When one hears of the name Whidith, many things come to mind. The first is long hair the color of the ocean, carried by those who wear that name, braided at the back and untouched so that it grows in length until it kisses the nape of the buttocks.
Then there’s the loose silk and wool, worn by the people of the Southern region to keep cool in the sun kissed archipelago.
There are the old traditions, meticulously maintained, even in an age where everything old is being washed anew. There is the great needle, granted to only those who exhibit extraordinary power, a bestowment that comes with the title of sovereign.
Covered in vines and wrist-leaf, scattered across the archipelagos’ mountains, there are the old temples and domains that denote the symbols of great fishes, scaled humanoids and great serpents.
What comes to mind is a strange power that is so intriguing it attracts, yet is also feared. How Varessi had caught the attention of the mysterious sovereign was a mystery to Mascious but he remembered his first instinct being to reject it.
They fought about it, and initially he was against the idea. Then one of the guild merchants, a fat grubby man who was known, particularly for his cruelty, began pressing even harder for Lady Varessi then suddenly Mascious had no choice but to ascent to the future communion.
When word first got out about the communion the Island was lit abuzz. Lord Koleson is a popular figure around the whole of Aquilora, and in the Southern Regions, some people revere him almost at the level of the Five gods.
You could imagine the atmosphere it brought back to the house of Severidt. Well-wishers came to greet Varessi, folks Who turned their backs on the family turned once more to greet them with warm smiles.
They were showered with gifts and presents from parties who wanted to be in Koleson's good graces.
And most importantly the Fishing guild and House Myrrar receded their hands In the harassment of the Severidts.
About three nights after they had gotten the news, Mascious and Lady Varessi packed to the brim, their belongings- in suitcases made with fine woven reeds. Their whole lives were inside those bags and soon it would lay in one of the manors of Lord Koleson.
They boarded a sail that ferried them to the Beacon Island where the wayfinder needle rested. Other sails just like the one Mascious and Varessi boarded as well as Helsuks, beast riders gravitated towards the base of the Needle, where from their viewpoint, resembled a thin metal rod.
The sail packed up a speed that caused the wind to rush through both their hairs. Causing the brown waves and black locks to pull back from their heads. Their attention was suddenly pulled towards the sky when a cry rang out above them.
Mascious raised his head to see where the noise was coming from, and found the source to be a wind carrier. A sleek needle like object with metal wings jutting out from the side.
The wind carrier moved with an even faster speed than the sail and when it got closer to the needle, it disappeared. In fact, when all the moving carriers, and objects and creatures moved near enough to the needle, they disappeared.
A wayfinder needle takes you to where you need to go. For it to work, one only needs to be under the delegation of a sovereign and a summons must be proffered and accepted by consuls on each end of the wayfinder the traveler is headed.
A gift of the empire to those who bend the knee to it.
And sure enough, when Mascious and Varessi got close to the surface of the enclosure field, they closed their eyes. The feeling of lightness hits them for a second and only a second. After the second is passed their eyes re-open and in an instant they are sailing between a different cohort, on different waters, surrounded by land that was absent only a moment ago.
Although they had used the Way-Finder needle many times, they will never get used to it. Mascious made the sign of the three needles and blessed the gods and the emperor. The Lady Varessi said a small prayer.
The new world that surrounded them was strange. Although familiar through stories heard from whispers and gossips, it was strange seeing what had been rumored about for the first time.
The Beacon Island, whose enclosure field they both had just materialized from, sat between four vast archipelagos. The sloping grounds of the Islands were terraced with quaint alabaster buildings that were crowned with blue roofs.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The view alone would have presented a rather humble image of the core Islands of the Kerrasuk regions, if not for the tent markets that lined the lower levels of the Islands, the ports grafted unto the lands and the ruins of ancient kingdoms bearing down on the present reality with their great, marble stones with time fractured mosaics featuring serpents and hunters, and the Sitting home of the custodian which snaked through and swallowed an entire island.
Each Island had a port meticulously carved into them where traders, fishers, tourists and travelers docked. The ports were made of great brown-washed, tiled stones which jutted from the edge of the Islands and stretched into the ocean. The stone was then split in the middle, dividing the structure into two halves, one for incoming sails and the other for outgoing sails.
The ports raised themselves above the ocean and at their edges stood the raised banners of house Whidith, the image of the coiled serpent bound to a closed fist was proudly displayed on silk that flapped left and right by the wind, all in the color of the blue ocean.
The sail turned into the port of the Eastern Island and settled into its dock. The boat rocked forward as Mascious and Varessi climbed off its wooden frame. They walked down the long, stony pier amidst many strangers who, like them, had arrived from all kinds of places in Aquilora.
Two guards stood at the end of the pier. They imposed a rigid stillness on themselves, which was made all the stranger by the movement that happened around them. It was only when both Mascious and Varessi got close enough, did they decide to move. Something Mascious was not sure would happen.
“Don’t wander off like you normally do” Mascious whispered behind the braided backs of the soldiers. Although these were not Whidith children, they wore their hair like the family did. All the guards did.
When Mascious turned to his right after hearing no response, he found that Varessi was already being offered SIlk from Martrachta by a shady shopkeeper.
“Mascious look!” she exclaimed as she waved the cloth at him. Mascious had to drag her away while returning the fabric. The shop-keeper attempted to give a discount on the cloth however he was politely repelled by Mascious telling him he knew the Silk was fake.
Their walk towards the manor lodge continued in this fashion, with Varessi being distracted by mundane things and Mascious having to reel her back in tow.
Her behavior had become so ridiculous and constant that Mascious swore, he saw the guards betting on if she would get distracted again.
They had walked far enough that the manor in which they had been appointed to live in and where they were to now spend most of their lives, began to peer over them from the terraced hill it was latched on to.
Their first impression of the building, from the little they could see of it, was how it was only modestly bigger than the Severidth Manor back in their home.
Every wife and concubine of Koleson gets a manor like that. A home-base where they would run their household. Mascious’s eyes were still drawn towards the hills above when he felt something bump into him.
It was a child that he had just ran into. But not just any child, it was a Helsetti.
Mascious felt his blood run cold at the visage of the little girl. His stomach turned upon seeing one of the so called other races, that people from his backwards Island only whispered about.
The girl’s skin was silver and scaly. Her eyes were big and wide and the iris, which was more yellow than an egg, took up more than half of it. Little horns pointed out from the edges of her forehead. The ridges between her fingers were webbed and three slits cut through both sides of her neck.
‘An accursed thing’. Those were the words that first rose to the mind of Mascious. A blight on Hayazaki’s empire.
Emperor Hayazaki’s powers is what separated the world of the living and man from contamination and corruption and while his powers might seem absolute, they are only as strong as people believe them to be. It is consensus manifest.
And so, it is the duty of the Imperial religion to spread the Emperor’s word so as to raise consensus and belief. But what if you are incapable of believing, what if your soul can not resonate with that of the Emperor’s authority.
There are such people out there, half humans, people mixed in with creatures long extinct. Remnants of an age that has been devoured by the corruption, so much so that barely anything remains of it.
Unfortunately, the existence of such people means that the Emperor’s power would never be absolute. And corruption and contamination would continue to hunt the world of man.
Such a narrative was the standard that Mascious was taught about his world, which is why it was not so surprising when his face turned pale upon seeing one such humanoid. Species that were human-like but not quite human.
Suddenly the multitude of reasons came flooding back to him. The reason he opposed coming to the Island, Koleson’s blasphemy. Koleson who was one such warrior that was awarded the Emperor’s needle of law, Koleson who braced the name of Sovereign despite being a nobody who came from a place no one knows.
That Koleson- decided to turn his Archipelago into one of many sanctuaries for the non-humans. Undermining the Emperor’s will. Something dark seeped inside of Mascious and his hands closed up with it.
“You’ve scared the girl” a voice said.
It was light, and it cut through the dark binds that Mascious had tied around his heart in that moment. Binds that Mascious was not aware he had. And once again, he realizes that he is not the aloof person he always imagined himself to be.
The girl had left the place she was standing, joining her hands with her mother on the side. When Mascious eyes fell over to them, he could pick out the fear and worry in both their fish like faces.
Because of how they almost seemed human, there was disgust in him. But also, he was ashamed of himself.
“What kind of hatred closes the heart towards a child?” Varessi asked him. Her eyes were pointed straight at his. The guards had stopped walking, their faces still facing onwards, but Mascious knew they were listening intently.
“You know what they are” he said to his Lady, not caring whose ears were picking at his words, “they’re barely human. They’re the reason this world still has chaos and corruption in it. You know how many people die because their souls become ravaged, all because of them”.
“And?” Varessi shrugged her shoulders, “they didn’t ask to exist. Yet they do. Imagine if the situation were reversed, how would you feel if humanity was accused of bringing in corruption into the world”.
“I don’t know the answer” she said, her face turned towards the water, the wind carried her in a gentle sway, “which was one of the reasons why I came here. If Lord Koleson says these people can be here, then he must have a reason. Powerful people don’t just make decisions like these, especially someone like him who always avoids conflicts. I want to ask him so many questions. I want to get closer to him. I want to know why he is the way he is and how he came about to it. But one thing I certainly don’t believe is that these people should die for our comfort and If that’s what you believe then you can leave as my retainer and go ahead and join as a filthy crusader”.
And with that she went on with the guards who in the stoic demeanor, seemed almost content.
Mascious would remember that day.