Stylings of Apriconia (IC/Closed)

[Apriconia]

OCC:

Good to you,

This is my personal forum to post short entries on the national developments of Apriconia. These posts will mostly be POV, following the goings of various Apriconians as they go about the day. The first post will be postmarked to November 2019, as the last year has seen a series of uphevals in Apirconia, nation trying desperatley to hold onto customs as old as the land itself.

The Capital, Praeon, and the Apricot spotted roads to Castle Cott

[Apriconia]

Tomos couldn't help but toss handfuls of white petals onto the procession's route. The Praeonian trucker had just been thinking that morning of the fakeness that came with this pomp and circumstance. Everyone with an inch of sense in Apriconia knew that the King was no longer the almighty authority of the nation. Sure, this was a change of the head of state, an inevitable shit in Apriconia politics. But these shifts had already happened a few times during his life. What was once more? And what would be another and then another after this?

Yet there he was. His hand through forward and another burst of fluttering petals joined the uncountable storm that was being generated from the tens of thousands that lined the road. Tomos could just make out the procession of cars through the field of heads and waving flags. It approached at a crawl, Skopos Knights on horses flanked the vehicles. Trumpets blared and the constant hum of people's voices filled Tomos' ears.

"The Prince! The Prince" Someone screamed as Tomos' own eyes recognized the likeness of the new Crown Prince Rem Whitetail. He rode a horse whose quality was unquestionable, war-ready, and no doubt from the Royal Stables.

People's calls were suddenly filled with commotion as Tomos looked around to see what was attracting their attention. Someone had jumped the barricade and tried to approach the procession. It was a woman, probably not too much older than Tomos. She had a desperate look on her face and her arms were outstretched with what looked like a white plate. Her clear path towards the prince was quickly blocked by a trio of Skopos knights, their carbines jutted out like bars blocking her way.

"For food prince Rem! For food!" the woman yelled before a Gun barrel was shoved into her, pushing her back towards the line of the crowd.

"It's a ceremonial plate." Tomos heard someone around him say, "she was trying to get the royals to take it in exchange for money. I've seen the same thing happen before to other royal families."

"There's only the one royal family now." Someone else said.

"Nonsense. You know what I mean." replied the voice from before.

As the woman was pushed back through the crowd she disappeared from sight and the event once again took on an air of celebration. Tomos had turned to look at Prince Rem's reaction. He looked as he was, his regal expression remained frozen ahead down the road to Cott Castle. As he passed, another car slowly went by. Tomos couldn't make out anyone but saw a jumble of shadows facing towards him, like people trying to peer out over one another. He continued to toss petals onto the road and he could barely make out the clop of horse hooves.

Tomos left Praeon that afternoon to head back to the coast for work. Although today, along with coronation day In a few weeks, were national holidays, he needed to report to the terminal in the morning and had only found himself in the capital by chance, having finished a shipment the night prior.

[Apriconia]

The sky was but half-lit when Ser Sid reached the ledge of Solt's Gatheringspot. The late evening air was still and silent as they scanned the meeting site. Solt's was a square shape clearing surrounded by natural cliffs. A geographical oddity found in the deeps of the Aprionia Eastern bush. Up until the middle ages, hundreds of Skopos Knights would respond to a gathering by the Warden. Only three others would answer Sid's call tonight. Maybe.

The stone crunched under their soles as they descended down the blended path. A stranger would most likely break a leg descending these walls. Sid had done just that during their mentorship with the former late Warden. Now it was second nature. As they approached the centre of the clearing they looked around again. They knew they'd have to wait a bit longer.

As the moon stretched higher in the sky Sid waited patiently until they heard the expected rustle from the bush. Ser Caesarea came into view above them. The figure peered down at their Warden through the dim moonlight. "You've made it." called up Sid.

"Of course. Had to make a stop in Dodona."

"I know," Sid replied."How are the hamlets responding?"

"Like every time." Cassarea responded, "I can't imagine this will set off a Cull. The Patrol officers speak nothing but of the good King's..." just as the Skopos Knight was about to continue their report, their rifle swung upward across the clearing, "Multiple approaching!" they yelled out. Another large and armored figure had appeared on the opposite ledge.

"Ser Garland, I told you to leave your children at home." Called Ser Sid, looking back over their shoulder.

"They need to know these things." Called a percussive voice. The Knight then descended the cliff in a few long bounds. Three somewhat less armored individuals then followed Ser Garland. "Ser Cassarea," Garland acknowledged, "A warm greeting as always."

"I wasn't expecting four people to show up at once." Ser Cassarea said motioning with their rifle to the three others behind Ser Garland.

"This is no place for them. It was a slaughter today. A family of seven pure cotts killed on their ancestral farm. Their trad crops burned days after the King's coronation. There will be a cull." Spoke Ser Sid.

"We need all the hands we can get then." Came another new voice from a new side of the clearing. The final Knight had arrived, Ser Pepijn. "But honestly, my dear sibling, I don't think we can or should do much at all."

"Ser Pep, this is a grave insult to the Cotts. They may not strike back now. But they will get their revenge in the near future."

"I checked the report at the county office this morning." Said Ser Garland, "SAPED crawled all over that place. I don't think them and the Patrollers are going to allow a cull in the honeymoon of our most progressive King."

"See Sib." Ser Pipjin called Ser SId, like je use to did when they were young, kids training under the former Warden. "This one isn't getting traction. We continue as we're supposed to, as we agreed upon in the S3 (Skopos Success Strategy) and everything will be fine."

"A couple cordial community conversations won't work unless we can provide results." Ser Sid said, taking a few steps towards Pipjin, "We need to do more than just the S3."

"What more would you have us do? We're four knights and a few recruits for fifty thousand people." Said Ser Cassarea

"We must request an LSW (Local Sovereignty Wardship) from the King."

"A LSW?" Ser Garland decried, "There hasn't been one in over a hundred years."

"The Wardship is in extraordinary situation. The neo-riche control the magistrates and they don't really care what happens to the Plucotts so far it's not their workers being murdered."

"The Mother would never approve. Let alone Praeon." Ser Garland shook their head. Sid said nothing in return.

"He's already sent it through OWL (Orbital Word Link)." Said Pipjin with a sly smile.

"Really, Sid?" Said Ser Cassarea in disbelief. "You don't think they distrust us already with how the situation has played out? Now you go off making idealist requests?"

"No one is ready to give-way with the gridlock. This damn will burst." Said Sid, referencing the characteristic hydro damn near Dodona. "Our operation procedures have stood the test of time for a reason."

"Most of our powers have not stood the test of the last hundred years." argued Cassarea, "We are little more than a rural police force."

"Let's say, Sib," began Pipjin, "that you were granted the LSW, then what?"

The air held silent for a few moments before the Warden responded, "We apply the Planter's Method of Revival." Spoke Ser Sid, referencing a Skopos custom that had not been invoked since the third century following the spiritual founder of Apriconia's death.

The group remained silent. Ser Garland spitted into the dirt. Then all the persons in the Solt's Clearing except Ser Sid, turned to leave. Sid yelled to them, asking where they were going, but the Warden received no reply. The Wardship of Dodona was one of the oldest in Apriconia, but Sid feared they would be the last Warden by their merit.

[Apriconia]

Camberly Purcilas worked in a large warehouse building connected to the east section of Castle Cott. The fact the internal Royal Department rand the East Gate's operation made it all more strange that otherwise, the Royal Postal Commission was a forgotten borough of the expansive Castle. Daily, thousands of communications circulated through the vision of Commission Members that administered the needed forwards to the proper ministerial task. Camberly Purcilas was Senior Royal Commission Officer of the Advanced Analytics Office. In other words, she monitored the levels of mail and the statistical output calculating each department's daily efficiency to bring them in line with the targeted goals required by the Royal Postal Commission Reform of 1984. "Ninty-four baseline and do it dyadically!" Camberly would yell out to her department managers as they left the weekly meeting. She meant to be encouraging them of course.

Camberly quite enjoyed her job. There was a thrill working in the old open Wearhouse while an ants nest of bodies worked around in an orderly madness. Everything was handled in the space from a preschool's invitation to the Queen to Skopos field Reports intended for Ser Allison's eyes only. Most days were just another day at her cubicle for Camberly, but sometimes the Spy novels she adored as a teen bled into her working life. It was not uncommon for the King's own Men-at-Arms to be circulating around, responding to some recent threat or on occasions, horrifyingly, a poison attack that snuck through the security checks.

Knowing she was on the frontlines of her nation's Security apparatus gave Camberly a certain motivation for her job and had enabled her to climb the ranks in an unorthodox manner. She had been hired as the Digital Postal Officer in 2004. Essentially she monitored direct messages sent to the Nation's Social Media Accounts. She showed her worth through committee and aided the Central Offices in increasing overall process efficiencies. While working she had come across some peculiar situations that resulted in peculiar conclusions. One time she even paid a great favor to the now King Chester when he was Crown Prince.

Camberley had recently received a promotion to her position of Senior Officer. It had been following a managerial shuffle under the direction of her boss, Mr. Comberos. She had recalled during the conversation in which he informed her of the promotion, that he had suggested her connections would be useful in the future. She had seen the King not too long after his coronation. He had presented special issue native K17 pistols. A new government policy that sought to arm all senior officers in the Crown Corporations and Royal Offices. King Chester had recognized and addressed her personally as he made the rounds with Mr. Comberos.

Believe it or not, one of Camberley's colleagues would get to draw that pistol not weeks after the King's visit. The whole situation had been hush-hush. What Camberley could gather came from what the HR person wasn't telling them during a follow-up retraining of staff in Canter security. From what she could gather, a few clerks in the Church of Stone's section of the warehouse had been caught leaking information to an outside source. The suspects were allowed to come into work while a team of nine individuals from seven law enforcement agencies set up to apprehend them. The team descended on the Chuch of Stone cluster and surrounded the three culprits. A Senior Officer, reportedly from the National Archives, pulled their K17 out and fired four bullets into one of the suspects when she mistook a taser activation as a gunshot. What the culprits had stolen she didn't know but since then there was an increased security presence by National Patrol, the federal constabulary.

She noticed that a fellow Senior Officer, Ser Thearce of the Skopos order tracked the chaotic thrall of the parcel center with a little more jaunt to their step. It was if the Knight was always heading to the place they already needed to be. The two had a friendly work relationship as two in management might. She usually remembered to check with Ser Thearce if those shipments had arrived yet. She had run the Skopos Knight social media accounts for a few years and had even sourced foreign equipment for the Order in the process, all outstanding. It was shocking what you could get on the World Wide Web guaranteed with a 20% deposit. She was pretty sure that the Knight was not involved in the recent security breach but she was confident he took a form of personal responsibility. Although Ser Thearce was the head of the Skopos branch, they were a cleric Knight who had also taken an oath with the Church of Stone. They were considered an "Arrow Knight" under these criteria: simultaneously serving Order, King, and Stone. A matter like this challenged all three of their vows.

A few weeks after the security breach at the center, a massacre near Dodona occurred which caused a busy few days for a majority of people in the Center as the major departments crafted a response both in publicity and policy. Camberley's job was oddly quiet comparatively in those days. Although she would not be heavily involved in the beginning, eventually Mr. Comberos and a Royal Council will decide which departments are to take responsibility and receive correction. This was when Camberley would step in deciding what numbers should be put where on a spreadsheet to show departmental deficiencies. Their findings would be put to a committee of advisors headed by Mr. Camberos and they would determine what course should be pursued.