Knighthood: Tears of the Gods: Various and Sundry Notes. Alright, the [i]actual[/i] story starts out on a world called Geina, orbiting a star called Salis. Geina is the homeworld of a small interstellar Empire. The Empire in this case has existed for approximately... *checks notes he just found* 3000 years, although there is recorded history and mythology that suggests about 4000 of existence on Geina. [b]Geopolitics[/b]: Although it is called an empire, and has a monarchical head of state, this Empire is actually a relatively loose collection of states of all kinds, on Geina. Most of them also have monarchies of one form or another, buit a good collection of them ar what we could call the "good" kind; democratically elected heads of state, etc. I have not yet defined the number of these kingdoms on Geina, but there are at least forty, and possibly more. Each kingdom elects a representative to the Imperial Parliament, based in the capital city of Londar (guess where I got that name from eh? ;)) on the west-south-west coast of the continent of Miishinatra, which is briefly mentioned in the partial history I posted above. The Imperial Palace also stands in Londar, I've described it in my notes as variously a stone building, neo-gothic or just a plain gothic structure standing about 3 quarters of a mile high and almost as old as the empire itself. The Empress or Queen of the Empire is usually a female, since lines of sucession tend to follow down the female side of the family most of the time. She holds the final power over the entire Empire, which is quite some power to have. In order to check that power there is a council that she must consult with every day to decide matters. This council is made up of Knighted citizens of the Empire - the Knights Councillor, if you will. They aren't elected, and for the most part are a-political. Many of them are also normal people who recieved the Knighthood after performing some significant or meritous act. The Council is then checked once again by the Imperial Parliament, formed of elected representatives from each kingdom of the Empire. Below, or perhaps equal to them are the heads of each Kingdom, who can for the most part form their own policy. After that, each kingdom follows its own political system. The colony worlds of the Empire are largely provincial extensions of the imperial kingdoms. Most are claimed by the major kingdoms of Askreat, Asrtotiim, Norusk and one or two kingdoms on the other major continent of Ascension. Some of the worlds are shared by several different kingdoms, and the older ones are forming their own political and cultural artefacts as time passes. The story moves between Geina and a colony called Aragon, which starts out the plot vying for independence, and on which a large portion of the inhabitants see the Empire as slightly too involved. Unfortunately, Aragon sits at both a crossroad and a frontier in space, being the only connection to what are known as the "western" star systems (sitting as they do to the left of Geina on a galactic map). Aragon is also the only world on the border between the Empire and another entity known only as The Confederacy, although this name is only applied by the Imperials through what limited information they have gathered about the Confeds. In fact next to nothing is known about this mysterious enemy (so called since they tried to invade the Empire through Aragon several, but were repelled), which does have a bearing on the plot later. - (NB) Most of the previous, and most of what follows contains references to the history I have written up... somwhere... but as it's on paper and not in puter, I cna't really show you. It'd take up several days worth of reading anyway, so you're getting the condensed, potted, abridged and heavilly edited version) [b]Travel and Technology[/b]: Now, the idea of Aragon being the only route to other systems might seem a bit far-fetched in normal circumstances, so I had to invent a reason for it being so. This ties back in to the old galaxy spanning empire in the first post and their technological magicking... (oh crud, that's soemthing else I'll have to cover in a moment :nervous: ). You see, in order to facilitate travel between systems, the first empire set in place a complex network of what our Geinans called "burrows", and what we would call wormholes. Most of this network has decayed by the time our current Empire makes it in to space, leaving a circuitous and random trail between systems where there was once a way from each star to each neigbouring star. The first such burrow was discovered by accident when a probe fell in to it and seemed to disappear. 6 years later, an incredibly weak signal from the probe turns up in a patch of sky far removed from where it was supposed to be; the craft was in a star system six light years away and had taken that long to transmit its signal back home. All subsequent exploration was limited to when a new burrow was found. No other form of interstellar travel was developed after this point, and most of the inventive energy was turned toward improving sub-light engines. The Empire at its current state is in many was approximate to what we would predict for the 22nd-24th centuries on our world. They have, for instance, artificial gravity and relatively clean power. But they don't have TV as we would know it, and many people still ride horses [i]out of choice[/i]. Our Imperial citizens tend to distrust anything more complicated than a microwave oven and like to be able to see the parts moving. [i]Religious Beliefs[/i]: This area is one major focus of this story. There are seven gods, and an eight "high" god of creation. Each of the seven gods has a particular trait that I'll list below. Remember I took a lot of this from judeo-christian belief, with some celtic and norse thrown in for good measure, so the names might sound familiar. Each of the seven months on the imperial calander also takes it's name from the gods, so I'll list them in chronological order. Levet, god of Creation Shomal, god of Rebirth and Renewal. Elo, god of Strength and Authority Shadar, god of Wisdom and Maturity Jahol, god of Prosperity and Plenty J'Dasa, god of Fire, Famine and Destruction Gidal, god of Death and War Now, just because they're called gods doesn't particulary mean they're worshiped in teh classical sense. Since, within the story they do actaully exist, and at one time tended to keep a keen interest in human affairs, "they were" to borrow a line from Terry Pratchett, "not so much worshiped as blamed." As such, although there is an almost fanatical devotion to the gods in one sense, most of it is used as an excuse for the rather big parties the temples are famous for. Also, for various reasons, there is only one major religious order in the entire Empire. Levet, out of all the gods, is the only one to get the temples, the ceremony and priestesses (again because of the matriarchal nature implied in the story). The Levet, naturally, hold on to a few rather important Plot Poit secrets that are to be revealed later. If I tell them now, I ruin the story and nobody buys it, so you'll have to wait like everyone else. They're important though. Mostly it concerns knowledge of the last Empire, and knowledge of things that might come again. *pant* Getting there now... Final NB: A fair amount of the history I have written down isn't actually known by the characters within the story, and is used primarily to create thins like mythologies and weird customs and stories. Some of it is revealed as the story progresses, but most may never be known by them, and actaully has little bearing on the plot. It just feels good to know it's there. - [b]More Religious Stuff[/b]: Magic makes a play in this story. It's called magic anyway, but it is in fact described as a "gifting from the gods, for the purposes of spiritual uplift and encouragement." Most commonly it involves temporaray or permanant "creation magic." It takes many years for a priestess to develop her magical skills to a useful point, although there are occasions when younger accolyte priesteses show unusually strong powers. The excercise of magical ability is usually acompanied by a golden aura emenating from the eyes. The more powerful the magic excercised, the more prominent and "droopy" (it tends to trail down the face like tears) this aura is. There is a legend of a high priestess from eaons past who exhibited a permanant aura, so powerful was her gifting. (This legend is based on part of the pre-history, incidentally, and plays a role in tlatter parts of the story.) Most priestesses are fun-loving types, and quite often are happily married or involved in some romantic way. They also like their food a lot, but manage to stay in shape. There are of course some stricter sects within the Levet order, the moust dour and unappealing originating in the kingdom of Askreat. The Levet Order was founded in Asrotiim, in the far eastern end of the Miishinatra continent. Asrotii priestesses are almost infamous for their party spirit and good cooks to boot. All priestesses must wear a ceremonial robe when they're "on duty." The robe starts out life as the basic dress of a newly initiated acolyte, and is gradually embroidered and added to over the years of the priestesses life. Since priestesses often run in families, officiating ceremonial robes are often passed through several generations before they fall apart from use. Some of the most extravagent robes might be hundreds of years old, and consist almost entirely of the embroidery, with little of the original fabric left. Such robes are very delicate and rarely worn. All priestesses started out life as students in the Imperial College of Arts and Science in Londar. The original college was based in Asrotiim, but as the Londar influence spread across the planet the college was moved to the new capital, since most trade converged there and it was easier to get to. [i]back to teh gods again[/i]... The god J'Dasa, being god of Death etc, is often consdiered to be the "evil" god. This, unsurprising, turns out to be true. J'Dasa has his own hidden order of priestesses within the Levet Order, but their actions end to be small and innocuous. J'Dasans hold to the belief that their god is the only god worth mentioning, and that the Levet are heretical. This sect is the main reason for the dour and unappealing Levet sects in existence, those that have been "touched" by J'Dasa. J'Dasan thought and actions play an underlying current in the plot, which I am now going to try and detail, along with the characters in this whole thing... - [b]The People[/b]: Lissari Baveer. Age: 20...ish Lissari is a major in the Aragon Defence Force, an official paramilitary organisation set up to defend Aragon against external threats, most notably from the occasional Confederate incursions in to the system. Lissari in particular is an elite ops unit, a deep forest penetration specialist, who spends the majority of her duty terms wandering deep in the forests of Aragon, searching out insurrectionist elements and those that might cause ill. As such, she tends to believe that the forest is more her home than anywhere else. She can be very emotional and sometimes close to animalistic, at least in the considerations of others. Her social skills leave something to be desired too, but she is an incredibly skilled and effective fighter, both tactically and in single combat. Lissari's skin is very dark and her hair very light, a testament to her Asrotii ancestry along with the majority of Aragons inhabitants. However, the thinner atmosphere of Aragon has caused her and the rest to have skin even darker than that of the Asrotii and most Geinan natives, who are always very pale. Although she is the daughter of a priestess, Lissari is very skeptical about the gods in general, and magic in particular. She believes her mother, Sheeran, is either deluded, or (reluctantly so) part of some big lie. Unfortunately her own beliefs come to clash with the expereinces she has to live through after meeting the reigning Empress, Eshtara Nalis. After rescuing Eshtara from a group of rebels on Aragon, Lissari is given a knighthood and propelled in to the world of politics. As a consequence, she also loses the acceptance of a goodproportion of her countrymen, who see her as tainted by the Imperial influence and as a traitor to their world, especially when the council she sits on votes for an invasion of Aragon a year later. - Eshtara Nalis Age 20...ish (Again) Eshtara is young as Queens go, as most only manage to ascend the throne in their late forties. Her youthful ascensions, whilst remarkable, is marred by its origin; Eshtara's mother, the Empress Cassandra the Eighteenth, died of a long and less than dignified disease. Hear death is made all the more suspicious by its occurance so soon after Cassandra began te first negotiations that would ultimately lead to the independence of Aragon. Eshtara sees this as a personal mission in a way, both to carry on the work of her mother, and to lay to rest the memory of her father who died in a previous war with Kondar colony. The stress of running an Empire has unfortunately aged Eshtara beyond her years. Grey hair streaks her otehrwise crimson head, and the first worry lines are beginning to form on her face. She is, however, an adept and accomplished negotiatior and admistrator, able to bring the Council around to a consensus in remarkable timing. SHe is also almost universally loved by the imperial citizens; less so by the major news nets, who see her as a young upstart. And least so by several of the council, who believe she and her mother before her are throwing away everything the Emprie stands for. About a year after meeting Lissari, Eshtara finds herself presiding over a disastrous occurance; an imperial warship explodes in orbit over Aragon, and elements of the council immediately begin pushing for war. Presented with apparently overwhelming evidence of Aragons complicity on the attack, she reluctantly declares the colony under martial law. Soon after, a full civil war erupts, the second in only 30 years, followed by a coup that sees Eshtara, Lissari and Eshtara's mentor, Mathim Skinner, fleeing for their lives. - Lord General Mathim Skinner Age 56 Mathim Skinner is one of the younger council members, and was a close friend of Eshtara's father until he died; both served in the same unit during the Kondar war. Skinner became a father figure to Eshtara, as well as an emotional support for Cassandra, and remained close to the family and somehow he managed to worm his way on to the Imperial council as well. Eshtara often turns to him for guidance in military matters, and most other matters as well, preferring his simple wisdom to the complicated machinations of some of the other councillors. There is also a latent attraction between Eshtara and Skinner, although neither acts on it. Skinner is a very simple man. This sin't to say he's less intelligent; in fact he is very shrewd, but he treats life as simply as possible in order to save time. Because of this he has made a few outright enemise on the council, particularly in the form of Admiral Jeridas, a man who seems to have a distinct loathing for Aragon in general, and for Lissari in particular. Skinner is often to be found at loggerheads with Jerridas, who ostensibly served as a captain in the navy during the Kondar war. Skinner is totally loyal to Eshtara and always supportive of her. Unfortunately this loyalty sees Skinner making the ultiamte sacrifice during the coup; he fights off Jerridas and his men whilst Eshtara and Lissari make their escape from the palace, and from Geina. - Lord Admiral Ediiram Jeridas Age 58 Jeridas started out life as aboard the HMISS Marchers Drum, a small convoy frigate that served in the inner systems. With certain connections afforded to him through his marriage to lady Riiah Noshal, Jerida quickly rose through the ranks to Captain, at which point he served during the Kondar conflict. However, contrary to the official account, Jerridas served on a secret "house army" naval ship under the control of an Askreati lord who, for reasons unknown, kept his name hidden. Jeridas took part in a secret operation to spark a war with Kondar, in order to bring about the firstmoves in a rather epic plan to take over the Empire. Jeridas soon became a accustomed to his dual role, believeing himself to be working for the greater stability of the empire. In reality he was under the influence of something far older and far more powerful than the Empire itself. This power had quickly decided that Jeridas would be suitable to play the part of Emperor, and manouvered him in such a way as to Make him teh instigator of the coup that saw Eshtara deposed. Jeridas also beleived that he could increase his power through the use of hidden technologies discovered on Aragonn. His opposition to Aragon's independance spawned from a desire to keep the colony close, and gave him opportunity to put the final pieces in to play in his quest for power. - Ko'Jinesse Age: indeterminate Ko'Jinesse was, in ancient times, an agent of the gods themselves, and a powerful ruler who held huge swaths of the galaxy in her control. Her dictatorial behaviojr and her huge abuse of the power she had been gifted lead to her swift confinement to a sub-realm; either the gods considered her too powerful to destroy, or had some use for her later. Those humans involved at the time didn't care as long as she was gone. Aeons passed Ko'Jinesse by. All the time, her rage against the gods and humanity built within until, finally, she was released by a hapless young man who sought power. She gave it to him, but in doing so she used him as a crutch to begin rebuilding her own power. Weakened by her confinement, she was unable to instantly take over the proto-empire she now found herself in. Instead, she hid herself inside "shells," mortal bodies of people she first influenced, and then took control of. Within, she lurked, whist they went about ther lies, but she was always ultimately in control. For several hundred years she lived this way, slowly rebuilding her power, slowly recruiting followers to her cause and spawning the J'Dasan cult. Eventually she found herself tied to Jeridas and found him to be a man with ambitions so close to her own that there was a worth in keeping him around. ALthough unable to take direct control of him - she was already housed within another "shell" - Ko'Jinesse was able to influence Jeridas and use him to bring about the next stages of her inexorable rise to power.