State of Affairs
Political De Jour
Taimyo Amilar Kaizo stood before the General Staff his arms behind his back in a parade rest. He had stood there for some minutes before speaking. He took in each member of the Staff with his gaze finally resting on Wrath of Fallen Kings. He was one of the oldest generals on staff. His face and hair were still trim despite having seen 400 winters. He had been the officer in charge of the Diamond Redoubt, a fortress thought impregnable but decimated under one of the Mask’s many onslaughts. The Redoubt had protected several small towns from destruction before falling. It had allowed thousands time to flee the horde of undead. It had made the old man a hero in at least one portion of the nation and had given him enough political good will and strength to achieve the General Staff.
“Honored servants of the 7th Legion and Shogun, we have risen to new heights of power and prestige as a city and a nation. Let us not forget the past. We have achieved as much before to see it squandered through hubris.”
The taimyo begins pacing back and forth before the Staff, “We have seen subjects turn against in revolt and send us back to our Beloved City with less than we started. Even now we see the same occurring. Not even our Shogun, greatest of all warriors has been unable to stop the fissures that now grow in our young nation. Thorns, once a broken city festering with the darkness of the Underworld, was freed by the Shogun and his companions, but now grows separate from the Shogunate’s ways. The Marukan, strong and powerful allies for centuries, now turn their eyes from those that protected them from the depredations of the Mask of Winters to a goddess no one has ever seen.”
He stops his walking to stand before the Shogun once again. “Shogun, do not let us fail again because of the sympathies you hold for old friends. We are your loyal subjects and wish only to see your glory rise ever higher. With you our nation grows in prosperity. The 7th is ready to do your bidding my Lord. We are but a call away.” The taimyo bows and walks back to his seat.
Taimyo Karal Rika was the next to stand before the Staff. She did not take the long, plodding pace of her predecessor. She followed her aspect’s way and began speaking before she had left her seat entirely. Her hair had become a deeper red and her face was flush all of the time. Her name was known throughout the Legion for her personal exploits and for her closeness to the Celestial Exalted that had become their masters. Her political clout among the highest ranking in Lookshy had dwindled, but she remained in her position nonetheless. Many believed she was a puppet of the Celestials and that she had frequent trysts with them.
“Taimyo Amilar is correct. We should beware our humble past. Not for the reasons that he speaks of, but because we,” she spreads her arms to encompass the General Staff, “are becoming divided. It is petty thought that attributes difficulties within the nation to the few that helped create us as we are today. It is through the leadership and cunning of our Chumyo and his companions. As for the Marukan, they have always looked to gods for guidance. They are as loyal as they have ever been. They are wild and free, but look to us for leadership now because of this new. She has convinced them that we are worthy of leading them.
“It is sad that we face inward toward our allies for problems instead of seeing the true foes that would bring us down. The Realm would see us fall in any manner possible, but to fall because of internal scheming would make us laughingstocks in the halls of their Deliberative. Have we become so much like them in so little time? Will we have orgies in the streets of Lookshy soon? Will we become as corrupt and divisive as they have been? Have we lost our way in so short a time?
“Let us not forget that there are still dark lords that lurk on the edges of our glorious nation. The Walker in Darkness’s realm lays only a hundred spans from Nexus. A city that will return to its corrupted ways if we do not prevent such from happening. Has its corruption spread to us already?” She stops talking to shake her head for a moment. Her face is grim. “The Legion must stand together instead of insinuating that our peers and allies are duplicitous in nature. Only standing together can we be the leaders that the world needs.”
A gavel slams into the table and the room is silent as Rika returns to her seat. The Staff’s Keeper of Time and Procedures stands, “As it pleases the Chumyo and the General Staff, this meeting is called to order. The next meeting is scheduled in 10 days time. Any who should desire being heard shall contact me no later than 1 day before the meeting. May the Dragons and the gods watch over us.”
Extreme Measures
The pair of elders walked down a broad avenue, their hands cusped behind their backs. The previous years had proven stressful and now that plans were about to be put into motion they found a moment to relax. They had the look of men in deep contemplation. In fact, they had already spent months contemplating their situation and had come to similar conclusions. They had brought their order together, at least the ones that could be trusted, and prepared for the future.
“I’m not entirely convinced that this is best action.”
“You were there. You saw the results,” the older of the pair looked at his much younger counterpart. Though they both looked elderly, they were separated by centuries.
“The entire Hundredfold was not there. So the results could be skewed and we did not seek an answer to the Realm’s influence or future. Our path could lead to even more disharmony. The measures we had already taken showed fruitless.”
“Echoes of the past. That is all they are and they have shown a moment of triumph but their future isn’t certain and if we follow the plan we will make it certain. The chances of failure after that reduced to less than one percent. All that remains is setting the plan into action,” the eldest one smiled and stopped. He laid one old hand atop his counterparts shoulder. “Do not worry things will be alright.”
“You left Ayesha out of all of this. She will not be happy. It endangers us all. And will cause disharmony in all of the Bureaus. We could see internal conflict.”
“For the good of Creation we must do what we must do. It is better for Ayesha this way. She’ll understand in time. We are protecting her with what we do today.”
The pair stopped before the tall, imposing gates before them. The white-washed stone gleamed in the noonday sun. The Lookshy Manse stood triumphant above all. “Shall we begin?”
The elder stopped smiling, a grim look on his face, and nodded. “The Realm will be dealt with my friend. Do not worry. This is a new day. A new era.”
Getting Something from Nothing
The room was raucous with laughter and cheers. The bar had grown busy over the last few days. The Guild had come to town and with their money and influence business was booming. Multiple tables were busy with dice and card games. Others with wild abandon. Nexus felt young despite the old, crumbled architecture. Most of the buildings were low-lying with only the former Council’s tower remaining.
The noise didn’t bother the man in the gold and red robes. He sat holding three cards in his hand and stared at the table and his opponent across from him. His opponent had already laid his hand down, two maidens and two paupers. Good enough for some hands. You’re unlucky this day, pal. He laid his three dragons on the table and the crowd around them broke out into cheers and jeers. “Sorry Jaxon, tonight’s not your night. Luck isn’t with you.” He smiled across at his opponent. A man with few hairs atop his head and a pulsing blue vein in the middle of his forehead. “Peace Jaxon. No need for fury.”
He held up both hands as a gesture for peace and to show he wasn’t armed. “You’ll have your chance to win it all back against some poor fellow. And look at it this way. Your hefty contributions fund a revolution.”
