his people against an enemy of which he knew nothing save legend and folk tales. His regard for your lives is well shown by his words above.

To the west, on the coast of the Golden Sun Sea south of where you once called home, there is green and fertile land as yet unsettled and ripe for occupation and cultivation, known now as Cas-Teire. We would be pleased to see the Kell people settle there and have the opportunity to prosper which has apparently so long been denied you.

It is our considered opinion that Vapeema is no longer fit to lead your people, if ever he was. We recommend that if you have not already done so, you select leaders or representatives, by whatever means seem best to you, who will place your well-being above their selfish pride, and inform us of your response to the above offer. We should be pleased to receive you as our guests in Jarrland or at some other suitable diplomatic venue.

Vapeema shall be retained in custody until such time as we believe he no longer presents a threat to the fortunes of his own people. We shall no longer accept his word as standing for the Kell people as a whole.

- Elwyr, of the Jarrs, the Venns, the Sylphids and the Elves King Himself and the Son of Kings, Prince of Farridon, Defier of the Dark, Proconsul Carmine

[QuintonBeck]

OOC summation

25,000 Kell each bearing a visible branding burned into their flesh journey north to accept your offer but they also deliver a message.

"King Elwyr of Many Titles,

This message is brought to you by our troubled, our timid, and our weak who we have released from their rights and claims as true Kell and marked as traitors so that they may pursue your promises of land and prosper. Vapeema Argulus spoke as a true Kell, though it sounds he is to be denied honor and proper release by your people it would show some sign of honor that you inform him his words have been heard and held by those of us who know our true calling.

As you have proved superior foes for the time our forces will not seek conflict with your own again, but will not shy from it if it is found. Your acts of dishonor have revoked your rights to request Proper treatment from our own people and such shall be the judgement of individual Hoplons to show mercy.

We true Kell will find our own way and we shall not forget today or the rich history of our people.

Until our Blood Mixes,
Evander Argulus"