Post by storyteller on Oct 28, 2008 8:17:13 GMT -5
The author chose to remain anonymous to protect his identity.
As the sun fell in the west, the realm of the Jovians glowed like an ember amongst the black of the Iron Mountains. A solitary man admired the site by himself, standing at the foot of the city rising toward the peaks before him wearing the cloths of a simple peasant. The weather was surprisingly cold for this time of year, and he wore extra garments to ward it off. It made him feel at peace to see the strength of his homeland displayed so gloriously in this strange, new land.
As the red glow finally gave way to darkness, the lone figure began walking up the hill through the city. At times he would pass a group of soldiers marching down the street, to which he would stand to the side at attention and salute. The soldiers would return the salute and continue on their way, and the man would smile and continue upward. As he arrived at the Emperor’s Quarter, he had to pass through a gate in an inner wall where he was stopped by a royal guardsman.
“None may enter this Quarter after dark, citizen, return to your home,” the guard spoke.
The man walked into the light and the guard quickly corrected himself. “Captain!” he exclaimed as the other guards quickly stood at attention, “My apologies, Sir, I did not recognize you.” The captain passed through the gate with a smile and a nod, “That’s the idea Sergeant. Carry on.” The guards saluted him as he continued into the Emperor’s Quarter and turned towards the barracks.
The Jovian captain walked through the massive halls of the Emperor’s Barracks as the sounds of rowdy soldiers echoed through them. He turned down several halls until the sound softened and only the occasional outburst could be heard. The hallway he stood in was lined with locked doors and had a much more sterile feel to it. The captain walked up to one of the doors, pulled out a key, and entered the room. He sighed in relief as he closed the door and looked at his quarters.
“Too long,” he whispered as he approached the rear of his quarters where a small bathing pool sat. He pulled a rope nearby as he removed his cloths and a short time later hot water began to pour into the pool from pipes in the side.
The captain enjoyed the warmth as the cold outside had come earlier than he had expected. After a time he quickly washed himself and carefully shaved his head, leaving only his reddish brown goatee which he trimmed in a mirror to make sure it was even and of the appropriate length for a soldier of the Jovians. Once clean, he opened his armoire and took out his officer’s uniform. He dressed himself in the crimson garments and then put on his ceremonial armor, finally looking at the mirror to adjust the finished uniform. Without saying a word he took his sword off the mantle, slid it into his baldric, and left his quarters.
After locking the door, the captain walked back through the barracks into the courtyard.
The night had grown ever colder, and while his heavy winter uniform was comfortable his shaven head was another matter. He jogged from the barracks to the Emperor’s Palace until he entered through the door. The guards standing at attention throughout the halls did not question his presence, and continued standing like statues between the columns of the great palace. Finally, the captain came to the great doors of the Emperor’s Throne Room where he announced his presence to a herald standing before them. The herald entered into the throne room, announced the captain’s presence and waited for a response. A few seconds later the herald turned back to the captain and motioned him forward. Entering the room, the captain was assailed by heat and red light as numerous braziers sat burning coals along the walls of the room.
“Hail my Emperor!” he exclaimed while standing at attention and saluting, waiting for a response.
Dracus Thrawn stood beside his throne at a podium while reading a great tome that sat upon it. The Emperor did not respond for a moment as he finished reading a page within it, when he finally looked up and responded.
“So you have returned at last, my Captain,” the Emperor began, “I had begun to wonder if they had discovered your presence. That perhaps their strange magic had found you at last when you had performed so well against so many before now.” The Emperor stood looking down at him for a moment before ordering, “At ease.”
The captain returned to a restful position as the Emperor began to walk down the stairs before his throne while speaking, “So tell me then, what have you learned these last eight months. Your peers have begun to question my motives for halting their advance, but I insisted that they stand down until I had learned more about our enemies. Tell me, how do you think it best that we act now to protect our people.”
The captain spoke clearly in response, “My Emperor. The people of Mittelmarch are organized into a feudal political structure as we have encountered before, but they seem untrained to me. From what I have learned of their recent history they have had to defend against incursions by more monstrous creatures than they themselves consist of, like the ones our forces have encountered throughout these mountains. However, they have always relied on small numbers of great heroes to save them from their doom. Thankfully, it seems that several of these warriors are missing, including much of their council. The only unified threat I have seen amongst them is with the strange warriors that lie to their North West in a fortress of foreign design who call themselves the Tou Fuu Shogunate. They seem more magical than the others, and their figure head is presently within the fortress, ready to defend as needed. It is my belief that they expect our initial attack to be there, which is why they are so focused on its defense, but in doing so they have left the city itself open to attack.”
The Emperor now stood only a few feet from the captain and contemplated what he had been told before asking the captain, “Given this information, what would your plan of attack be? Is it worth the risk of our forces to take these lands?”
The captain responded, “My Emperor, from what I know we do not have enough resources to support our military here in these mountains. We must take developed land to feed and arm our men, and it would take years to develop such land from the wilderness. Given the present situation in Mittelmarch and their level of development I believe we could take the area with serious casualties, but ultimately in victory. If we endear ourselves to the humans there after we occupy them, then we can greatly increase our hold on the area and protect ourselves from any local forces. With this in mind, I would recommend a two pronged attack. Send your forces across the mountains into their lands and have an experienced army of veterans move south to besiege the fortress of the Tou Fuu Shogunate. They should simply contain the threat there while the real attack goes straight for the heart, attacking the city of Mittelmarch itself. Without their greatest warriors present, it will fall quickly, at which point our army in the south can retreat to our newly conquered lands as the first snows land and we would have all winter to fully consolidate our new holdings.”
The Emperor thought about what he had just been told and turned back toward his throne. After he had ascended to it, he turned back to the Captain smiling, “You never cease to amaze me, Captain. You have a gift for living amongst our foes, and yet you continually return with the means for victory well laid. In the morning, I will meet with my war council to discuss your plan. You are dismissed.”
The captain saluted and turned towards the door before he was interrupted. “Oh, and Captain,” the Emperor spoke, “I believe one of the ‘heroes’ you spoke of was captured by General Shatar, a large one, horribly ugly. Shatar’s Legion is on recon, when they return, we will question the beast.”
“Understood, my Emperor,” the captain responded while saluting before turning back
To Visit an Emperor
As the sun fell in the west, the realm of the Jovians glowed like an ember amongst the black of the Iron Mountains. A solitary man admired the site by himself, standing at the foot of the city rising toward the peaks before him wearing the cloths of a simple peasant. The weather was surprisingly cold for this time of year, and he wore extra garments to ward it off. It made him feel at peace to see the strength of his homeland displayed so gloriously in this strange, new land.
As the red glow finally gave way to darkness, the lone figure began walking up the hill through the city. At times he would pass a group of soldiers marching down the street, to which he would stand to the side at attention and salute. The soldiers would return the salute and continue on their way, and the man would smile and continue upward. As he arrived at the Emperor’s Quarter, he had to pass through a gate in an inner wall where he was stopped by a royal guardsman.
“None may enter this Quarter after dark, citizen, return to your home,” the guard spoke.
The man walked into the light and the guard quickly corrected himself. “Captain!” he exclaimed as the other guards quickly stood at attention, “My apologies, Sir, I did not recognize you.” The captain passed through the gate with a smile and a nod, “That’s the idea Sergeant. Carry on.” The guards saluted him as he continued into the Emperor’s Quarter and turned towards the barracks.
The Jovian captain walked through the massive halls of the Emperor’s Barracks as the sounds of rowdy soldiers echoed through them. He turned down several halls until the sound softened and only the occasional outburst could be heard. The hallway he stood in was lined with locked doors and had a much more sterile feel to it. The captain walked up to one of the doors, pulled out a key, and entered the room. He sighed in relief as he closed the door and looked at his quarters.
“Too long,” he whispered as he approached the rear of his quarters where a small bathing pool sat. He pulled a rope nearby as he removed his cloths and a short time later hot water began to pour into the pool from pipes in the side.
The captain enjoyed the warmth as the cold outside had come earlier than he had expected. After a time he quickly washed himself and carefully shaved his head, leaving only his reddish brown goatee which he trimmed in a mirror to make sure it was even and of the appropriate length for a soldier of the Jovians. Once clean, he opened his armoire and took out his officer’s uniform. He dressed himself in the crimson garments and then put on his ceremonial armor, finally looking at the mirror to adjust the finished uniform. Without saying a word he took his sword off the mantle, slid it into his baldric, and left his quarters.
After locking the door, the captain walked back through the barracks into the courtyard.
The night had grown ever colder, and while his heavy winter uniform was comfortable his shaven head was another matter. He jogged from the barracks to the Emperor’s Palace until he entered through the door. The guards standing at attention throughout the halls did not question his presence, and continued standing like statues between the columns of the great palace. Finally, the captain came to the great doors of the Emperor’s Throne Room where he announced his presence to a herald standing before them. The herald entered into the throne room, announced the captain’s presence and waited for a response. A few seconds later the herald turned back to the captain and motioned him forward. Entering the room, the captain was assailed by heat and red light as numerous braziers sat burning coals along the walls of the room.
“Hail my Emperor!” he exclaimed while standing at attention and saluting, waiting for a response.
Dracus Thrawn stood beside his throne at a podium while reading a great tome that sat upon it. The Emperor did not respond for a moment as he finished reading a page within it, when he finally looked up and responded.
“So you have returned at last, my Captain,” the Emperor began, “I had begun to wonder if they had discovered your presence. That perhaps their strange magic had found you at last when you had performed so well against so many before now.” The Emperor stood looking down at him for a moment before ordering, “At ease.”
The captain returned to a restful position as the Emperor began to walk down the stairs before his throne while speaking, “So tell me then, what have you learned these last eight months. Your peers have begun to question my motives for halting their advance, but I insisted that they stand down until I had learned more about our enemies. Tell me, how do you think it best that we act now to protect our people.”
The captain spoke clearly in response, “My Emperor. The people of Mittelmarch are organized into a feudal political structure as we have encountered before, but they seem untrained to me. From what I have learned of their recent history they have had to defend against incursions by more monstrous creatures than they themselves consist of, like the ones our forces have encountered throughout these mountains. However, they have always relied on small numbers of great heroes to save them from their doom. Thankfully, it seems that several of these warriors are missing, including much of their council. The only unified threat I have seen amongst them is with the strange warriors that lie to their North West in a fortress of foreign design who call themselves the Tou Fuu Shogunate. They seem more magical than the others, and their figure head is presently within the fortress, ready to defend as needed. It is my belief that they expect our initial attack to be there, which is why they are so focused on its defense, but in doing so they have left the city itself open to attack.”
The Emperor now stood only a few feet from the captain and contemplated what he had been told before asking the captain, “Given this information, what would your plan of attack be? Is it worth the risk of our forces to take these lands?”
The captain responded, “My Emperor, from what I know we do not have enough resources to support our military here in these mountains. We must take developed land to feed and arm our men, and it would take years to develop such land from the wilderness. Given the present situation in Mittelmarch and their level of development I believe we could take the area with serious casualties, but ultimately in victory. If we endear ourselves to the humans there after we occupy them, then we can greatly increase our hold on the area and protect ourselves from any local forces. With this in mind, I would recommend a two pronged attack. Send your forces across the mountains into their lands and have an experienced army of veterans move south to besiege the fortress of the Tou Fuu Shogunate. They should simply contain the threat there while the real attack goes straight for the heart, attacking the city of Mittelmarch itself. Without their greatest warriors present, it will fall quickly, at which point our army in the south can retreat to our newly conquered lands as the first snows land and we would have all winter to fully consolidate our new holdings.”
The Emperor thought about what he had just been told and turned back toward his throne. After he had ascended to it, he turned back to the Captain smiling, “You never cease to amaze me, Captain. You have a gift for living amongst our foes, and yet you continually return with the means for victory well laid. In the morning, I will meet with my war council to discuss your plan. You are dismissed.”
The captain saluted and turned towards the door before he was interrupted. “Oh, and Captain,” the Emperor spoke, “I believe one of the ‘heroes’ you spoke of was captured by General Shatar, a large one, horribly ugly. Shatar’s Legion is on recon, when they return, we will question the beast.”
“Understood, my Emperor,” the captain responded while saluting before turning back