Epilogue

The Jade Throne was an edifice that seared itself into the memory and souls of anyone who laid eyes upon it. Just being near it had sent men to their knees, praying for repentance, it made the injured stand tall, it made the just feel the glory of the empire in their hearts.

Many a cultivator had had a great revelation, unlocking more of their potential just by seeing the Jade Throne.

Of course, the throne wasn't so easy to see. It was deep within the palace, within a grand hall guarded at all times by cultivators at the heavenly stage and a myriad of servants who were themselves fifth step cultivators.

The palace was the gem of the Jade Empire. The Throne was the glinting lustre of that gem, something ephemeral made real, made solid.

At the moment, the Emperor himself was seated upon the throne with one leg hooked over one of the arms of the grand edifice. Next to him was a large board with alternating squares of black and white upon which small stones of the same alternating colours sat.

He reached over, the pooling sleeves of his robes shifting with the motion, and with a light touch, he picked one such stone and moved it forwards with a faint click.

"Hmm," his opponent said. He was an elderly-seeming man, though he was no less muscular and fit for all that he appeared aged and sagely with his long beard and flowing robes. The older man sat upon a cushion that hovered a handspan over the floor, so as to not risk any impertinence by touching the throne's edge. "Good move," he muttered.

In the far end of the room, a very pretty young lady strummed a complex stringed instrument, filling the hall with a lilting melody that calmed and bathed the listeners in an aura of peace.

The sage chuckled, then moved a piece of his own.

The Emperor tsked, then shifted in the Jade Throne to better see the board's state. "Wise old man," he muttered. It was both an insult and a compliment, delivered with simple affection.

"One is a perk of the other," the sage replied.

"Oh? So being wise is a perk of being old, that much I can understand, but how is being old a perk of being wise?" the Emperor asked.

"Ah, but you see, without wisdom, one does not live to be old."

The Emperor considered the words for some time. Then he made a move, and the game continued.

A man stepped into the grand hall and immediately dropped to his knees and pressed his head against the floor. After a breath, he stood, took a small pair of shuffling steps forwards, then dropped down once more.

Again and again he did this until he had successfully crossed the entire room. One hundred kowtows from the entrance to the foot of the throne. "Yes?" the Emperor asked after the man had remained with his forehead pressed to the ground for some minutes. Enough time for the Emperor to consider a move and place a stone.

"My liege, lord emperor most high of the Jade Throne, master of the Empire of the East ,West, South and North--"

"You have news?" the Emperor asked, interrupting what would be a litany of titles that could last well into the night. "Deliver it, and be done with the formality."

The man who had entered bowed at the waist, his hands folding together by his chest. This was a man adorned in silks and bedecked in subtle but fine jewels, each enchanted and glimmering with potential. In any other place, he would seem to be a king, or the opulent grandmaster of a sect. Here he was the humble messenger to the Emperor. The cut of his robes and the set of shoulders hinted that his news was ill, however.

"My lord Emperor," the man said. "As you wish it, so shall it be. I do indeed have news, most astute one."

"Go on then, deliver it," the Emperor said.

"Dire news from the Flaming Steppes, my lord," the messenger said.

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"That blighted wasteland?" he asked. "Barely worth more than the Badlands to the south east."

"Indeed, wise Emperor. But the ill-tidings come nonetheless. An alliance of sects was formed to defeat an upstart necromancer that has befouled your majestic empire."

"Ah, yes, I remember that," the Emperor said. He perked up as a lithe young lady swept into the room from behind the throne. She bowed with every step, but kept the platter of fresh fruit and fresher cuts of fine meat even all the same. The Emperor plucked one of these from the tray and tasted it.

Seeing that he was allowed to go on, the messenger continued. "Indeed, my lord. The Five Gate Sects of the Fragrant Plains formed an alliance of their newest, unblooded disciples and sent them to quell this insurrection in the Steppes."

"And they've failed, I take it?"

The Messenger bowed. "Indeed. Forgive this one for bearing such ill news, my lord, but only one cultivator, bloodied and harried from the voyage made it back."

"A coward who ran?" the emperor asked. "Off with his head, then."

The sage across from the board cleared his throat.

The emperor rolled his imperial eyeballs. "Was he ordered to deliver this dire news?"

"Indeed, my lord, but if you wish it..."

"No, he may keep his head upon his shoulders," the Emperor said with a dismissive wave. "What is the cause of this defeat? We hardly sent our best, but there were some potential talents in that lot, no?"

"Indeed," the messenger said. At this point, the word 'indeed' had lost all meaning to him. "They crossed the steppes, encountering little assistance from the locals, and many perils. There are tales of undead ambushes and clever tricks of necromantic magic assailing the advance. Upon reaching the lost city of Yu Xiang, they encountered a great host of undead as well as the necromancer herself."

"Herself?" the emperor asked, perking up.

"Indeed. My lord... she has claimed the title of Empress for herself."

The Emperor paused, then barked out an incredulous laugh. "Truly? Empress of what? Dust and bones?"

The sage chuckled, the messenger laughed, and even the serving woman smiled demurely at the Emperor's mirth.

"Wasn't there a sect in the region... in that very city?" he asked.

"The Hungering Inferno sect, lesser as they were, was snuffed out, my lord."

"Ah," the emperor said. "Then the Ashen Forest sect?"

The messanger swallowed. "Have allied themselves to this Empress."

"The Lava Fist?" the Emperor asked.

"Have declared themselves... neutral in this matter."

"The Flame's Heart Sect?" the Emperor asked next. "Certainly they remain loyal."

"My lord, we have received no communications from them. Moreover, it seems as though the mantises of the mountains that once served the Emperor have allied themselves with this upstart empress as well."

The Emperor slowly moved a leg off the arm of the Jade Throne. "Tell me... what are the chances of an upstart creating a successful enterprise such as this in our glorious Immortal Empire of the Five Paths?"

"None, my lord."

"And yet..." He frowned. "Where is that man, the one we were warned of? This Harold the Necromancer?"

"He was last sighted entering the Flaming Steppes, my lord," the sage said.

"I see. It seems as though I will have to discuss a few matters with the heavenly pantheon," the Emperor said.

"My lord, what of this upstart?"

He sniffed. "Let her reap what she has sown. There is nothing in the steppes but dust. She can eat that while I'm otherwise occupied. We will be rid of her soon enough otherwise. Form a great host, take some disciples of every sect as a sign of loyalty, and station them across the valleys entering the Steppes. Nothing will exit there without facing the steel of our empire!"

***