Chapter 4_life of a core

POV: Isabella Rameckers

Location: Redacted

NA/06/01

Do we have any new information regarding the summoned hero?

No, my lady. We have not been able to locate any information regarding them.

Do we know if there were other breaches along the front?

Yes my lady. From the information we have access to there were approximately 200 breaches Within the past year. Out of the breaches it is thought that only 17 were successful.

Thought?

Yes, though most of these are unconfirmed as no evidence can be found of a summoned hero, other than the detection of a summons. There are six confirmed cases of a successful hero summoning. One of the summoned heroes was captured by lord Bhaskara. The report is in the meeting room, and contains all information gathered on all the confirmed Heroes.

Good, is there any other news I should be aware of?

Yes my lady. Based on rumors being shared among the Lords It is thought that all The Accord will be reactivated soon.

What makes you believe these rumors?

The recent number of breaches, The activation of some of The Accord, and a recent call for a conclave of Kings.

You said that some of The Accords had been Reactivated.

Yes my lady. The currently active articles according to a general vote are 1,17 and 12.

One has been approved?

Yes my lady it was approved yesterday.

Thank You Landon please ensure this information is distributed properly.

It has already been taken care of, my lady.

Excellent work, I will be in the meeting room.

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Location: Meeting Room

After entering the room and taking her seat at the head of the table, Isabella took a sip of the water next to the documents. When she got comfortable she started perusing the documents. Skimming through the first part of the document’s she quickly found what interested her the most.

R,V,AL, 2124349

Alliance vote report

In the 34,572 meaning of the Alliance the main topic of discussion was the recent Incursions all along the border. During the meeting there was a request to determine the total number of incursions in relation to the Treaty. After the information was compiled over the past 30 years the number of incursions has reached 4,263 all along the border. After examining the data, it was found that the number of incursions and frequency has been increasing over the last 10 years , this increase in incursions accounts for approximately 30% of the total incursions. After this the discussion turned to reactivation of The Accord , upon further discussion it was decided that the following articles of The Accord would be voted on 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 20. Due to 10% of the Lord's not attending the Alliance meeting it was decided to check the regulations to determine whether or not the votes for articles 1, 3, 7, and 20 can proceed. After Consulting the regulations, it was determined that enough lords were present to reactivate these articles as long as they met a minimum of 65% for.

Results of the vote

Article

For

Against

Abstain

Result

67%

26%

Pass

31%

60%

Fail

52%

36%

12%

Fail

37%

60%

Fail

44%

46%

10%

Fail

70%

26%

Pass

61%

32%

Pass

58%

26%

16%

Fail

As per instructions our representative abstained in all votes.

After the voting was completed the topic changed to resolving the issues caused by reenacting the first article. After a lengthy discussion it was decided that third party representatives would be chosen at random to ensure cessations of hostilities. The announcement regarding who will be the representatives will take place in 2 weeks.

All members of The Alliance are required to send at least a representative to the meeting.

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So, it's not just isolated to a small section of the Border. with this it's no wonder that articles 12 and 17 were reactivated, I need to ensure that the appropriate preparations are made.

4,263 incursions with.. 1,278 Occurring within the last 10 years, given that 200 of those that I know of occurred within the last year It seems like they are testing our defenses capacity.

Let's see the articles voted on were 1,3,7,8,9,12,17 and 20. due to attendance it looks like they enacted the Ⅰ greater majority regulation.

It looks like Article 1 only just barely passed. article 8 is definitely not passing anytime soon. Humm article 9 almost deadlocked I need to look out for people trying to swing me to their side. I should have told my representative to vote for article 12 but it would likely increase the chances of refugees flooding my ranks. Perhaps it is better that I’m seen as neutral. (17) It looks like some people are afraid of losing territory to their rivals. It looks like 20 would have passed if the alliance had full attendance. I should Prepare in case someone calls a revote at the next meeting..

Hopefully I don't get chosen as a neutral representative. I will definitely have to attend that meeting myself.

Let's see what's next? Oh, it’s the report on the captured hero.

R,SI,IT,C,H,-2124352_1~2,S

shared report on captured hero

Location captured: Wimbibourgley located in Lord Bhaskara’s territory.

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Name: Manuel Hildefons Minami

Age: 34

Cause of capture: Sudden appearance within town.

Equipment upon capture: None

The subject was captured immediately with minimal injury and resistance. Once the subject was secured they were examined to determine what preparations were needed for their safe containment. Upon completion of the examination, it was found that a minimum-security cell would be suitable and no operations would be needed to prevent self-termination. With this information the captain of the local Guard decided it would be better to put them in a maximum-security cell due to the breach in security that the completed summoning represented.

The subject’s initial interrogation was handled by local authorities. During these first interrogations the prisoner was showing signs of extreme confusion, it is believed that this was caused by their sudden and unwilling summoning. The initial interrogations were generally unsuccessful due to an inability to communicate with the prisoner. Although attempts were made to communicate with the prisoner they were mostly unsuccessful until the prisoner was transferred to a better equipped facility. The second round of interrogations was more successful; its success was mostly due to the implementation of a translation circle. During the interrogation the prisoner proved to be cooperative and expressed a desire to return home.

Information gained from the prisoner revealed that they were summoned without any contact with their Summoner, and no information was given to them prior to the summoning. Although they had a great deal of information about their realm, they had no knowledge of the realm they were summoned to. Given these facts it was determined that the prisoner was of little use in determining how the defenses were bypassed. Although unable to provide information on the summoning or its purpose the subject provided valuable information on their realm.

The home realm of the prisoner appears to be a mana desert with the only references to Mana or Magic being in ancient folklore. The realm described by the prisoner would meet the classification of a technological centered civilization. This was determined by various factors most notably, a vehicle described by the Prisoner and its method of moving without the use of magic. They also described a device which could access a library containing all the information known to humanity. When questioned about how many people there are in their realm their answer was “approximately 7 billion”. When questioned on religion the prisoner stated that there were hundreds of different religions although they could only name a few. Further questioning revealed that religion generally does not play a critical role in government aside from its effect on the populace. When asked what type of governmental systems are present in their home realm the prisoner stated that there were many however he did not know all of them or what individual countries use as their governmental system. The governmental system that the prisoner was beholden to was a democracy.

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So, they’re able to completely bypass our defenses; this could be troublesome. Will need to discuss various preparations and protocols to prevent or control summoning within our territory. summoning heroes within our territory is worrying however it seems to have a low success rate given that they are using Fodder for their scouting.

A realm with a population of 7 billion must be close to reaching the qualifications for an advanced technological civilization. I wonder why they chose this realm rather than one where they have more influence, maybe that is part of how they bypassed our defenses. In any case if it comes to war this realm will have to be handled carefully.

Before she could start reading the next section of the report the door opened and Lord Shelomit entered. After locking eyes with him she nodded politely with her head moving slightly down to her left, indicating that he should sit in the closest chair to her left. Nodding back, he then sat in the indicated chair and began perusing the documents in front of him. Returning to her own documents she began perusing page 2.

R,SI,IT,C,H,-2124352_2~2,S

Prior to questioning the prisoner’s status was taken this was done at both imprisonment locations to confirm accuracy and ensure nothing was hidden or overlooked. With the information gained from the prisoner’s status and the prisoner’s physique upon capture it was determined that their prisoner classification was minimum to no threat. Below is a copy of their status page.

Manuel, Hildefons, Minami

Level : 1

Occupation : NA

Vitality : 1

Immune System : 1

Recovery : 1

Durability : 1

Stamina : 1

Dexterity : 1

Coordination : 1

Flexibility : 1

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Reaction Speed : 1

Strength : 1

Muscle Capacity : 1

Skeletal Capacity : 1

Muscle Density : 1

Control : 1

Intelligence : 1

Perception : 1

Site : 1

Smell : 1

Hearing : 1

Touch : 1

Reaction Time : 1

Magic : 1

Mana Capacity : 1

Mana Control : 1

Regeneration Rate : 1

As can be seen by their status page the prisoner is weaker than the average person. This implies that the system was unavailable or does not exist in their realm. This was later confirmed by the prisoner directly. Post interrogation it was decided to offer Mr. Manuel a temporary job and help to acclimate to life on Iomiadore.

The rest of the document is a preliminary report on the realm that Mr. Manuel hails from.

Her reading was interrupted by the door opening, coming through the door was Lord Ratnam and her apprentice Sub-Lord Caesonia. Looking up from her papers she first locked eyes with Sub-Lord Caesonia and nodded very slightly downward and to her right indicating that she should sit at the right end seat. Next she locked eyes with Lord Ratnam Nodding slightly down to her right indicating that she should sit in the closest seat to her right. They both nodded back simultaneously and went to their indicated seats and it began perusing the documents. Isabella smiled slightly when sub lord Caesonia took the correct seat. she then returned to her reading skiing pass what she had already read searching for where she had left off.

R,SI,IT,C,H,-2124352_2~2,S

Manuel, Hildefons, Minami

Level : 1

Occupation : NA

Vitality : 1

Immune System : 1

Recovery : 1

Durability : 1

Stamina : 1

Dexterity : 1

Coordination : 1

Flexibility : 1

Reaction Speed : 1

Strength : 1

Muscle Capacity : 1

Skeletal Capacity : 1

Muscle Density : 1

Control : 1

Intelligence : 1

Perception : 1

Site : 1

Smell : 1

Hearing : 1

Touch : 1

Reaction Time : 1

Magic : 1

Mana Capacity : 1

Mana Control : 1

Regeneration Rate : 1

The rest of the document is a preliminary report on the realm that Mr. Manuel hails from.

The realm of earth is most notable for its lack of manna. With the information gathered from Mr. Manuel it is believed that earth is either extreme Mana desert or completely lacking Manna and thus being qualified as a manna void. With this information it can be surmised that if there is a system node in the earth realm then, the mana concentration must be below 0.05 MU per square meter. The civilizations of earth are near the stage of advanced civilization. It is thought that in the next 100 years this realm will meet the qualifications necessary for advanced civilization.

Militarily the realm can be considered a minimal threat due to the lack of magic which is necessary to cross Realms. The earth realm defenses would contradict the previous determination luckily due to the lack of magic within the realm it is impossible for the realm to project its power, defensively the earth realm is a class 3 threat it is recommended to avoid this realm or seek peaceful contact. During the prisoner’s interrogation it was revealed that several nations in their home realm possess enough weapons to render the realm uninhabitable for hundreds of years if not completely uninhabitable.

The realm that the hero hailed from could be formidable. Without better information I won't be able to actually assess which type of threat this realm presents. Maybe a gift or a trade of classified information could encourage Lord Bhaskara To give me the full report. What concerns me the most is the warning, if I'm interpreting this correctly then one nation on its own is capable of rendering a realm uninhabitable. If the Truce is broken a gentle hand will be needed on this front in order to avoid disaster.

After a bit of thought she decided to move on to the next report.

R,T,SU,H,-2124362_1-2,P

General progress report

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 War prevention: In progress , generally successful

 Land ownership: In progress , extremely successful

 Tradition solidification: variable hiatus , somewhat successful

 Honor codes: In progress , generally successful

 International trade: In progress , generally successful

 Resource monopoly: In progress , generally successful

 Technological stagnation: In progress , generally successful

 Language drift exaggeration: complete

 Religion alteration: complete, successful

Detailed report

War prevention: In the last 9 months our spies and diplomats have prevented 18 minor conflicts and 9 major conflicts. The primary way that these issues were handled varied: the minor conflicts were mostly solved by our spies and associated agents, the major conflicts were primarily handled by the diplomats. The major conflicts were between 1-1,2-2,3-3,4-4,5-5,6-6,7-7,8-8,9-9. Currently there are 5 minor unresolved conflicts and 2 major conflicts, all unresolved conflicts are being mitigated and, or still being resolved.

Land ownership: The current system for determining land ownership has been almost universally adopted and this has decreased the frequency of War. The system ate it in the resolution of three conflicts 1 major and 2 minor. Currently the only issue facing Universal adoption of the rules of ownership is the unstable tribes in the shattered lands. Various attempts are underway to remedy the situation. Within the next century It is expected 90% of tribes will have adopted the system to mark their territory.

Tradition solidification: Traditions solidification has proven very successful in the shattered lands and desert Nations, unfortunately this is impeding other international projects. To prevent international concerns from conflicting it has been decided to only start the process of solidification once almost all other projects are complete.

Honor codes: The implementation of Honor codes has been generally successful. The idea of Honor codes has been adopted by many countries and has seen widespread adoption in the Marshall cultures of most countries although the idea of what is Honorable varies. common themes have been implemented throughout most that have adopted the idea of an honor code, the major ideas that have been adopted include, protections for ambassadors or Messengers, War needing to be declared before actual conflict, and religion having no sway in war.

International trade: International trade is currently thriving and is being used to prevent war or famine. Current issues with international trade revolve around disease and invasive species. Solutions to promote international trade are currently being undertaken by our diplomats and trading houses. In order to solve the issue of disease our Tradesmen are employing doctors in mass in trade houses and on ships. Our diplomats are tackling the issue of invasive species by encouraging laws that hinder or prevent the importation of livestock.

R,T,SU, H,-2124362_2-2,P

Resource Monopoly: Our efforts to create a Monopoly on various minerals has been generally successful. The current average increase in price is 60 times the estimated uninfluenced international price. The current main methods to increase price are sabotage of production, encouragement of use in high end jewelry, and purchasing to remove from the general market. To cover the cost most of the stockpiles of the minerals are currently being sold to other Lords and to prevent potential capture. A stipend has also been issued by most members of the Accord to aid in this endeavor.

Technological stagnation: The efforts to induce technological stagnation have been successful so far, there have been no major technological developments in the last 6 decades. Efforts to prevent the accumulation of technological developments have varied depending on the field; the most success have been in the field of metallurgy. The successes have caused a regression in the development of the field; this has mostly been achieved through sabotage and misinformation pertaining to purity. Our efforts to prevent the development of Magical Fields have met with varying success while our efforts have prevented the mixing of magical Arts; this has led to highly specialized and effective use of individual elements. Luckily this is offset by the general tradition to keep all but the basic spells Secret thus through destruction of grimoires and encouraging a paranoia among skilled casters we have prevented major developments in magic.

Language drift exaggeration: Our efforts to exaggerate the effects of language drift have been almost completely successful. The main areas of focus include exchanging names of various minerals, altering the meaning of previously common words to be subtly insulting, and introducing Various forms of speech such as high speech and low speech. The end result has resulted in the creation of approximately 4,150 new languages not including split languages. The shattered lands have created innumerable new languages many having their roots in the original languages. Unfortunately, it is impossible to significantly influence the lingual drift in this area to prevent the recovery of common language. Efforts are being undertaken to obfuscate any usable information within the various ruins of this region; the strategy has also been used in various countries which share a common language.

religion alteration: The efforts to infiltrate various religions and alter their beliefs over time have resulted in the creation of 500 new religions and innumerable religious sects. The efforts to alter the name or domain of the Gods have been completely successful thanks to our agents in the churches. Our current agents are poised to inform us of any irregularities or provide Aid under the guise of charity.

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looks like there are no indicators that anything needs my attention in the rest of the documents.

Taking the time provided by the documents she decides to surreptitiously examine the other Lords. She starts with Lord Shelomit, with his focus on the documents he is perusing she has plenty of time to thoroughly examine his mood. For those who do not know him it would look as if he was calm and confident to her however she can see that the situation has him worried. He is wearing armor disguised as formal clothing even without using manasite she can see a minute distortion from his shielding. Utilizing one of the functions of her glasses she can see his Mana Shields and judge their strength. The armor he is wearing is a masterwork in style and functionality with most of its protection being provided by mana shields that subtly accent the designs on his clothing, without the ability to see the mana comprising the shields it would look like an enchantment designed to draw attention to the embroidered designs. The design of the suit and its embroidery are made to allow for maximum flexibility, obscure his movement and draw attention away from vital areas. Based on the readings that her glasses provide her she is sure that the entire building could fall on him and he would be able to walk away.

He’s ready for war. Knowing him if a hero were to appear now he has a plan of Escape and counter-attack already prepared. He's the best choice if we decide retaliation as our first option. It's unfortunate that his protege Sub-Lord Fevronia was unable to attend.

Sitting down the document she uses this as an opportunity to utilize an enchantment on her chair to signal the staff to bring in refreshments. Her actions do not go unnoticed by anyone present; Sub-Lord Caesonia reaction was the most obvious, turning her head to look for the source of the minute disturbance in the local mana. The other Lord's reactions were much more controlled, only sparing her the briefest of glances. While waiting for the refreshments to arrive she retrieved the next page and used it to hide her examination of Sub-Lord Caesonia. The first thing she notices is that Sub-Lord Caesonia is wearing light armor although suitably decorated for meeting with other Lords the protection it provides it's not suitable for the situation given that war could break out any moment. The enchantments on the armor don't aid in protecting its user, it's only a basic ceremonial armor All the enchantments are designed to enhance the armor's appearance. Although the filigree on the armor is expertly crafted it is only decoration. In fact, the filigree degrades the Armor's effectiveness rather than providing a smooth surface for weapons to glide off of the filigree provides purchase for various weapons.

Although it's commendable that she is acknowledging the danger of the situation she isn't paying it its due respect, if the enemy were to summon a hero to this room she would be the weakest link and likely die before she had time to retaliate. It is forgivable though she was born after the war. So, this will be a teaching moment for her and it's probably best if I talk to her mentor first to ensure that they both know the danger of the situation since Both of them were born after the war.

The door opened interrupting her thoughts, it was her head maid Camilla coming to serve the refreshments she requested. Camilla was pushing a cart which had three small individual teapots with steaming hot water inside beside each teapot was a cup and a small bowl containing various types of tea along with sugar and other additives. On the lower shelf of the small serving cart there were three small plates with finger foods of various types and three glasses of water. Camilla stopped behind Sub-Lord Caesonia chair, then served her refreshments. When Camilla stopped behind Sub-Lord Caesonia’s chair she stiffened slightly thus showing how nervous the young Lord was when around her elders. Placing the teapot, cup, and water on Sub-Lord Caesonia’s left and the snacks and small Bowl on her right.

Watching Sub-Lord Caesonia’s reaction to being served showed that the woman was nervous. But that's nothing new every time I've met her, she always seems nervous and stiff around those older than her.. perhaps something in her upbringing.

Quickly stopping that line of thought Isabella refocused on what was pertinent to the meeting.

Not much can be done with the forces that Sub-Lord Caesonia controls although she owns a small portion of land she has no castle or fixed defenses of her own. If I remember right, she only owns a couple of towns given to her by Lord Ratnam To practice management of a domain. If the truce were to be broken It would be best for her to leave having an untested Commander could spell disaster for the defensive line. but should she be sent away for her safety or to push the enemy back and earn her own Glory?

Reaching the end of her intersection Isabella noticed that Camilla had already served Lord Ratnam and was moving to serve Lord Shelomit. As the oldest she would be served last. So, she had to wait a bit longer before she could quench her parched throat. She moved on to examining the final participant in this meeting, Lord Ratnam Was wearing an elegant long sleeve dress, the dress was subtly armored and showed little skin. The thin and flexible enchanted armor would do an excellent job of protecting against cutting and piercing however the only thing protecting against blunt force trauma are the medium strength mana shields. But what really catches Isabella's attention is her jewelry which are heavily Enchanted. From the mana patterns she counts no less than 17 different attack enchantments and 10 defensive enchantments with various utility enchantments, each one with different triggers Some requiring her to take action While others are automated. killing her would very likely mean death for her attacker and anyone in the next room.

She's prepared for battle but not war. Although her defensive gear is lackluster, her capability to react to various situations makes up for this shortcoming. She’s prepared for everything from a ballroom dance to an assassin while limiting the collateral damage. If she improves her personal defenses she could be excellent for frontline combat.. If I remember right, two centuries ago she proposed a new defensive system designed to redirect any summoned Heroes to a place of our choosing. I will have to look into her proposal, it may be worth enacting as a stopgap measure.. She would be the best choice to accompany the sub-Lords to safety while we hold the line. it would give her enough time to properly prepare in case our defensive line collapses… if we choose to counter-attack she would do an excellent job at sewing chaos in the enemy Lines.

Finished with her examinations Isabella sets down the last paper and begins writing on her Notepad.

‎

1. Request complete documentation on recently captured hero incentives approved limit 1,000

2. Bring the map.

3. Check files for proposed defensive measure, created by Lord Ratnam Approximate age two centuries. Put it in my office.

4. Search the records for any proposed defensive measures deemed useful but unnecessary and have them delivered to my office as well.

‎

Finished with her orders she utilizes one of her Enchanted bracelets to request her Butler to come retrieve the note and gather required materials. A moment later a hidden door behind and to her left silently opens. Landon steps out of the doorway and silently takes the note, then quickly retreats back to the hidden passageway to carry out his orders. With her orders being carried out she makes herself a cup of tea and enjoys one of the biscuits while she waits on her companions to finish reading.

Chapter 4

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