"House Fairtide, ancient even by Empirial standards was the frontline when it came to healing, curing, and keeping the wellbeing of the First King's troops and civilians, for every curse, plague, and phage the Sea Elves unleashed, the Knights and Nobles of Fairtide had a countermeasure ready to strike back, to the point one of the plague bringers of the elves, General Scuria-Upon-Deep summoned a High Demon into the mortal plane to destroy the healers. Said High Demon was a known contact of the Fairtide scions and after being called by the then Knight Commander, joined forces to get back at the elves who had tricked him into service.
On Vermilion's many noble houses Volume 8.
"Lu, I got you the report on that noble lass you asked" Saa'ryu gave the folder to Lucrezia, who smiled. Ah yes, finally she would confirm if the Anti-Divine Faction was still making their moves now that their primary source of secrecy was destroyed.
They relied heavily on Uumarie's creations after all.
"Raffa Ironheart, Defacto leader of her Family and the Anti-Divine Faction, at the tender of 20 no less" Lucrezia smiled as the memories from the game flooded her mind "Right then, with Uumaries lost of power they must be in complete disarray, which will be a perfect opportunity for us to get in, size them by the balls and get access to their knowledge" Lucrezia hummed, happy with herself.
"The Ironhearts have powerful relics from their Imperium days you know? but what I really want is their people" Lucrezia started explaining her plan to Saa'ryu "I can get the word in with the All-Father, let them establish an enclave on the Northern Wastes, Raffa has no love for this city and country anymore, nor do her people, but they aren't terrorists, even if public opinion is always low" Lucrezia smiled.
"Yeah, being against the Gods is never a good look" Saa'ryu spoke "But why the Wastes? we never managed to...Oh, I see now" Lucrezia snapped her fingers when her maid realized her plan and said.
"Aye Saa, with the Wastes under the guard of a neutral faction which we will be supplying, we can effectively extend our control to those lands without getting the other clans or the royals pissed, It will become a heaven for those who do not belong, and ere long the outlaws and less than desirable elements that make their nests there will be crushed under their heel, with our help of course." Lucrezia pulled a small orb from her pocket "Here, one of my latest inventions " She channeled mana into the orb and a three-dimensional image of the entire Wastes popped up "Together with the Drones Idun came up, we managed to map the entire landmass, tag important places where the outlaws have their bases and a perfect spot for Raffa's little enclave"
Saa'ryu watched the fancy map and pointed to the delta of a particular river "Ah smart thinking, The Ceaseless River's delta would make for a great outpost or even small town, coupled with Magi-Tech terraforming and regular magic...but would they even use your technology? given it's powered by the Gods after all"
Lucrezia nodded "Aye, it has enough human factor for them to tolerate, small compromises are the motto of that faction hehe" Lucrezia pointed to the sea "With trade via sea and river they shall have their Godless Enclave ere long, and we will finally be able to tap into the resources of that accursed land, so did you get the right robes?"
The maid nodded "Aye I did now put some clothes on so we can talk with the woman of the hour and her flock of godless sheep.
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"How long until the Pillars stop working?" A masked man spoke, his robes black as night and his mask died red "Weeks?" murmurs around him came and went, people were anxious and nervous in the small room.
Raffa Ironheart walked to the center of the room, her robes white and her mask black, for them, she was known as the Usher, leader of the Anti-Divine faction and first among equals in this heretical group.
"Peace brother, calm thy heart for we are still under this detestable pillar's blessing" she sighed, there were...rumors that Uumaries was not the fairest of gods, but now that they knew how low she had gone for power, Raffa was of the mind to just destroy the thing altogether, damn be the Eyes of the All-Father! let those elves jail them forever for being heretics!
"Forgive me Usher..., as you know I had kin who were killed when the first prince tried to mess with the Duchess of the North, my emotions are akin to a raging storm at sea, unable to be appeased even with the strongest of potions"
"There is no need to apologize, my friend, we all have suffered under their yoke of iron, and we are still forced to use their blessings to live like cattle..." Ironheart sat down and sighed, it was a heavy sigh, defeated and crestfallen.
These people, she knew them, she knew the horrors their kin, friends, workers, and had gone through due to the Divine and their whins, from the humblest bread maker to High Nobles who could do nothing but hide and cry to their fellows.
How could they fight? some entertained the notion, she did as well truth be told, then the Battle happened.
Ironheart pulse quickened as memories flashed in her mind, that level of sheer power and destruction selected few individuals brought to the mortal coil left her shaken, and the revelations of Uumaries left her and her fellows broken.
It was too much to bear, faintly but clearly she heard sobbing in the background as despair crept in, slowly and warmly like a comfy blanket in winter, let it go it said to her in a whisper it's over, give up, who will aid you now?
House Ironheart had lost most of her people in the war against the Elves, sent to the frontlines together with the Royal Knights themselves, Raffa saw her entire family, down to her grandfather and mother be slaughtered to a man, kicking and screaming to defend Vermilion, all in the name of their Goddess Morugarius. The battle of Cair Larval was a turning point in the Vermilion offensive in the war after her Kin and Kith died.
Their reward? nothing, Raffa remained alone with the sick and the lame back in the capital, with her own two hands she buried enough men and women to make the undertaker of the capital blush.
In her youth, she felt rage, then wrath, but as her great-grandfather said That is a bonfire that will burn bright, brighter than the sun, but it also burns fast my dear, and in the end, there will be naught but ash, ash and embers of a person consumed by it, be it silent or roaring, naught remains.
And the man was right, Raffa Ironheart was a hollow woman, walked in undeath of the mind and soul as she rebuilt her family and Knight Order, pretended to mingle with the High Nobles of the capital with gusto and jest only to come home and feel the mask slip away.
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Together with other survivors, she funded this conspiracy, if the Gods were blind and deaf to their pleas then she would turn to the mortals among her, and her call as silent as the tomb her kin were on was heard.
Once word got out, those loyal to the Gods came to hunt her down, she even got into a bit of controversy thanks to it, but with her connections and friends, she cleared her name, started again, and got that damn pillar.
A perfect solution, only to come crashing down as the Divine proved less than reliable once again. Raffa raised her hand and allowed the people to talk amongst themselves, the sound of chatter filled their room as despair crept away, for a time at least.
Her mind went back to her dealing with the Goddess who had power over this nation, an explosive encounter that took place a day after Raffa buried her family, and such news had become the talk of the town, people asking for the war to be stopped by seeing the grim sight of a young girl shovel in hand digging graves.
"The elven king and queen demand half the south of Vermilion, control over all walks of life and beyond, I understand your pain young one but I cannot stop this war, for if he wins, the consequences will be twice worse in the future" Morugarius spoke with the kindness of a battle weary commander who had seen this come to pass many a time, there was nothing Raffa could do, only bit her lips and walk away in shame.
The fact the Goddess herself had come down to talk with her also became news, but as the war went on people stopped caring, and more bodies to bury, and more people to mourn, what was once a unique story became everyday news.
As Raffa ruminated on those old thoughts, a black-robed individual spoke loudly, its mask was of a strange shape, with wings and black and red inlays. A new brother or sister? Raffa couldn't really tell.
So many came and went.
"My fellows, harken to me for I have a proposition for our current predicament" Raffa felt her blood run cold, that voice was eerily familiar in ways she wasn't sure. The mask likely had some sort of magic to distort it just enough so no one could figure out who it was.
A paranoid measure, but who among their people wasn't a paranoid freak?
At the end of the proverbial rope, Raffa nodded and spoke " Tell us then, what do you propose new friend" She heard murmurs around the room, most were barely paying attention as it was.
The hooded figure pulled a silvery orb from beneath the robes and channeled mana into it, the room flashed blue and white as an image of the planet was shown, fed with more mana it zoomed into the kingdom and went north.
"The Northern Wastes, a land of snow and ash, savages and wild beasts" the hooded figure spoke as more people started paying attention "Abandoned by the Duchy of Wulfgrem after failed campaigns to pacify its natives, there stands ancient sea elven forts, with plenty of underground space for dwellings that are protected from the blizzards and storms that flail the land year-round"
One of the older members spoke "It would be impossible to move our entire operation to the north, nevermind the fact the roads are under the watch of a number of factions, we would still need to cut right in the middle of Wulfgrem territory to make the journey, even if the Duchess is a heretic, dealing with us is the last thing the woman will want to do right now"
Another voice spoke "Yet with the new airships and land vehicles the woman made we could make the journey! even at sea! My sources tell me of great ships, and even those capable of going underwater! nevermind the fact if we do set up an outpost there, making the right rituals for teleportation is a matter of skill, which we have plenty"
Raffa raised her hand and the room went silent "Do you have the means to ensure safe passage then?" murmurs flew as the question made its way to the hooded figure "Safe having someone high up inside the Duchy I can't see this working, too dangerous"
"There's still time in this abominable pillar for a decision to be made, talk amongst yourselves, see what your fellows think" The hodded figure spoke and murmurs began to fly as it sat down near the Pillar, the orb going silent as the candlelight took over the room once again.
It was going to be a long evening and an even longer week.
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"By Ra'Tyrius today we will get this thing to work!" Idun bellowed out as his dwarves hammered, cast magic, and tinkered with the huge driller Lucrezia had used in her little battle at the capital.
It wasn't the same driller, as the upgrades they had to do for the next assignment the Duchess gave were so extensive it pretty much became a brand new Magi-Tech device, still the original builders took pride in their work and so as to not upset any of those old farts the decision was made to not call it new.
Geomancers, Druids, and an entire platoon of Knights followed suit, paving the enormous tunnel with magick for the train tracks and stops/guard houses, their destination? Idun smiled at the thought of seeing those snow-assaulted lands once again.
"North of the capital lies a stronghold, once upon a time my ancestors used it in one of the many failed incursions to tame the Wastes, I need that place secured and an underground tunnel built until the end of the year, after that, a proper underground city, port and everything else you can come up with it Master Idun" Lucrezia's voice ringing in his ears, the Young Lady had grown much and a part of him couldn't help but to be proud.
A sentiment many of the inner circle shared, Knight Commander Erwin, in particular, was chief among them, the man outright beamed with pride every time a new report was sent to them.
"Up you go!" Idun heard the Geomancers say as smaller drills went up, establishing links with the flying machines Lucrezia had created earlier "Drones" she called them, akin to ants and other insects that had a Hive Queen commanding them, the drones paved the way upwards, checking to see any bandit camp or nest of predators was in the way, as Lucrezia had plans to make her own highway in the surface once the land was properly secured.
And so they went, the sound of machinery a calming tide, akin to that curious dungeon core they had deep underground the Duchy's castle, a curious being that one Idun thought, Imperium madness turned into something useful and humane? only Lady Lucrezia could've pulled something like that heh.
Idun was working on something similar, based on Lucrezia's writing and his own communion with Ra'Tyrius himself, the Lady called "Machine Genesis" the word meaning Life according to Lucrezia, one of the many quirks Idun was fond of, creating words out of thin air came to her like an ale to a dwarf!
"Master Idun! we are getting closer!" one of the mages screamed "But a storm is on our tail! we won't be able to start construction today!" Idun nodded and then channeled Mana to speak to everyone "Attention! Storm approaching overground, a small team will go up and recon the fort, make sure no nasties are hidden there, once the storm clears we move!"
Cheers came from everywhere, Idun began preparing the Magi-Tech rituals to safeguard the recon team, as the driller slowed down and eventually stopped the mages got to work, making a way to the surface.
The "Hive Queen" as the others had taken to call the drone operator issued orders and the machines started to follow the recon unit over the ground, each making sure nothing would sneak up on the team, Idun sat near the panel that was broadcasting the drone image feed, spotty images which would need fixing in the next iteration of those machines.
Breaching the stronghold, they found no outward signs of usage or life for that matter, the place looked positively abandoned, much like the underground fort Lucrezia had given to Idun and his people long ago.
"...Found something! Gods be good Ice Wolves!" the Recon soldier raised his rifle but paused "Wait! These are pups...and one male and female pair, look at that ribcage the poor animals probably are starving to death" and the growl of resignation that came from the parents was enough to tell Idun that was the truth, he had seen animals die like that before, it was a horrible sight.
"Get a druid up there, see if we can take care of them" Idun spoke and one of the druids got up and ran, with that taken care of the rest of the Recon team combed the buildings, finding nothing more than broken furniture and snow.
"Right, now we wait, get them back underground, gods willing the wolves survive" Idun spoke and the people around him nodded, who would've thunk eh? saving a rare subspecies of wolf mid take over of the Wastes?
"Never a dull moment indeed," Idun said to himself with a smile on his lips, the words of his elven friend who was with Lucrezia in the capital had a way to catch up with him.