Chapter 6
Rain found its way into every nook and cranny, it's watery tendrils slithering and writhing through every small crack in the walls and hole in ceilings. It rained hard, far harder for far longer than would be considered normal for any other city in the world. However, this city was different.
It had been raining here for the past one hundred years, with no signs of stopping. The Land of Everlasting Rain, or as they called it ‘Regenstadt’, was cursed to be under rain at all times, for some reason or another. It is said that it was a great wizard who was angry at the quality of ale, however, many people question an origin so banal for such a strange curse to be placed on a land.
There were two seasons: The dry season, and the monsoon season. The dry season was not dry, simply less wet as the rain let up slightly. The dry season was calmer, the rain coming down lightly and gently, and sometimes it even became a mist which could vary from a light cover for far away things to complete obscuration past ten feet.
It was not the dry season. It was March 17th, 1661, the middle of the monsoon season. Rain pelted every last inch of the city, soaking all the way through anything left outside no matter what covered it. One could hardly see clearly twenty feet in front of them, only vague outlines past that could be seen peeking out from the obscuring rain.
The city of Regenstadt, from what could be made out through the downpour, seemed to be a crisscrossing maze of different wooden platforms, bridges, and buildings. Each platform was raised from the water below by two dozen feet during the dry season, but only four feet higher than the surface of the water during the monsoon season. Everything was built on the platforms, and the platforms themselves were suffused with strengthening and waterproofing magics.
Fergus and Ludwin were desperately attempting to trudge through the watery onslaught, barely keeping their footing on the wooden boards which made up all of this city’s infrastructure. They saw others walking around in leather ponchos, visibly having a much easier time than the two outsiders.
Ludwin screamed over the roaring rain, still just barely audible to Fergus.
“I see why my family’s company only comes here during the dry season!”
Fergus chuckled and pulled Ludwin from the deck up onto a walkway, straining under the pressure of the hundreds of gallons of water pounding down onto them. They practically threw themselves inside their destination: the Regenstadt city council building’s foyer. Ludwin leaned on his thighs and panted hard, watching the water slowly flow from his body towards the drain in the center of the room.
“How do people live here?”
Fergus watched the water go down the drain with interest.
“Seems it’s because they’re smarter than oos. Never thought tae add a drain like that to mah hoose. We’ve got pretteh bad weather for certain months too. An' waterfalls.”
Ludwin looked up from the ground and smiled at Fergus.
“Well, I highly doubt they’re all as strong as you, love. You’re not even winded!”
Fergus shrugged.
“Yah, well, when you end up with nae choice but tae climb up a waterfall every week ya become real strong.”
Ludwin stood up and smiled as he squeezed Fergus’s bicep.
“All that climbing made you into quite the specimen I must say. Me as well in my native Bvarian. I think climbing is just good for the body and soul.”
Fergus smiled and pulled Ludwin into a hug.
“Ehe, thankya mate, I try to maintain it in Bickenstadt but it’s real hard. Glad I’ve got you to ‘elp with stamina training.”
He released Ludwin and gestured for him to follow.
“Now let’s go, got some work tae do.”
The two men looked at the door into the building proper. Ludwin frowned.
“Closed? What do you mean closed? Who are we supposed to go to?”
“Alright, second guess is tha governor.”
Ludwin groaned and flipped his hood back over his head. They stood at the precipice of the doorway, watching water slam into the deck and flow angrily into the drain, greatly displeased that it was not currently making Ludwin’s day worse.
The city was still lit up, using gas lamps enchanted with waterproofing magic, so they could at least follow the lights and read signs. A few people even stopped to ask if they knew where they were going, and helpfully directed them towards the governor’s building. Ludwin was surprised by how friendly people were, and how nonchalant they were about standing and making smalltalk in a torrent of heavy rain.
Outside the governor’s building were two guards armed with halberds. They wore ponchos over their armor, even though they stood under an awning. And even though they wore ponchos, they were still soaking wet. As the pair approached they prepared to stop.
“Hello there.”
One of the guards nodded his head to acknowledge the greeting, but said nothing. Fergus and Ludwin looked at each other strangely before Ludwin spoke again.
“May we see the governor?”
“You willing to stand in line? Maybe wait an hour or so?”
Ludwin’s shoulders dropped.
“Yes…very much so.”
The guard opened the door and gestured for them to enter, which they did a moment later. Ludwin looked at the line of people with disdain before doffing his poncho and taking in a deep breath.
“Well. Guess we will be here for a while.”
The pair waited for an hour, then an extra thirty minutes before it was finally their turn to speak to the governor. Ludwin and Fergus bowed to the man, a middle aged gentleman with graying hair pulled back into a ponytail and a neatly cropped beard, a popular style for older men in Bickenstadt province.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance proper for the first time, my name is Ludwin Albrecht of the Albrecht Merchant Company, we do business in your wonderful city occasionally.”
Ludwin looked through the window behind the governor.
“Occasionally meaning the dry season, of course.”
The governor laughed.
“Yes, well, it is true that merchants are quite scarce this time of year. I know of you, Ludwin Albrecht, and I know your father as well. And from what I know about your company, you are no longer a merchant, correct?”
Ludwin shook his head.
“Not quite so simple, it is no longer my sole vocation. I work primarily with the baron von Bickenstadt in his mercenary company. I am here on behalf of him, as well as my family’s company. However, just like the state of my employment, I am here mostly on behalf of the Baron.”
The governor smiled. Ludwin could tell it was just a polite smile, which while not perfect meant he at least didn’t hate the Baron. Ludwin continued.
“I had hoped to meet with your city council, however they are not in session it seems.”
“Yes, they will be meeting in two days. In the meantime, I would very much like to know on what business you are here for, exactly. What is your purpose here? We already have positive enough relations with Bickenstadt at large, and we trade together during the dry season.”
Ludwin returned the polite smile.
“Well, then I would be more than happy to indulge you.”
Ludwin walked over to the governor’s bookshelf, looking through it as he spoke.
“We have positive relations, yes, however, we feel you have more you can offer us. And we you as well.”
He pulled a book out from the shelf, political theory written by the Iron Emperor.
“We are, of course, aware of your position in and on the Empire. Namely, that you do not like them much, but they can't do anything about it.”
The governor spoke.
“Yes, and I hear that position is slowly being mirrored by the Baron. He has been acting increasingly strange, at least if you view him as being a rational Imperial actor.”
Ludwin raised an eyebrow as he put the book back in its place.
“Do you view him as an irrational actor?”
“Somewhat, in the sense that he is not acting out of pure rationality, or self interest. Imperial culture heavily emphasizes selfishness, or self interest if you want to view it the way they do. But he, he seems to have moral principles, and that is something that I can respect, if nothing else.”
“Really? That is a relief to hear. His reputation for doing good is reaching farther and farther. It makes conversations like this a breeze! Much easier to assure a gazelle that you aren’t trying to kill them if you aren’t a lion.”
The governor smiled genuinely.
“True, though the question still remains on if you are simply a particularly practical lion.”
Ludwin chuckled and leaned back against the bookshelf.
“Well, a particularly practical lion is an apt way of describing him, though in this circumstance you would not be the gazelle, instead you are the lion of another pride.”
The governor leaned forwards suggestively.
“And would this practical lion be, say, attempting to convince me of ganging up against the Demigryph?”
Ludwin’s smile broadened.
“Yes, very much so. With your people’s history, I assume I do not need to hide any disloyalty towards the Empire?”
The governor chuckled.
“Oh of course not. The only thing keeping us in the Empire is the knowledge that the Empress does not care if we are hard to take, she will simply attempt to burn us down, though of course that would be a fool’s errand.”
“A fool’s errand until the Empress decides to simply knock down every single support with artillery. Strengthening magic can only do so much to wood.”
The governor’s smile slowly began to dissipate.
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
“However, we can prevent that. With your assistance. I assume you have an army, yes?”
The governor nodded.
“Yes we do, though we are specialized for defense in our native Regenburg.”
The governor took in a deep breath.
“Now, even though I have an idea, tell me exactly what the Baron wants our help for?”
Ludwin grinned.
“Well, we wish to overthrow the Empress, destroy the aristocracy, and implement a representative democracy, much like what you folks have in your city, and we have in ours. It is natural for us to pair together, Bickenstadt and Regenstadt are sister cities, after all.”
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The governor took a second to think before retrieving a piece of paper and inkwell from inside his desk, dipping in his fountain pen and writing on the empty page.
“Good. That is the best case scenario for gaining our assistance. If your mission is liberation, we will work alongside you. Here, I am writing you a letter of introduct-”
Suddenly, Ludwin spotted a flash outside. The glass behind the governor shattered, and a bullet ripped through his shoulder, a few others barely missing him and impacting the desk or whizzing by Ludwin. Fergus immediately jumped on the desk and flew out the window, grabbing a pointy letter opener on the desk as he passed.
Fergus rolled onto the opposing deck and closed his eyes as he allowed his instincts to fully take over. He knelt down and put his ear to the deck, hearing the creaking and shaking of boards as multiple men ran as fast as they could across the bridge. Fergus shot up in the direction of the vibrations, eating up the distance in just a few seconds. Soon, he could see the attackers through the rain.
He leaped, spearing one of them with his shoulder. The attacker tried to grab at Fergus but instead found a hand around his wrist, a second later smashing it down and pinning it to the deck. Fergus slammed his letter opener into the man’s hand, impaling it to the deck. As the man screamed Fergus drew a long knife from the man’s waist and continued after his comrades.
He ate up the distance in mere seconds and was again pinning a man to the ground with his body. The man reached for the knife at his belt and Fergus swiftly slashed his wrist, cutting down into the bone. The man screamed, then screamed louder as Fergus pinned him to the wood by impaling his shoulder with the knife.
Fergus took his knife as well and chucked it at the last man, embedding it directly in the middle of his back, severing his spine. As the last assassin dropped to his knees Fergus elbowed the man he was straddling in the face, knocking him out. He ran over to the first man and found him writhing on the floor, foam erupting from his mouth as he convulsed.
Fergus shook his head and unstuck the last living man from the deck, tossing him over his shoulder and rushing back to the office.
The governor was alive, but very injured. He was being treated by a medic that was stationed in the building, so he would live. Fergus dropped the man to the floor and prodded him with his foot.
“Only one ‘a them got outta ‘ere alive, an’ it’s this one. I killed one and the other is convulsin’.”
Ludwin looked up from the governor.
“Poison?”
Fergus nodded his head.
“I’d bet my axe it’s arsenic. ‘E was foamin’.”
Ludwin shook his head.
“Damn. At least we have one, right?”
Fergus nodded.
“Well, I ‘ope we can get an idea…”
Fergus trailed off as he watched the last remaining man foam at the mouth and begin convulsing.
“Fookin’ great.”
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It was March 20th, 1661. The people of Holensburg gathered in the square, again, for the second time in two weeks. The governor stood on a platform, flanked on either side by the Holensburg knights, also known as The Flying Cavalry of Holenstadt. They wore traditional Bszerci armor, Pappenheimer helmet with small metal wings on the sides, a beveled cuirass with four plates attached to the bottom, as well as metal vambraces and chaussis.
On their backs were massive wooden wings designed to clack together as they rode their horses, creating a cacophony of noise that would terrify all but the most disciplined of warriors, and at their waists were long sabers, the symbol of Bszerci martial masculinity. They were the protectors of Holenstadt, the most elite and respected regiment in all of Bszerci history.
The Governor opened a scroll and began to read it out loud to the crowd.
“The Baron von Bickenstadt and Holenstadt has an announcement to make! He is going to extend his welfare program to Holensburg! That means that any family with at least one child is eligible for state subsidies to assist with the cost of living! This can range from one hundred Reiksgeld a month to eight hundred!”
The crowd was silent as they waited for him to continue.
“If this program is successful, the Baron is planning to expand it to cover more expenses for more people with less caveats! Any families with children, as well as single parents who have lost their partner for whatever reason, may register for financial welfare at the governor’s mansion! This program is going into effect tomorrow at noon, so wait until then to come to the governor’s mansion!”
The crowd cheered, stamping their feet and hollering Bszerci celebration chants. The governor waited for the crowd to quiet down before he continued.
“The Baron hopes that this will help lift up those who are still struggling after the abhorrent sacking of our beautiful city a year ago. He feels great shame in knowing that his fellow mercenaries caused such damage, and so he wishes to atone for them by offering the good people of Holensburg money from his personal coffers! He promises that, even if this welfare program does not work out, which he says he highly doubts as the people of Holensburg are hardy and practical, he will continue to invest in Holenstadt as a whole to bring your standard of living up to par with the rest of the Imperial fold!”
The crowd erupted with celebratory fervor. A program such as this had never been attempted in Holensburg, however, if the skyrocketing standard of living amongst those living in Bickenstadt city were any indication, Holensburgers would soon find their standards rising up to par.
The past two weeks have brought nothing but good news to the Bszerci people. And while that was a fantastic thing for them, it was actually deeply unsettling to the Baron and the Empress. They both knew they now had to fight not just for the land of Holenstadt, but for the hearts and minds of its people.
As the crowd quieted down, the governor pulled out another scroll.
“This, as the Baron says, is more of a formality than anything. This next decree he promises will not impact the standing of living of the average Bszerci, only those who seek to profit off of Imperial proclivities. Effective immediately, the enslavement and discrimination of the Elven race is hereby banned.”
The crowd murmured, not entirely sure what to do with this new information. Like the governor said, this was a change that would not affect most of them materially at all.
“The ownership of elven slaves is now a crime, and any ownership of elven slaves past the date of March 21st, 1661, will be punished with public flogging, no matter the rank or station. Effective immediately, all elven slaves will be freed by the Holenstadt police force, or the military if it is required. They will be allowed to stay should they wish it, but any who wish to leave will be brought back to their homeland.”
The governor paused to take a breath.
“Again, the Baron wishes to emphasize that this will not affect the average worker in Holenstadt, only the rich merchants and aristocrats who make up a small fraction of the population. The Baron has decided that racism is distasteful, and so he plans to reverse Imperial race policy. More information on this will be released in the coming weeks, but the Baron says to expect sweeping changes.”
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A nobleman was walking through the halls of his estate, moving as quickly as one could without breaking out into a sprint. He walked besides armored men wearing puff and slash in the colors of Holenstadt, red and white, as well as a beveled chestplate and morion helmet. On the nobleman’s face was a mixture of anger and desperation.
“Sir you cannot simply confiscate my property like this! I have rights!”
One of the policemen shrugged his shoulders.
“Orders came down from a little higher than you, sir. All of your slaves are to be confiscated by the state effective immediately.”
The nobleman ground his teeth in frustration.
“The Empress will hear about this! She won’t let him get away with this.”
The policeman rolled his eyes.
“That’s not my problem, sir, I’m just doing my job.”
The policeman pushed open the door to the servant’s quarters, causing everyone inside to look over at him. At least 3/4th of the faces staring at him had pointy ears on either side. The policemen fanned out in the room, with the nobleman looking through the doorway from the threshold, a look of abject despair on his face.
“Every elf stand up, everyone else sit down.”
The servants did as he said.
“Elves, form a line. You’re coming with us to Bickenstadt city.”
One of the human servants near the policeman spoke up.
“Can you give them a moment to gather their things?”
The policeman thought for a moment before nodding, causing the elves to again scatter around the room, quickly grabbing their meagre possessions and getting back in line. The nobleman ground his teeth as he tried to think of something, anything, to prevent the expropriation of his property.
“Please, you are all reasonable men, I can double your salaries if you work for me instead!”
As the nobleman withdrew a coin purse from his breast pocket, a policeman pushed him over, knocking him on his ass.
“Bribing an officer is a crime now. I’ll let you go this time, but don’t try it again. Even you nobles have to obey the law while we’re in town, by decree of the Baron.”
The elves lined up and the officers led them out of the room. The nobleman stood back up and dusted off his clothes, watching them walk down the hall with disdain and despair. He turned and looked at his remaining servants and glowered.
“What are you looking at? Get back to whatever you were doing!”
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The ride to Bickenstadt city was tense. The elves had no clue why they were being moved, and they were all too afraid to ask why. They sat in silence for the entire ride, which at times made the police visibly uncomfortable. When they reached the border, the police ordered the elves to get out and load up into a new set of carts,headed by police wearing blue and orange, the colors of Bickenstadt.
A younger elf saddled up to another. Though they looked the same age, one of them was nearly one hundred years older, ancient by elven slave standards.
“What are they going to do to us?”
The elder elf put his arms around them and pulled them close.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry…I’m sorry I can’t be any help.”
The younger elf silently cried in the elder’s arms. One of the guards turned around in his seat, looking confused.
“Why are you guys crying?”
The elves looked at him, also confused. Most of them were too scared to speak, so the eldest one decided to in their stead.
“We don’t know what’s going on.”
The guard furrowed his brow and scanned everyone’s faces.
“You don’t?”
The elves all shook their heads. The policeman did as well.
“Fuckin’ Holenstadters, their police are so sloppy.”
He grinned at them.
“You guys are being freed and sent home, by order of the baron von Bickenstadt and Holenstadt himself, the most powerful man in both provinces. Congrats!”
The elves looked like they were having trouble processing what he said.
“Did you hear me? I said you’re going home.”
One of the younger elves spoke up.
“I was born here, sir. Where do I go?”
The policeman looked up at the sky in thought.
“Uuuh, I guess you’re going to your new home. If you want. I think you can stay if you want to.”
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The Baron watched people loading up onto an elven vessel with pride. He freed those people, and they could now live the rest of their lives amongst people who didn’t regard them with utter contempt.
“Isn’t this beautiful, Wilhelm?”
Wilhelm sipped his drink and nodded.
“Oh yes, quite. Nothing makes me happier than helping others.”
“That’s good. The only other thing which makes me happier is battle, which is unfortunate.”
Wilhelm smiled.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, how does your christianity af-”
The Baron cut him off.
“God Almighty is the god of love and forgiveness. We are all at our core wretched sinners, however, God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to allow us to gain forgiveness. So long as you confess and pray, God will forgive you. Killing is a sin, but I am hardly the first Christian warrior to exist. I must simply make sure to pray and seek absolution.”
“Well well well, you were quick with that answer.”
The Baron sighed.
“It’s a question I get a lot these days. I would prefer to focus on other things, but, well, people regard me with a slight hint of orientalism because of my faith.”
Wilhelm nodded.
“It is understandable I believe, it is a fascinating aspect of you as a person.”
The Baron shrugged.
“Yeah, I guess so. But let’s move on from this nonsense, Ingo von Waffenstadt is on my side, and he has pledged to provide troops and access to his forges.”
Wilhelm nodded.
“And about the democracy?”
The Baron nodded.
“Yes, I informed him of what was going to happen, and he accepted it, though I didn’t give him much choice. Told him if he didn’t take my offer of a cushy position post aristocracy he would end up as just another head on a pike. Revolutions are inevitable, it’s too late to go back. People already know that democracy can work, and the aristocracy know that as well. It fills them with pants-shitting terror.”
Wilhelm took another sip of his drink.
“Yes, the interests of the common folk will clash with those of the aristocracy, and while we are quite strong we are nothing without the common folk. Their oppression is guaranteed to result in revolution. You can only make people believe that their self interest is to support the aristocracy for so long.”
“Yes, true. Now it’s just a matter of teaching people to act in their own class interest. I believe I have gotten the allies that I need, at least the largest ones that I need. Everything past this point will be marginal gains with allies, and the winning over of hearts and minds. I must convince the people of Holenstadt to side with me over the Empress, and I need to make Bickenstadt’s success with democracy and welfare known. It will make the clamber for revolution easier.”
“Well, we have a long road ahead of us. If you were to guess how many years until we begin, when would that be?”
The Baron bit his thumbnail in thought, speaking again after around thirty seconds.
“Hm, I would say we need to go for another, say, two to three years? Time to reorganize the military, win people over more, and create more powerful allies. Two years sounds the best, three seems most realistic.”
The last elf walked up the gangplank of the ship, and soon after they were leaving the pirate’s harbor, waving at the Baron as the ship got farther and farther away. The Baron and Wilhelm waved back, smiling brightly.
“Well, worst case scenario, I have at least made a difference in their lives.”
Wilhelm nodded.
“That really is all we can ask for at the end of the day.”