The following posts are taken from in-game and are posted with permission.
Public Execution (6 days, 5 hours ago)
Messengers bring news of a public execution in Cagil earlier today.
Zaknafien, a noble of Eston, had been banned from Cagilan Empire as a traitor on 2012-10-16. When he was later imprisoned, the judge of Cagilan Empire decided to make him pay for his treason.
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Daphne read the news about Zak. "No!..." She became very pale, weak, and started to weep. Wiping her tears, she immediately grabbed some parchment and a quill from her scribes with the intent of penning a personal letter to Zak's family. After staring at the paper for a while, the tears started to fall again and she knew her heart could not find the words.
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Elroy learned of his friend's death at the hands of the CE executioner and fought back his rage. This is not how things were supposed to happen...deals and promises had been made at great risk to ensure Zak's survival. Elroy had little choice but to engage in those discussions with life-long enemies after using the last of his "blood favors" to ensure that Duchess Athena would not suffer at the hands of the other great infiltrators on Atamara. Where to go from here? Deals had been made and things had been said that could not be undone...the wheels were in motion and Elroy knew what he had to do as he headed for Barad Riel.
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Arturius sat on his horse making his way into Bara dLacirith, rubbing his should where he caught an arrow just a few days before. As he moved through the gates the peasants and nobles alike were staring at him and moving out of his way.
Arturius went to the estate that he stayed at when in the field and sat down to rest.
After a couple of hours messengers came to the door...one after another. There had been reports of an execution in Cagil. Arturius' face went white. All he could think of was which one of the Eston nobles were executed. HE read farther and realized that it was his own son that had been executed. Zak....forever following in his brother Artemis' shadows. His youngest, executed doing his duty. Rage engulfed Arturius, Zak just became a martyr. A martyr of a war he no longer understood. So much death, so much deceit, so much dishonor.
Arturius fades away for about three days, no one hears or sees anything from him.
Present time:
A knock comes on his bed chamber's door, it was Morik, his lifelong servant of the family. Tears in his eyes and a look a horror on his face.
"Sir, you must come quickly" said Morik.
"I told you I dont want to be bothered, ever again" yelled Arturius.
"Your Grace, you really need to come see this" stated Morik.
Arturius reluctantly got out of his chair and went to the courtyard to see what the problem was. As he stepped outside he face went pale. Laying in a cart that had most likely been dropped off during the night was his beheaded son. Zak had clearly underwent many days of torture, for his body was twisted and broken and his head was in a burlap bag beside the body.
Arturius wept as he hooked his horse up to the cart and made his way to Mount Moramroth.
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Murdo groaned after yet another training session with the troops.
He dismounted and took the black, horse-haired plumed helmet, revealing iron gray hair which once had been a lustrous brown.
His eyes looked old beyond reckoning as he saw his reflection. "Gray I may be but at least I didn't go bald."
The tent flap was pushed back. Murdo's servant came in. "Sorry sir but it seems Duke Arturius will be taking his son to Moramroth."
"Of course" Murdo muttered. More loudly he said. "Better rouse the men."
"Yes sir"
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Vasilios was at Anost, overseeing the last of the earthworks for the fortification of his unit’s camp. It was his first cavalry unit, so he had spent the last few days recruiting and training with his men, with little attention to the outside world, except from the scout reports about the enemy movements.
But now he was looking forward to his brother’s arrival at Anost, since he hadn’t seen him since his capture by CE.
As soon as Alexios arrived, he invited him in his tent.
As soon as they started talking about his captivity, Alexios mentioned how sorry he was about Zak.
Zak? What happened to Zaknafien?
Haven’t you heard? He was executed 3 days ago in Cagil .
GODS! I do not believe it!
And you know the worst part brother? I I’m fairly certain he was tortured wile in prison. I could hear them doing it to some poor soul, and I’m almost certain it was Zak.
BAS****S! Alexios, I fear that Zak’s blood is on my hands.
On your hands? Why brother?
I asked him about a week ago to scout from Eagles Glen, if he was willing. And he was captured while going from Anost to Nazia…. Do the math. Thank you for the news brother. I must pen a note to his father immediately.
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Elroy paced as he awaited letters from his shadow brothers in response to Zak's execution. A storm was brewing on Atamara, and Elroy smiled in anticipation as he sharpened his sword. Zak's death would not be in vain.
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Arturius made his way up the mountain. He gets off his horse that was pulling the cart with his beheaded son. He looks up and sees the Shrine of Maroune, looks to his right and sees the Kane burial plots, then the Despinas, and the Anderbliss...ahhh Dennis....what fond memories of watching Artemis and him practical joke each other. He remembered how he used to laugh so hard his belly hurt watching those two go at it.
He looked to the center walked to the Temple where his beloved King lay. Walked in and knelt at the alter, "Andrew...", he stated, "I am in such need of your guidance now more than ever. Things are not as they seem and the tide has changed. I know not what to do. I am fighting a war I no longer understand. Weakness has been exploited. Dishonor has been brought down upon us like a storm at sea, and now I have lost my son, for what cause? I beg of you guide me."
Arturius knelt and wept.
He looked to Morik and nodded. Tears uncontrollably running down his face. "Please inform Murdo that I have arrived."
Arturius walked to his family plot. A shrine to his lost son Artemis. He had heard rumors of Artemis popping up somewhere on Bealuterra but have not heard anything since. His sword that was plucked from a impaled dog in a tavern in Anost, laying on the casket where Artemis' body mysteriously disappeared, made him smile. Lady Tonja, oh how Artemis feuded and loved her. She went on to do very good things. Stephan deserved her and her him.
He looked to a corner of the chamber, one that cast more shadows than normal, and saw a familiar figure, his face riddled with guilt when he saw his Lord walk into the chamber, he looked down to the floor. Elroy nodded as if starting to say something, but just looked at him and one tear rolled down his face and looked down to the floor again.
Arturius walked outside to retrieve the broken body of Zak, he looked around and saw scribes of several different families walking to the shrine...followed by many nobles.
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"My lord!" Yelled the servant as the lathered hours thundered into Murdo's camp.
"Duke Arturius is in Moramroth to bury his son!".
"When is the funeral boy?". Murdo asked quietly.
"Sunrise, my lord."
Murdo smashed his fist into the man's face. "You wait until now to tell me?" He thundered.
"Mount up" he screamed at his men. "Where are we going my lord?"
"Home"
The rain started to fall on the unconscious servant.
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"Captain Albrecht, the camp is yours.", Kealan stated matter-of-factly, as he left the campfire.
Albrecht followed, and having anticipated his Lord's actions said, "Tirian is packed and ready to join you my lord."
"I have an escourt Albrecht and I don't want to take our best scrapper from the front line."
"Who are you taking?", Albrecht asked.
Kealan eased himself up onto his horse and started to trott out of the camp. "A guest," he said over his shoulder.
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Out of the gloom, Kealan's white stallion came into view. Luka signalled her brother and joined him on his trott out of Anost, "I'll let you lead brother, it's been a long time since I've been to Moramroth. I think the last time we were both there at the same time, you were governing the region."
"Quite possibly Liluka. My first role of significance. I even miss the fresh north winds. It would be nice to go there under better circumstances though."
"True brother, true. We'd better get a shift on as well to get there in time." Luka tightened her grip on the reins and jabbed two heals into her horse, sparking it into life.
A few hours later, the pair were passing Barad Lacirith with no signs of stopping off in the great city. Only shared words of Zaknafien's deeds through the years passed their lips.
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