EPISODE 167: FORGING A NEW AGE 7.9
— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR 7291. SEASON: COLOR FADING.
A tense shock settled over the members of the Great Houses. A few faces appeared confused, eyebrows raised and bodies taunt. While others quickly looked around at those who voted Yes for the change in government. Tendra Lorde’s eyes remained blank, while Kabal Dioni gazed at him worriedly, uncaring of any who’d see.
Countless eyes settled on Lady Ursisus, along with the heads of Liaon and Fuschia. The leaders of their houses held their ground, chins raised and faces unreadable. Curious glances flickered toward figures like Lady Drrow and the other surprising Yes votes, though no one dared speak. The room's focus snapped back as the [Chosen of Madris] broke the silence.
“A majority vote…,” his chuckling voice exclaimed. Those below didn’t hear any surprise, which added to their growing confusion. The Old Power was certain they could force a draw between the votes—not… whatever this was.
Varicolored eyes of these powerful Lords and Ladies fixed on Madris’s Chosen and the intense aura he radiated. Their tight bodies released, relaxing their posture and mind. That aura had… changed . It felt more charged, more dominant in its ability over them. To the worshipers of the Goddess, whether they held specific favor with one face over another did not matter—the [Chosen of Madris] felt like them all .
He stepped forward, red-gold eyes surveying the Council of Nobles below him. His aura swept out, and they received the same response when communing with their Goddess. The youth before them felt nearly one and the same as the Goddess Madris. For the first time, they felt able to pray and confide their desires to him.
Madris’s Chosen held a broad smile on his face. Indifferent eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they met those of the houses who’d voted No . Silence remained the dominant sound in the room where the Council of Nobles sat. In the other rooms of the magnificent hall, silence, too, prevailed.
“The Class-Based Constitutional Monarchy has won a majority vote. Nineteen to thirteen in an overwhelming majority. Our next step is to discuss the election of a [Prime Overseer] and, during the upcoming month, construct a constitution under which the citizens of Great Edryan can be governed.”
More and more leaders of the Great Houses recovered their composure. Tendra Lorde returned to his senses, unsure exactly what occurred to him. He felt he’d lost something, but that feeling quickly faded to the background of his mind.
“The floor is open; please voice any concerns you may have,” Madris’s Chosen said as he returned to his seat. His smile never once left.
“I fear it would be unfair for the decision of the first [Prime Overseer] to be kept to our Great Houses alone,” Kabal quickly spoke into the silence. “I believe all nobles who chose to arrive in the city should have a vote. And, if possible, this vote should extend to all nobles of the country.”
“I partially agree with the words of Lady Kabal. However, it will take far too long to gather the votes of every noble in Edryan. We must move with decisiveness now that a decision has been made. Those who are present in the capital should hold the right to vote on the [Prime Overseer]. We must have carefully deliberated discourse on the establishment of the other four branches and our contributions to this government. What funds will our houses donate to this new government and more,” Lady Musa stated. The demigoddess sensed that this was her part of their discussed plans. The second phase of the operation began now.
“I believe we should call a recess here, but I propose we at least agree on Lady Kabal’s and Lady… Musa’s compromise before we depart,” the tired voice of Lady Adel stated.
Many voices rang out in agreement and from above, Madris’s Chosen finally gave his acknowledgment. He’d held the leaders of the Great Houses in the Hall of Heroes from sunup and nearly sundown.
“You may leave, gather your thoughts and join us in celebration, for the morrow is the Celebration of Beginning—for a new age shall grace our Great Edryan.”
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“AAARRRRAG!”
A wood chair smashed against the stone-hardened wall. The chandelier above shook as the mage lights within them flickered. Shattered glass covered the floor, only seen by their reflection in the dim light. Marred stones appeared popped and chipped from the destruction of a hurricane. The scent of alcohol was heavy as cracked bottles lay scattered about the floor.
“ That is enough, ” Kabal declared, arms folded and face scowling. “We are not children anymore Tendra, tantrums will not cause our problems to disperse.”
Icy-blue eyes landed on the mess of a man, the concern hidden deep within. Tendra Lorde stood in the pile of his broken mess, chest heaving and deep blue eyes stormy with rage. Kabal stepped forward, the crunch of glass and other debris under her heeled feet. She walked right up to Tendra and grabbed him by the collar, dragging the drunken youth from his pile of destruction.
Slurred words made their way into her ears, heavy hot breath causing her to flinch away in disgust. “Kabaaal, it’s not faaaair.”
Kabal didn’t respond, choosing instead to pull out a slim vile and pull the stopper out with her teeth. A rancid smell escaped into the air, causing Kabal to gag. Tendra barely noticed and continued his slurred speech.
“Whhhhy donnnn’t theeyyyy resiiist himmm,” Tendra began, mouth open and unprepared as the vial’s contents were dumped into it.
The young woman swiftly moved back a few meters and turned away as Tendra began to empty the contents of his stomach. She waited calmly, icy-blue eyes focused on her pink-colored nails. The sound of retching a forgotten background.
“Have you finished,” Kabal questioned as the sounds of retching dimmed.
Tendra Lorde removed a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, spitting out the last remnants in disgust. “Yeah… sorry.”
Kabal waved him away, unconcerned about his outburst. She, too, held frustrations, but there were far more vital things to solve. She turned to the scene, nose wrinkling as she answered Tendra’s earlier question.
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“Resist what? A symbol of their Goddess? Even the Great Houses of Edryan would face the wrath of the people and the church; they would flay them alive,” Kabal shook her head and continued. “There is no resistance, Tendra , only compromise—which, we must both learn to accept. If Madris’s Chosen has a want, then it is only a matter of how it is fulfilled. Now, even more, Great Houses are beginning to see him as Her representative—had they not already before.”
Kabal inhaled, and a heavy sigh emerged with her exhale. “What we must do is compromise, find certain ways to benefit ourselves—it’s not like he hasn’t given us the opportunity.”
Tendra gazed sharply at Kabal, deep blue eyes full of confusion. He’d stayed quiet and listened to her speak, his mind addled from drink but no longer. “Compromise? How can we compromise,” his sharp voice questioned, hints of the leftover rage returned. “I fear you do not see the implications of what this will do to nobility—do you not see he wants it all? Our wealth and power—do you not fear what will happen tens of years in the future? And you speak of opportunity? What opportunities will exist without the foundation we currently have?”
“What foundation , Tendra Lorde? The one of your father’s that lays outside your reach? Did you forget your men are his , your properties here in Edrya… are his ,” Kabal snapped back. “The only thing you can certainly claim as your own is the magi you’ve recently hired—the same ones that can lay a foundation for you to truly create something that belongs to Tendra Lorde.”
Kabal turned and headed for the door, only halting once she neared it. “Our opportunities lay in those men and women. Clean yourself up, and when you’re done with,” she gestured around the room. “Whatever this is… contact me and Lady Adel.”
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
AN: Originally I wanted to make the discussion on the CBCM longer and really get into it, unfortunately, I am reaching the constraints of this book. The goal was 140k words and we’re almost past that. As it stands, this is the longest season at 138k. Going forward the range will stay between 100k-140k words per book. I have begun working on the interlude, I won’t tell you which one since we had a three-way tie xD.
Btw Lawryn was introduced in S1—originally she was Lady Adel’s daughter but I changed it to Lady Ursisus’s daughter for various reasons. The main one is the Adel’s vs the Enlar beef instead of going with Gamal x Adel beef. The Jarrah were actually supposed to have a big part in all of this but I switched to Tendra because of limit constraints. One day if I go in-depth into my writing decisions and someone realizes how much cool sht I cut out because of constraints. I try to always keep the story Law-centric because it is his story and I didn’t advertise multiple main characters but mannnn if it wasn’t like that then…
Anyway, let’s discuss my thoughts on this season. We’ll follow the same format I’ve been doing with the previous seasons.
1. What was my favorite Character Development Chapter?
1.1 That’s pretty tough to pick tbh. There was great Char Dev on all important characters for this Season—Allura, Simra, Izon, Lawruthian of course, and many more. We had new characters introduced with promising backstories and more. If I truly had to pick it would be during the later half in the Light of the End chapters. I really liked how Lawruthian spoke to Allura. The main reason he did so is that he’s truly realizing what it means to be the [Chosen of Madris]. I’m sure you all have your own inferences so I won’t say more. Just know I loved those chapters!
1.2 I also have to give a shout out to the Lance chapter and the one after it. Lawruthian is beginning to accept his role and truly utilize it.
2. What was my favorite action sequence?
2.1 This one is tough! I really liked how methodical Simra was when killing for the first time. Her character is vastly different than Lawruthian and she is a lot more emotionless and heartless when killing people around her age or in general. Lawruthian would have had an internal monologue and partial dilemma. Not a dilemma in the kill per se as he’d still do it pretty quickly, but the thought of the action wouldn’t fade from his mind as quickly as Simra.
3. What was my favorite World Building?
3.1 This has to be Troubling News. In truth, if there were chapters I wanted to expand for another 4-6 parts then it was those. God I had the biggest internal dilemma when choosing if I should extend them or not. Literally sat at my desk weighing the pros and cons. I ultimately chose not to because of the constraints I set out for myself with this book. I hope it’s noticeable, but my general writing has been improving (in my opinion).
Overall this Season was amazing. There was a mix of action of all types and we got to dive a bit more into the backgrounds of complicated characters and partly see why they do some of the things they do. Everyone has a story but I only have limited words to tell it. I hope you enjoy it regardless! I’d appreciate it if you let me know your favorites regarding this season! Or your dislikes as well. Thank you once again for all your support!
PLEASE READ! I will be taking a week off on all free platforms! This means no chapters Dec 15-21 and we return on Dec 23(Monday).
Season 6 — Adventure Ends. The [Chosen of Madris], no, Lawruthian —has accomplished his goal. The Class-Based Constitutional Monarchy has won and is in the process of being implemented. Now, Lawruthian gazes elsewhere. There was a voice in his head, one that constantly judged his actions and made him think twice about decisions. A voice the [End of Adventure] stole from him in his escape from the Mountain of Final Hope. This time, he’ll enter the mountain on his terms and with the [Path Walkers], both Demigoddesses and Prestiges to support him. The next generation of young Edryan leaders follow him, but is it out of a true belief in the [Chosen of Madris] and the choices he makes… or is it because they hold little choice in the matter?