Message #165120

[Eduardo Almighty]

Oathkeeper
Some days ago...

There was a time that Avamar was the rebellious younger sister, her Black Hand threatening Sirion. Then there was a time of reconquest and a time when Avamar flourished as the greatest duchy of Sirion, her wings spread over Krimml and Oligarch. As a kind mother, she was good to those who served her. As a goddess she found her god in a Silver Dragon and, for a while, the world smiled, sang and danced with joy. Her womb shed virtues from which sprang their sons and daughters; as profuse as the stars in the night sky.

Ehrendill was one of those children, a rising star. His throne had been raised on a platform where the altar of Retarte had once been. Around him the Stormwalkers formed an inner circle and another wider circle of vassals lit the night with their torches. Those were the days and nights of transition, of end and beginning. Erik used to celebrate the holidays in this period, celebrating the gods and his own conquests, but those who came after him did not respect what he had built, letting the veil of oblivion cover the city, but the people remembered. They were going to celebrate, but first they needed to swear their oath to the new Serpentis in power, a legitimate son of royal blood. Seven leaders from seven houses, a thousand bastards represented there to offer their loyalty. The first was a beautiful red-haired woman covered in a tunic that seemed woven with silver threads by a thousand spinning spiders, her generous and inviting breasts wrapped in seductive perfume.

Moira: “I’m Moira, Daughter of Avamar, Valide Sultan of Erik Eyolf Serpentis and High Priestess of Retarte. This oath is the oath we all swear. Not to a god, or a master, or to the House Serpentis... but to our sisters who stand here with us. Our sisters. This is the oath that binds us all, one to one, all to all, so that we are no longer free. We belong to each other. We are bound to each other. In swearing to each other, we free ourselves from the outside world, from the world of men, from those who would seek to bind us to Fate and that which would make us slaves. We sacrifice our liberty so that, ultimately, we can be truly free.”

Moira represented the women of Avamar, whether they were the concubines of the Harems, the whores of the Red District or the priestesses of Retarte. She was the first, for women were always in the first place in Erik's life, whether by the influence of his mother or his grandmother, always in a powerful matriarchal family tradition. The second was a man with a green cloak, a necklace of flowers and herbs and a crown of vines with deer's horns.

Belenus: “I’m Belenus, Son of the Forest, Grand Druid of Dolmbar. I offer you my oath and if I break this it, may the beauty and wonder of the Divines forever remain hidden from me.”

The third was a herald and bureaucrat; his dark blue vest gave him an image of serious dignity. If Belenus meant the nature of the forests of Sirion's heart, this man was the symbol of the city's bureaucracy, the administrative life behind a table between papers and stamps; for such a large family, records were vital.

Arnulf: “I, Arnulf, Imperial of Krimml, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of Sirion against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the Princeps of Krimml and the orders of the officers appointed over me.”

The next in line was a man in a white and silver robe and a white scarf tied by a black aghal imitating a snake. He approached and prostrated himself in the typical reverence of his people, the first words coming out of his lips in a strange tongue, words sung like a nightingale's.

Abd Al-Karim: “I’m Abd Al-Karim from the Asenian Iron Wolves. Call the people towards the Alfather. Persuade and guide them. Your position will be raised day by day and it will continue ‘till eternity because this is the eternal order of the Lord. I’m ready to obey all your orders.”

Abd barely had time to step back politely and a tall and robust man passed by him bumping shoulders. As a captain, he wore full armor - except for the helmet. His gaze showed contempt for his distant relative. There was hatred and disagreement even within the family and this was understandable and justifiable. Ehrendill rose from the throne and the warrior knelt down.

Ehrendill Eyolf: “Step forward, Captain Wealdmær, son of the Impetuous Swords of Elune's Wrath, and swear by the gods of Sirion, the names of your ancestors, and your own honor an unbreakable oath that you will follow your commander wherever he may lead you. You will obey orders enthusiastically and without question. You relinquish the protection of the Sirionite civil law and accept the power of your commander to put you to death without trial for disobedience or desertion. You promise to serve under the standards  for your allotted time of duty and not to leave before your commander discharges you. You will serve Sirion faithfully, even at the cost of your life, and will respect the law with regards to civilians and your comrades in camp. Congratulations. You are now a Captain of Sirion!"

Wealdmær: "I swear that I will not leave my comrades for fear or for flight, and will not quit the ranks save to fetch or pick up a weapon, to strike an enemy, or to save a comrade!"

That parade of oaths and sacraments was as diverse as the physical traits of those who offered them. Erik had been very eclectic in his choices and not all of them descended directly from him; the Impetuous Swords descended directly from Captain Karl, but like many bloodlines, lineages, clans and minor branches, they were adopted and incorporated under the Serpentis name, all of them with the same right to claim heritage. Now they relinquished this power and offered their loyalty to a Serpentis of pure blood, incestuously pure blood. In a new contrast, Wealdmær was replaced by a beautiful oriental woman in a black and red kimono.

Hoshiko: “I’m Hoshiko from the Lion’s Den, the Raionzu states in Trinbar. Our oath is your, young prince. Whether advancing or retreating, we shall not flee. We will follow our master’s orders and endure every hardship until our return. If our master engages in battle we shall never leave his side or escape. We will not break the above promises. If my oath be broken I shall receive punishment from the thirty gods. This includes all equivalent gods and attendant gods. If my oath be broken I shall not enter the afterlife.”

Ehrendill Eyolf: “General Ryu is with us, we’ll never fail…”

The young elf was ready to sit down again and the people were all returning to their places when the last emissary approached timidly. Eifion was more foreign than all of them and in different ways. He was he representing the forgotten monks of Akesh Temple, the children lost in distant lands, the adventurers and those who everyone coarsely called "Erikrims", a mockery with the people who worshiped Atanamir. He knelt, his eyes always fixed on the ground. Like Hrafn, he had the weight of exile and mockery on his shoulders, but unlike the raven, he never deserved that scorn. His voice failed to issue any kind of oath. So, Ehrendil approached him and laid a benevolent hand on his head.

Ehrendill Eyolf: “The time of humiliations is over. All of Erik's children, Sirionites or not, are our brothers and sisters. They deserve no less or more of our love and compassion. Your name is Eifion, right!? From today you are under my protection. You will be my scribe. Through you the world will receive my word. Everything you need will be given or taught to you. May the world know that we do not abandon our own blood!”

Nesrah, the sage, approached the two and turned to the audience. He had also received his punishment, but had been accepted back home. There was a strange resignation in his in his countenance.

Nesrah: “His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles; his love sincere, his thoughts immaculate; his tears pure messengers sent from his heart; his heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth! May the new age of Sirion begin today at the hands of its true heir!”

The general outcry took and burned the old ruins under the moonlight. At least for those sacred nights they would celebrate the past, the present and the glorious future that was promised to them.