And Then The Bells Rang (Closed: Stevid)
Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:06 pm
The Marshite Church was wary of most nations it met in terms of how worthy they were of their lofty positions in the global scene. Too many sacrificed themselves at the pillar of ideologies, a series of weak and often times bankrupt beliefs that could corrupt a healthy mind. All of them promised superior governance and better lives yet were often corrupted by those who sought power. Democracies were no better than communist states in this regard, nor were autocracies and monarchies. Of course one could find successful examples of such states. The Church didn't deny the power of the good and decent to turn any system into a success. It believes however that they succeeded in spite of their ideologies, not because of them. And it found the conflict between these ideologies to be at times baffling. Not because it didn't understand that those trapped within their walls believed these conflict to be well-founded, but because a Theocracy could easily understand all the ways in which their conflicts were pointless.
Indeed, while the Theocracy admired its friends and allies and supported their ways and means even if they found the processes and ideologies a tether to their success, it was only another Theocratic state that the Marshite Church could completely understand. A Theocratic state understood that the mortal philosophies inherent in the human condition were obstacles to greater understanding. To seek and be something greater; this was the mission of faith. It was the responsibility of a Theocracy to shepherd their followers through this mission, and reaching their final conclusion. This did not prevent a Theocracy from falling to sins of a lesser nature of course. The temptation of power came in seductive whispers, pulling the good and righteous one by one into the abyss of corruption. There was no nothing as baffling to Marshites as ideology, but there was nothing as tragic as fallen faiths used as cudgels in faux Theocracies.
It was hard to find a Theocracy that held true to its tenents but the Grand Theocratic Empire of the Holy Marsh was not alone in Greater Dienstad in holding their Faith so dearly. The Holy Empire of Stevid was old, its walls strong, its faith burning like a fire in the darkness. The Grand Theocracy did not have any particular issue with the Catholic faith. Indeed, Marshism held no subscription to the concept of punishment for disbelieving in it, nor in believing another faith. As long as one's actions were aligned with what the Holy Marsh desired, then they worked in Her name regardless of who they professed they followed. And Catholicism was a fine faith. Often misused and abused as it seeped into the modern world? Yes, but the faith itself was admirable. And thus a nation who followed such a faith justly was to be considered a friend.
Or at least it should have been. The Grand Theocracy had been embroiled in the Long War for two thousand years. It emerged from it with severely underdeveloped international relations. It joined the Bredubar Covenant with several of its friends as a means of stating its affection and intent to honor and protect several of its closest allies.
This apparently was a faux pas in some quarters. Stevid, for reasons that confused (and confuse) the Grand Theocracy, was one of a number of nations that stood opposed to the Covenant. All nations were imperfect- Stevid had once attacked AHSCA, one of the Grand Theocracy's dearest friends- but the future was theirs to be written. The Grand Theocracy was confused and alarmed, and it only got worse.
The Shift had a series of anomalous effects inside of the Holy Empire, the least of all was the standard feminization. This had created a serious threat of religious conflict between the followers of Marshism in the Holy Empire and the Church of Stevid. It was only when they fought side by side in the campaigns in RSU, and a pleasant meeting during a wedding that the two Theocracies started to put out the feelers for a meeting, a Synod as the Stevidians would come to call it, between the two to rectify some of the lingering issues between them. After some initial discussions, it was decided that the Synod would take place in the Embassy District of Mar'si, the capital of the Theocracy.
********************************************************************
Mar'si, The Grand Theocratic Empire of the Holy Marsh
The plane containing the Mokastanians had been given priority, coming in quick over the capital that stretched seemingly endlessly over the mountains and forests in every direction. Colossal statues hundreds of feet high, maybe a thousand or more in some cases, stretched to eye level with the passengers as the plane descended rapidly towards the largest airport in the nation. The airport itself seemingly stretched on forever, several military airfields attached with helicopters in their dozens and cargo planes in pairs taking off on either side of the plane as it came in for a landing. It came in fast and hard, the sound of the tires screeching nearly deafening before it taxied, coming to a stop not next to the normal passenger terminal but a small, thin terminal to the side.
Normally the Inquisition and Militia would board for security screening, but the Stevidian aircraft had been given clearance. Two Militia members did stand on the side of the doors and as the delegation started to disembark they would escort them to the end of the terminal. It was deathly quiet except for the sound of loudspeakers in the main terminals praying and saying hymns in between local music. This terminal itself had little of that, even as it was decorated with more thoughts for the days and readings from scripture, though they were decidedly less violent than usual. “Love is the Currency of Society; Spend it freely and receive its benefits”. “Integrity is next to Godliness”. “All life is created equal, and all things equal are worthy of life”. “Put Your Faith in Me and Paradise in this Life and the Next!”. Of course this was all under a giant banner declaring, “For the Holy Marsh! Death to the Vile Lard!”. “Cultists Demand Death”. “Cultists are Unlife”. “Sacrifice before dishonor”. "Martyrdom is the Only True End".
At the end of this terminal was a large monorail, the doors open for them. A single figure stood aside the entrance, greeting the delegation as they boarded.
“Thought for the Day: Faith is a bulwark against the darkness. Action: Brighten the Shield, sharpen the Sword. I am Inquisitor Coscis Alaga. Welcome to Grand Theocracy, lasses and gents. Just need to get your security clearance all squared away. Please press your fingers against the screens as indicated here, we'll update it with the Church, and we can be on our way,” the Inquistor offered a small tablet to each member as they boarded. The Inquisitor took to his task, inputting the foreigner's names and confirming their information. Their fingerprints were automatically uploaded to every applicable scanner in the nation. After a few seconds it was done, the tablet being put away. Good. That would give them the access they'd need. Not that in the end it mattered.
The Inquisitor was pleased to see the monuments of change that the Shift constructed being looked past, so one could see the souls of nations. The flesh was always weak and always gave in to the temptations that softness offered. That was why most Inquisitors were so heavily scarred. You showed your devotion not through sheer piety but through terrible sacrifice in the face of true horror. Battle scarring and hobbling was part of the Inquisitor's MO. Having a body that showcased none of that was a little disconcerting, though being able to see a pair of non-mechanical arms for the first time in twenty years was a nice change of pace.
Aside from the delegation and the Inquistor, they were alone in this car of the train. Soon after they finished boarding it started up and from there rapidly picked up speed. Other cars filled up quickly.
Each car of the monorail had two MA-256M light machine guns emplaced pointing out of windows and a total of four boxes, two on either end of the car, contained BCRs. Under and over the seats were grenades and ammunition in easy to remove cases, clipped onto the ends of another. The monorail was three things- a civilian transport, a military transport, and in a pinch, an APC of significant scale. Of course, much of the transportation network could be called such. The city was a fortress with internal lines of communication and redundant lines of transportation.
Roads were on top of buildings- small single or double lane overpasses built going from the ground to many stories high, replacing the roofs of great sections of the city. Roads at the ground level were mammoth and chock full of traffic. Underneath those roads was a vast open highway open to only the military that ran above the subway system and sewers. Military vehicles popped out in their hundreds at various exits in the city. So large was the capital that smaller heliports capable of servicing a hundred or more helicopters at once found homes on top of the roofs of various neighbourhoods. All of this was crisscrossed by overwhelming numbers of pedestrian foot traffic as they went every which way. Just about every building save for churches, businesses, and military facilities were open to the public for foot traffic purposes, pedestrian traffic through apartment complexes was staggering in scope alone. Bunkers, artillery emplacements, hardpoints, and all manner of fortifications were present along every step.
Yet through this maddening scope and intensity of movement, there was a sublime beauty. It operated like a well-oiled machine. Traffic flowed in order and pedestrians obeyed en masse the laws of travel. The roads, moving parts, and scale of defense could not prevent the towering statues and beautiful, block size woks of art from blasting the city with grandeur and color. Wherever possible trees and other features of the nearby jungles could be found jutting into view, sometimes coming through apartments themselves thanks to the dedication of agricultural engineers. The architecture where it was not defensive was of Pushanian make and model, ancient designs five thousand years old and standing tall and strong amidst it all more common than not.
“So, how comes the delegation? I hope everything is going well in your homeland,” the Inquisitor asked awkwardly after a few minutes, not really quite good at making the small talk.
-------
“Last stop: Shrine District. Thought for the day: Holiness internally is only as powerful as displays of faith externally,” the conductor said before the Inquisitor led the foreigners out.
“We walk now. There is only foot traffic through the Shrine District,” The Inquisitor explained as they started walking./ In the far distance the First Cathedral could be seen, the seat of of the Theocracy. Built into the side of a mountain it looked truly ancient and extraordinarily tall. Before then there were hundreds of religious buildings devoted to the various Shrines. Some were the main Churches of the Shrines themselves, holding mass seemingly all the times. Others were museums of relics, one after another, each multi-story, multi-block large facilities.
The most omnipresent item, however, were statues. Some were a mere six inches talls. Others were almost a thousand feet high, but no matter the height, all were highly detailed sculpts of famous heroes. The larger the statue, the more heroic or legendary the deeds. The small ones may be soldiers who earned the Theocracy's highest decoration in battle. The largest were famous generals or saints who had changed the course of the Long War. Artisans could be seen on more than a few of them, constantly touching the statues up. Many had existed for thousands of years and would continue to exist for thousands more, so it behooved them to keep it all in good shape.
“Should only be about another half hour.”
--------
The walk continued for about half an hour, the foot traffic getting heavier and heavier. The Shrines grew larger and more elaborate, until they became pyramid ziggurats that started deep underground and ended hundreds of stories in the sky, with banners the size of office buildings fluttering gently in the harsh winds that started to tear through the district. Booming voices intermingled in the center as dozens of sermons went on at the same time, tens of thousands cloistered into any single Shrine to hear their Shrine's holy words of the day. Rituals went on, which stretched from simple prayers to unrestricted naked dancing- there was almost as much variation within the Marshite faith as there was to be found in all outside religion. The Non-Human Shrine with a twenty story statue of a neko in full platemail holding the head of a Cult President of Ceremonies, around her feet cloistered a thousand smaller statues of similarly clad neko warriors, would be of particular interest to Fontaine.
No matter, they were soon in front of the First Cathedral. It stood taller than all others, no doubt aided by the mountain that was its home. Along the ridges of the mountain it stretched out horizontally, rows of figures standing multiple stories tall pointing to the top of the Cathedral. At the very top, above the cloudy wisps that made home there, was a single figure. This was far more modern. It was a mix of hard-steel construction and an advanced mimetic hologram: You saw what you believed the Holy Marsh to be. Some would see a woman. Others a man. Some a pony. Others a neko. A benevolent God of Science or Fertility- or an armor clad God of War or bloody God of Justice. You could see it looking down on the people as a shepherd to sheep, or you could spy the eyes looking above for a higher power. It was varying as was the Faith, and it was the only such design on earth.
---------
In time, they pushed past the Shrines and the First Cathedral, moving aside the mountain that occupied the central nature of it all. They soon found increasing non-foot traffic, the end of the statues, and finally vehicles. The delegation would be met by a small fleet of town cars and limousines, and were greeted once inside by local foods- mostly light soups and salads in the stabilized vehicles. They would be driven in a less hectic part of the city, the Embassy District. Home to an assortment of embassies and consulates of nation that were friendly to the Theocracy, it also hosted several large structures where those who did not have such contact with the Grand Theocracy could conduct affairs. Today was one such time, and the entire first floor of the Saint Sard'Sasha Complex had been given over to the Synod between the two Churches. The complex was adorned with religious banners and sayings, while hymns in Pushanian played as the delegation arrived. Statues of the Saint that the complex had been named after- a fiery jungle tribeswoman wielding a semi-mythical blade of fire- lined the hallways, and the rooms were named after important stories of the Third Scripture, the Scripture that contained the life and times of Saint Sard'Sasha.
The main meeting room was called, "When the Shadows Depart". Upon entering, the foreign delegation was greeted by seven Marshites who bowed in unison, standing next to their chairs.
"Welcome, brothers and sisters," spoke the one in the middle, whose voice spoke with a calm authority, "I am Sabastian Trudcan, Second-Claw of the Non-Human Shrine. I have been elected by the Arch-Bishop Herself, Honored be her Position, to be the main representative of the Grand Theocracy in these proceedings. I am joined by Stan Reijas, Praetor Secundus of the Warrior Shrine. Also in attendance is Cerisa Alahana, Cardinal of the Female Shrine, leader of the Council, as well as four members of the Inquisition. Please, take a seat. It is an honor to meet you all."
Indeed, while the Theocracy admired its friends and allies and supported their ways and means even if they found the processes and ideologies a tether to their success, it was only another Theocratic state that the Marshite Church could completely understand. A Theocratic state understood that the mortal philosophies inherent in the human condition were obstacles to greater understanding. To seek and be something greater; this was the mission of faith. It was the responsibility of a Theocracy to shepherd their followers through this mission, and reaching their final conclusion. This did not prevent a Theocracy from falling to sins of a lesser nature of course. The temptation of power came in seductive whispers, pulling the good and righteous one by one into the abyss of corruption. There was no nothing as baffling to Marshites as ideology, but there was nothing as tragic as fallen faiths used as cudgels in faux Theocracies.
It was hard to find a Theocracy that held true to its tenents but the Grand Theocratic Empire of the Holy Marsh was not alone in Greater Dienstad in holding their Faith so dearly. The Holy Empire of Stevid was old, its walls strong, its faith burning like a fire in the darkness. The Grand Theocracy did not have any particular issue with the Catholic faith. Indeed, Marshism held no subscription to the concept of punishment for disbelieving in it, nor in believing another faith. As long as one's actions were aligned with what the Holy Marsh desired, then they worked in Her name regardless of who they professed they followed. And Catholicism was a fine faith. Often misused and abused as it seeped into the modern world? Yes, but the faith itself was admirable. And thus a nation who followed such a faith justly was to be considered a friend.
Or at least it should have been. The Grand Theocracy had been embroiled in the Long War for two thousand years. It emerged from it with severely underdeveloped international relations. It joined the Bredubar Covenant with several of its friends as a means of stating its affection and intent to honor and protect several of its closest allies.
This apparently was a faux pas in some quarters. Stevid, for reasons that confused (and confuse) the Grand Theocracy, was one of a number of nations that stood opposed to the Covenant. All nations were imperfect- Stevid had once attacked AHSCA, one of the Grand Theocracy's dearest friends- but the future was theirs to be written. The Grand Theocracy was confused and alarmed, and it only got worse.
The Shift had a series of anomalous effects inside of the Holy Empire, the least of all was the standard feminization. This had created a serious threat of religious conflict between the followers of Marshism in the Holy Empire and the Church of Stevid. It was only when they fought side by side in the campaigns in RSU, and a pleasant meeting during a wedding that the two Theocracies started to put out the feelers for a meeting, a Synod as the Stevidians would come to call it, between the two to rectify some of the lingering issues between them. After some initial discussions, it was decided that the Synod would take place in the Embassy District of Mar'si, the capital of the Theocracy.
********************************************************************
Mar'si, The Grand Theocratic Empire of the Holy Marsh
The plane containing the Mokastanians had been given priority, coming in quick over the capital that stretched seemingly endlessly over the mountains and forests in every direction. Colossal statues hundreds of feet high, maybe a thousand or more in some cases, stretched to eye level with the passengers as the plane descended rapidly towards the largest airport in the nation. The airport itself seemingly stretched on forever, several military airfields attached with helicopters in their dozens and cargo planes in pairs taking off on either side of the plane as it came in for a landing. It came in fast and hard, the sound of the tires screeching nearly deafening before it taxied, coming to a stop not next to the normal passenger terminal but a small, thin terminal to the side.
Normally the Inquisition and Militia would board for security screening, but the Stevidian aircraft had been given clearance. Two Militia members did stand on the side of the doors and as the delegation started to disembark they would escort them to the end of the terminal. It was deathly quiet except for the sound of loudspeakers in the main terminals praying and saying hymns in between local music. This terminal itself had little of that, even as it was decorated with more thoughts for the days and readings from scripture, though they were decidedly less violent than usual. “Love is the Currency of Society; Spend it freely and receive its benefits”. “Integrity is next to Godliness”. “All life is created equal, and all things equal are worthy of life”. “Put Your Faith in Me and Paradise in this Life and the Next!”. Of course this was all under a giant banner declaring, “For the Holy Marsh! Death to the Vile Lard!”. “Cultists Demand Death”. “Cultists are Unlife”. “Sacrifice before dishonor”. "Martyrdom is the Only True End".
At the end of this terminal was a large monorail, the doors open for them. A single figure stood aside the entrance, greeting the delegation as they boarded.
“Thought for the Day: Faith is a bulwark against the darkness. Action: Brighten the Shield, sharpen the Sword. I am Inquisitor Coscis Alaga. Welcome to Grand Theocracy, lasses and gents. Just need to get your security clearance all squared away. Please press your fingers against the screens as indicated here, we'll update it with the Church, and we can be on our way,” the Inquistor offered a small tablet to each member as they boarded. The Inquisitor took to his task, inputting the foreigner's names and confirming their information. Their fingerprints were automatically uploaded to every applicable scanner in the nation. After a few seconds it was done, the tablet being put away. Good. That would give them the access they'd need. Not that in the end it mattered.
The Inquisitor was pleased to see the monuments of change that the Shift constructed being looked past, so one could see the souls of nations. The flesh was always weak and always gave in to the temptations that softness offered. That was why most Inquisitors were so heavily scarred. You showed your devotion not through sheer piety but through terrible sacrifice in the face of true horror. Battle scarring and hobbling was part of the Inquisitor's MO. Having a body that showcased none of that was a little disconcerting, though being able to see a pair of non-mechanical arms for the first time in twenty years was a nice change of pace.
Aside from the delegation and the Inquistor, they were alone in this car of the train. Soon after they finished boarding it started up and from there rapidly picked up speed. Other cars filled up quickly.
Each car of the monorail had two MA-256M light machine guns emplaced pointing out of windows and a total of four boxes, two on either end of the car, contained BCRs. Under and over the seats were grenades and ammunition in easy to remove cases, clipped onto the ends of another. The monorail was three things- a civilian transport, a military transport, and in a pinch, an APC of significant scale. Of course, much of the transportation network could be called such. The city was a fortress with internal lines of communication and redundant lines of transportation.
Roads were on top of buildings- small single or double lane overpasses built going from the ground to many stories high, replacing the roofs of great sections of the city. Roads at the ground level were mammoth and chock full of traffic. Underneath those roads was a vast open highway open to only the military that ran above the subway system and sewers. Military vehicles popped out in their hundreds at various exits in the city. So large was the capital that smaller heliports capable of servicing a hundred or more helicopters at once found homes on top of the roofs of various neighbourhoods. All of this was crisscrossed by overwhelming numbers of pedestrian foot traffic as they went every which way. Just about every building save for churches, businesses, and military facilities were open to the public for foot traffic purposes, pedestrian traffic through apartment complexes was staggering in scope alone. Bunkers, artillery emplacements, hardpoints, and all manner of fortifications were present along every step.
Yet through this maddening scope and intensity of movement, there was a sublime beauty. It operated like a well-oiled machine. Traffic flowed in order and pedestrians obeyed en masse the laws of travel. The roads, moving parts, and scale of defense could not prevent the towering statues and beautiful, block size woks of art from blasting the city with grandeur and color. Wherever possible trees and other features of the nearby jungles could be found jutting into view, sometimes coming through apartments themselves thanks to the dedication of agricultural engineers. The architecture where it was not defensive was of Pushanian make and model, ancient designs five thousand years old and standing tall and strong amidst it all more common than not.
“So, how comes the delegation? I hope everything is going well in your homeland,” the Inquisitor asked awkwardly after a few minutes, not really quite good at making the small talk.
-------
“Last stop: Shrine District. Thought for the day: Holiness internally is only as powerful as displays of faith externally,” the conductor said before the Inquisitor led the foreigners out.
“We walk now. There is only foot traffic through the Shrine District,” The Inquisitor explained as they started walking./ In the far distance the First Cathedral could be seen, the seat of of the Theocracy. Built into the side of a mountain it looked truly ancient and extraordinarily tall. Before then there were hundreds of religious buildings devoted to the various Shrines. Some were the main Churches of the Shrines themselves, holding mass seemingly all the times. Others were museums of relics, one after another, each multi-story, multi-block large facilities.
The most omnipresent item, however, were statues. Some were a mere six inches talls. Others were almost a thousand feet high, but no matter the height, all were highly detailed sculpts of famous heroes. The larger the statue, the more heroic or legendary the deeds. The small ones may be soldiers who earned the Theocracy's highest decoration in battle. The largest were famous generals or saints who had changed the course of the Long War. Artisans could be seen on more than a few of them, constantly touching the statues up. Many had existed for thousands of years and would continue to exist for thousands more, so it behooved them to keep it all in good shape.
“Should only be about another half hour.”
--------
The walk continued for about half an hour, the foot traffic getting heavier and heavier. The Shrines grew larger and more elaborate, until they became pyramid ziggurats that started deep underground and ended hundreds of stories in the sky, with banners the size of office buildings fluttering gently in the harsh winds that started to tear through the district. Booming voices intermingled in the center as dozens of sermons went on at the same time, tens of thousands cloistered into any single Shrine to hear their Shrine's holy words of the day. Rituals went on, which stretched from simple prayers to unrestricted naked dancing- there was almost as much variation within the Marshite faith as there was to be found in all outside religion. The Non-Human Shrine with a twenty story statue of a neko in full platemail holding the head of a Cult President of Ceremonies, around her feet cloistered a thousand smaller statues of similarly clad neko warriors, would be of particular interest to Fontaine.
No matter, they were soon in front of the First Cathedral. It stood taller than all others, no doubt aided by the mountain that was its home. Along the ridges of the mountain it stretched out horizontally, rows of figures standing multiple stories tall pointing to the top of the Cathedral. At the very top, above the cloudy wisps that made home there, was a single figure. This was far more modern. It was a mix of hard-steel construction and an advanced mimetic hologram: You saw what you believed the Holy Marsh to be. Some would see a woman. Others a man. Some a pony. Others a neko. A benevolent God of Science or Fertility- or an armor clad God of War or bloody God of Justice. You could see it looking down on the people as a shepherd to sheep, or you could spy the eyes looking above for a higher power. It was varying as was the Faith, and it was the only such design on earth.
---------
In time, they pushed past the Shrines and the First Cathedral, moving aside the mountain that occupied the central nature of it all. They soon found increasing non-foot traffic, the end of the statues, and finally vehicles. The delegation would be met by a small fleet of town cars and limousines, and were greeted once inside by local foods- mostly light soups and salads in the stabilized vehicles. They would be driven in a less hectic part of the city, the Embassy District. Home to an assortment of embassies and consulates of nation that were friendly to the Theocracy, it also hosted several large structures where those who did not have such contact with the Grand Theocracy could conduct affairs. Today was one such time, and the entire first floor of the Saint Sard'Sasha Complex had been given over to the Synod between the two Churches. The complex was adorned with religious banners and sayings, while hymns in Pushanian played as the delegation arrived. Statues of the Saint that the complex had been named after- a fiery jungle tribeswoman wielding a semi-mythical blade of fire- lined the hallways, and the rooms were named after important stories of the Third Scripture, the Scripture that contained the life and times of Saint Sard'Sasha.
The main meeting room was called, "When the Shadows Depart". Upon entering, the foreign delegation was greeted by seven Marshites who bowed in unison, standing next to their chairs.
"Welcome, brothers and sisters," spoke the one in the middle, whose voice spoke with a calm authority, "I am Sabastian Trudcan, Second-Claw of the Non-Human Shrine. I have been elected by the Arch-Bishop Herself, Honored be her Position, to be the main representative of the Grand Theocracy in these proceedings. I am joined by Stan Reijas, Praetor Secundus of the Warrior Shrine. Also in attendance is Cerisa Alahana, Cardinal of the Female Shrine, leader of the Council, as well as four members of the Inquisition. Please, take a seat. It is an honor to meet you all."