1398 (IC/Etharia Only)

[Kanadorika]

1398. Exactly fifty years since the Black Death ravaged the countrysides and cities of Kanadorika alike, the Empire finds itself in crisis. The old emperor Maxim II had perished two years ago with no clear successor to the throne, and the land had been thrown into chaos and violence. The feudal lords and the four kings had done their best to contain the power vacuum left in the Imperial Palace, but without strong central leadership, the Empire would find itself devoured from the inside.

Two momentous figures have claimed the throne. The first, a certain Valur of Halfjord, cites his blood relation to the imperial family. As a cousin of Maxim II, Valur had enjoyed a number of privileges in the imperial court, and wishes to take the throne he believes to be rightfully his.

The second individual is a bit more obscure. Aslak Hartvigsson owns a small estate in the Kingdom of Leirhofn. The lord of a manor situated far from any major cities, Aslak felt distant to the affairs in the imperial capital of Thorlaksvik, and was to rely on the King of Leirhofn to relay his words to the Emperor. Nevertheless, despite his fief's isolation, Aslak controlled a good deal of the nation's gold and silver sources.

These two men have taken their respective claims to the battlefield and thrown the Empire into civil war. Kanadorikan would kill Kanadorikan to determine who would lead them next. The four kingdoms have, for now, remained a neutral party in this conflict, utilizing their resources to ensure the violence their vassals engaged in did not spread to their own thrones.

For the average citizen, from the merchant to the lowly serf, however, hope existed in the form of a prophesy. It was said that the nation would be saved by a young maiden from the interior of Eyjan. Dozens of girls already claimed to be this maiden, all of them rejected.

The future was uncertain, and the conflict would only come to catch the attention of foreign kingdoms and powers. What began as a war of succession would expand into a struggle of greed, power, wealth, and dominance with both Kanadorikans and foreigners taking part.

[Dominatus Leviathan]

It is 1398, and the Empire of Dominatus Leviathan is in a golden age of it's long history. rivers of gold flow into Shaotai, proof of the Emperor's divine mandate. The Emperor has ensured a centralised rule over the nobility of the realm, local rulers, who used to be practical warlords, capable of launching civil wars and coups, are now little more than middlemen and figureheads, as the Imperial buaracracy keeps the people in line, the nobles complacent and the artisans pumping out quality goods. Our time of isolation, cultural and scientific developments have allowed us to advance further and further, philosophers, given state aid, allow us to achieve a high level of contemplation, study of man, as well as more theological options for our Emperor, Cu-xi, or the Huihuang Emperor, 光榮的皇帝 (Or glorious Emperor age, to the native Michise population). The more open minded culture of our elites has given rise to the ᠡᠵᠡᠨ ᠰᠤᠳᠤᠯᠤᠭᠠᠴᠢ Or Lord Explorers, Soldeir nobility who have taken to exploration, requesting permission and grants from the Emperor, for the glory of the nation, and their personal prestige. Ezen (Lord) Sucho Taito, heir to the "Kingdom" of Nuche, within Dominatus Leviathan, would like to take his personal retinue to search out the foreign lands, particularly those controlled in Northurland, currently controlled by the foreigners.

In The Emperor's Throne room

The Emperor sat on the celestial throne, at the kneeling man in front of him, to the average poor, these men may as well have been Gods. Covered in gold, moving gracefully throughout the room, contrasted with the eunuchs, who may as well have been wearing rags.

"Welcome, Ezen. What proposal have you bought for me today?"

"Your majesty, there is a huge island to the south, controlled by a supposed "Empire." It is in turmoil however, and I believe we can use this opportunity to map the location, salvage some resources, and if possible, bring the territory into your most holy realm."

The Emperor sat silent for a few minutes, considering the idea, stroking his beard.

"You may take your personal retinuee, however, if our realm faces war while you are gone, Dominatus Leviathan is more important than your foreign excurisions. You will return to protect your homeland if called."

Taito would raise his head to the Emperor, acknowledgingly
"Of course, your majesty. It is the duty of every noble to defend his people." After he finished, he gave the Emperor a final bow, before rising, and walking out of the room, and would order his servent to alert his flagship, the Most Heavenly Taito, and his transports, to bring his men, compromising of a small (by dominatus standards) force of several hundreds across the sea.


Ezen Sucho Taito, Prince of Nuche.

[Kanadorika]

Alma
Geirsa, Kingdom of Leirhofn, Kanadorika

---

Am I okay?

My head took quite the beating after the fall, but it was the hallucinations that concerned me most. Saint Michael appearing to me, a mere peasant girl? Surely I was imagining the whole ordeal. After all, hitting your head on a riverstone would be enough to faze any poor soul. I stood up, my dress soaked from laying in the waters of the shallow stream after I took a tumble on a mossy stone. I did not seem to be bleeding, though I'd still have mama check on me to make sure I was alright. Brushing myself off the best I could, I continued my walk back to the village.

Geirsa wasn't particularly big. Though the shops were primarily located within the walls of the chateau, my family lived on the outside, tenants of our lord's fields. The gate was intimidating, secured by the bailiff's armed men, though they were friendly to locals.

"Good evening Alma! Nasty bump there on your forehead. You take a fall?"

The man who spoke also happened to be the man who drove my heart into a frenzy with every glance he made towards me. Egil Oktaviusson; a part time soldier in the army of Lord Valentinus. Thankfully he had yet to get caught up in the whole conflict that had been consuming the Empire recently.

"Oh, just a slight trip, nothing big!" I lied, blushing that he noticed the gigantic welt that resided on my forehead.

It will be fun explaining this to mama...

"I see. You stay safe out there, okay? A lady should never attempt to cross the stream by herself," he chuckled, allowing me to pass forward into the perimeter. Upon entering the village proper, one was immediately greeted by the local tavern. Fitting, as the weary traveler likely desired nothing more than a warm drink after his journeys. I had never strayed too far from home, though the wonders of what laid beyond the sleepy manor often caught my imagination. Nevertheless, imagination was the last thing I needed today after what I caught myself dreaming up.

I continued walking until I approached the village blacksmith, who was pounding away on his anvil on what looked like horseshoes. "Good evening Mr. Kalmannsson," I smiled to the man, "have you finished making those nails for Pa yet? He sent me here to fetch them.

Mr. Kalmannsson put aside his forging hammer and reached into a barrel, retrieving several iron nails. "Ah yes, I have them right here miss."

I took them from him, grasping the nails in my left hand. "May God bless you. Say- has business picked up any bit since the war?"

The old blacksmith chuckled. "Why, it's busier than ever here! Sir Valentinus has kept me occupied with a never ending order of horseshoes. But I can't complain, it pays the bills in fac-" Kalmannsson frowned, "my dear what happened to your forehead? It looks as if you-"

"Oh nothing" I quickly interrupted, changing the subject to avoid the matter. "I will stop by and drop off those turnips you wanted come tomorrow, but I must head home now before mama worries."

"You stay safe young woman, and stay away from the stream okay? You'd figure the devil himself lives there given the trouble its given you."

"Heh, yeah... I shall see you tomorrow Mr. Kalmannsson. God save you."

"Aye, God save you."

With that, I marched myself right back to the gate to go home, doing my best to avoid looking at others as to not draw attention to my injury.

[Treko]

It is 1398 Anno Domini, and for the most part the Kingdom of Treko remains silent and looks inwards on itself. The actions of King Thuikroc 98 years prior have set a dangerous foreshadowing tone. Yet, King Mstislav, the current ruler, deals with unrest and upheaval throughout the lands. The church and state are constantly at each other's throats on many matters, but the kingdom still holds together. However, across the Glacialis Ocean, the Empire of Kanadorika has already descended into civil war. A pretender opposes the bloodline and seeks to gain control of the throne. Even now, nobles take sides, form pacts, and plot against one another. All trying to jockey for a position in which they will come out on top in the end.

This vulnerability in the empire brings about an opportunity from across the ocean. Lords, low-born, and peasants tired of the unrest and upheaval throughout the Kingdom of Treko set their sites on the empire. Mercenary companies and single individuals make their way across the ocean. It is here in the Empire of Kanadorika that Trekkish mercenaries seek to make a fortune in this conflict. There is no personal stake in the outcome and the Trekkish are willing to fight one another to seek a fortune.

What happens to these Trekkish mercenaries only God will know.

---

Moriz Lipovsky
The Black Company
Kingdom of Leirhofn-Kanadorika

---

For three days our squadron of ships traversed the Glacialis Ocean by way of the Northern islands to reach the coast of Kanadorika. The free company I was apart of, The Black Company, had originally planned to make landfall in the Kingdom of Hvidovia in search of employment. However, speaking with the dockmaster and merchants in the Kingdom of Hameentra had divulged to me that the true money was not in the Kingdom of Hvidovia but rather in the Kingdom of Leirhofn where Lord Aslak Hartvigsson resided. It seemed that Lord Aslak controlled a good deal of the nation's gold and silver mines. Whilst the original plan was to seek employment with Valur of Halfjord I did recognize that if they ran out of money my men and I weren't going to fight on promises and good graces. So it was at the docks of Hameentra that I directed our squadron of ships to dock in the Kingdom of Leirhofn which cut our initial journey down to a day or two. Being that our people are not well versed in seafaring there was a rather joyous cheer from the Black Company when I announced the news. Cutting our journey was also beneficial logistics wise as we would be able to use those supplies on land when we searched for Lord Aslak to seek employment.

Making landfall in the Kingdom of Leirhofn was a rather interesting experience to the say the least. We certainly caused a rather big commotion when our squadron of foreign vessels docked at a port in the Kingdom of Leirhofn. To be fair, I doubt they were expecting us or anyone for that matter with a sizeable squadron of ships. I know the Empire of Kanadorika is known for its seafaring prowess but the looks on their faces gave the impression that they were about to be raided. Thankfully, we managed to dispel such crazy ideas when the dockmaster brought in the head-official of the town. Despite there being a language barrier of sorts we were able to get across that we were searching for Lord Aslak.

I asked where his castle was or in the Kanadorikan tongue, "Kastala Drottins?"

The dockmaster and the head-official of the town looked at each other before turning back to me and spewing forth a torrent of information I couldn't comprehend from their tongue. I merely held up my hands and told them to stop in my tongue before pulling up a map which I opened towards them. They both stared at the map a second or two before realizing that I wanted them to mark on the map where the castle was which they did without hesitation. I merely bowed my head before giving both of them some coin out of my own pocket.

My company and I proceeded to unload supplies, men, and horses off of the ships in the squadron. The process took many hours and I was truly surprised we managed to get on the road. However, I didn't doubt that we wouldn't get that far on the first day but nonetheless I told the men to raise the standards which were a black flag with white trim and single red orthodox cross.

[Kanadorika]

Vilbergur Þorbjarnarson (ᚡᛁᛚᛒᛂᚱᚵᚢᚱ ᛐᚼᚮᚱᛒᛦᛆᚱᚿᛆᚱᛋᚮᚿ)
Merchant
Kingdom of Leirhofn, Kanadorikan Empire

---

What in the name of God?

Not far in front of me advanced a column of a countless number of men. I heard their footfall before I made visual contact as they wound their way along the road through the thick growth of pine trees. They were armored, though what they wore was nothing I had seen before. Most of them wore mail of some sort. A few, presumably the wealthier individuals, wore pieces of plate on top of their mail. Were these... foreigners? The banner they flew sported a cross, thus at the least these were Christian men, though could they have been hostile?

I was faced with a decision; flee into the woods and leave my cart to be looted by this... army... or approach them and perhaps sell the men something and make an easy Krona. I chose the latter.

"Hail fellow!" I called out to the man in the front, jumping off the back of my horse drawn cart to greet who I presumed to be the leader of the group, though whether in fact he was responsible for the other men was more of a guess. "I am Vilbergur of Avala, and I would like to offer you my inventory... for Krona of course. Would you be interested in striking a deal? I can sell you a basic array of arms I have purchased from the great swordsmith in Hapargard."

I doubted I was getting through to him, given the blank expression evident even through his helmet. It was still worth a try though.

[Treko]

Moriz Lipovsky- Мориз Липовскй
The Black Company
Kingdom of Leirhofn-Kanadorika

---

"HALT!" echoed throughout the forested pass and the massive column of infantry came to a grinding halt. I was at the back taking note of the supplies we had when I nearly bumped into the man in front of me yet I managed to sidestep him. As quickly as I could I came running up past the massive column yelling every obscenity I knew in my vernacular. Yet my men stood steadfast and waited for their leader to reach the front of the column which I did in a minute or so.

"Why did you stop the march!?" I yelled, looking directly at the lord and ignoring the man in front of him.

"Lord Lipovsky, this man is blocking the road. I don't know what he wants." replied the lord, his eyes continuing to look forward to avoid my gaze which I turned from him to the man in the middle of the road. The man was rather well dressed yet he wore armor which denoted he had money of sorts and judging from the horse-drawn cart he was a merchant of sorts. I didn't ask the Lord if he could tell me what the man said for I doubted he spoke Kanadorikan at all.

I turned towards the merchant and spoke in broken Kanadorikan, "What want? Why block dirt? Move side now."

[Kanadorika]

Vilbergur Þorbjarnarson (ᚡᛁᛚᛒᛂᚱᚵᚢᚱ ᛐᚼᚮᚱᛒᛦᛆᚱᚿᛆᚱᛋᚮᚿ)
Merchant
Kingdom of Leirhofn, Kanadorikan Empire

---

One of the men approached me, an annoyed expression on his face. Time to sell...

"Most excellent! While you are indeed difficult to understand, I must commend you for your grasp of the Hvidovian language. Blocking the road you say? Why you good sir, I offer you a deal on weapons. Allow me to show you." I walked to my cart and opened up a wooden chest. Inside were various weapons, mainly swords and and a few daggers and maces.

Dagger - ᚡ100


Short Sword - ᚡ500


Hand and a Half Sword - ᚡ700


Two Handed Sword - ᚡ1000


Ornate Hand and a Half Sword - ᚡ1500


Flanged Mace - ᚡ500


War Hammer - ᚡ500


Battle Axe - ᚡ700

At this point I had assumed the men were mercenaries, no doubt drawn the the lure of the war that had been ongoing in the Empire. If I made a business of dealing with them regularly, there was plenty of money to be made. "I assure you these weapons are of the finest quality, and would like to personally welcome you to Kanadorika with the special 'new comers' discount."

[Treko]

Moriz Lipovsky- Мориз Липовскй
The Black Company
Kingdom of Leirhofn-Kanadorika

---

The merchant of sorts began to babble on about how he had weapons and such to offer us. I merely gave an annoyed sigh before looking into the chest that he opened and looked over the weapons he was selling off. It wasn't anything that was truly impressive by my standards whatsoever. It was obvious he was just a two-bit salesman that was trying to make some quick coin off of us. My immediate thought was to smash his head in with my pernach and loot the cart, but I restrained myself. This wasn't the massive unmapped forests of Treko, but from what I gathered this was a well-traveled road.

"Step aside or face get mace," I stated in broken Hvidovian, "We pass. If man want buy he will. Understand?"

I turned back to the lord and the column of infantry behind me then gave a hand signal which got the column moving again. The first hundred merely walked around the cart but the rest began to move the cart out of the way to allow more room. I stood and watched the merchant for a bit but took off to the front of the column when a few men of the Black Company came to browse the merchant's wares.

As I walked backed up to the front of the column I shouted back to the merchant, "Block again...I remove head,"

[Kanadorika]

Úlfar Loftsson (ᚢᛚᚠᛆᚱ ᛚᚮᚠᛐᛋᛋᚮᚿ)
Captain of the Guard - Rodkilde

Crossbowman

---

Our garrison had set up a roadblock along the road to confront the mystery army that seemed to be marching its way through Leirhofn just south of us. There were bound to encounter us anytime now, and while I was not looking for a fight, we dug our heels in enough that if the foreigners attacked, we could at the very least give them a black eye despite being massively outnumbered.

There were only 18 of us. As the Rodkilde city defense garrison, it was our duty to ensure the inhabitants of out municipality were kept safe. With the ongoing war however our numbers were short as men fought in Hvidovia. Our current position was defended by crossbowmen. I, and several others, rode on horseback.

...

At last, the sound of footsteps rumbled in the distance. With each moment, it grew louder, until the first men in the column grew visible. They were armored in mail, though their helmets were not of a style I was familiar with. Only a few wore plate.

"Halt! I am Captain Loftsson here on behalf of His Grace Lord Aslak. You will tell me who you are and your purpose within this fiefdom at once!"

[Treko]

Moriz Lipovsky (Мориз Липовскй)
The Black Company
Kingdom of Leirhofn-Rodkilde

---

I had led my free company deeper and deeper into the foreign territory that was Kanadorika. Thankfully, a force of 5,000 heavily armed men tends to thwart any bandits idea of making some quick coin. That being said, my small force also brought unneeded attention as we marched to our destination. There was no doubt in my mind that the commoners here had already spread the message that a foreign army was in the Kingdom of Leirhofn. It was only time until we ran into some upstart lord ready to die or a Leirhofn army descending down upon us. Of course, that was if any of them could actually come back from the front at this time.

We hadn't seen a city in miles and I was looking forward to camping my men outside of one. The supplies were starting to take a hit but nothing damaging. I just wanted to stay on top of the situation and not have my men string me up and kill me whatsoever. However, From the look of the map, we weren't far off from a city known as "Rodkilde,"

I looked up from the map and I took notice that my infantry column had stopped in its tracks. With slight haste, I made my way up to the front of the column to see the commotion before my men. There before the column of infantry was a roadblock that was manned by only 18 men. Only a few were on horseback which I assumed were the men in charge and the rest seemed to be crossbowmen.

"Halt! I am Captain Loftsson here on behalf of His Grace Lord Aslak. You will tell me who you are and your purpose within this fiefdom at once!"

I gave a slight chuckle as I looked at Captain Loftsson and his 18 men that stood before me. It was rather obvious that these were the "Homeguard," that were left behind to defend the city or at least try to defend the city. Yet, despite being stared down by 5,000 men they still stood their ground. They were brave or foolish...

"Brave of you to stop us. Respect that, but we not here for you. Come for Lord Aslak. Seek employment." I shouted back at Captain Loftsson before looking at my men, "How much you bet one of them pissed themselves?"

A roar of laughter erupted from the column as we awaited a response. Either sides staring each other down.

[Kanadorika]

Úlfar Loftsson (ᚢᛚᚠᛆᚱ ᛚᚮᚠᛐᛋᛋᚮᚿ)
Captain of the Guard - Rodkilde

---

The foreign men thought it was the time to crack jokes, as they began laughing at something or another. "You have only answered one part of my question. I again repeat. Who are you? Lord Aslak is currently in the field away from here, and even if he was here, you have no obligation to bang on his door and demand an audience."

I remained firm, holding my position, however meager it was, on the principle that no army would dare attack a Lord's officer in his own land, especially when they were entirely cut off from all aid and supplies. "If you can answer my question, I will refer you to Sir Ingvi; Lord Aslak's knight who is currently managing his Lordship's estate in his absence. He would be the gentleman to talk to for employment on behalf of Aslak."

---

Alma (ᚫᛚᛗᚣ)
Geirsa, Kingdom of Leirhofn, Kanadorika

The Ancient Queen

---

ᚫᛚᛗᚣ ᛋᚡᛆᚱᛆᛐᚼᚢ ᚮᚴᚴᚢᚱ... ᚴᚮᛘᛑᚢ ᛏᛁᛚ ᚼᛦᛆᛚᛔᛆᚱ ᚸᚢᚦ ᛐᚼᛁᚿᚿᛆᚱ... ᚡᛆᚱᛐᚼᚡᛂᛁᛐᛆ ᚼᛂᛁᛘᛋᚡᛂᛚᛑᛁ ᚫᛚᛗᚣ......

"A-are you.... her? Please! tell me!"

The figure stood with with her back towards me. She wore am elaborate yet archaic robe; the type typically seen in the ancient manuscripts. On top of her head sat a crown, illuminated by the soft golden light of a halo. The woman grasped a scepter in her hand, again rather dated in appearance but nevertheless regal.

"My lady, please tell me who you are!" I desperately cried out to her, my voice echoing through the trees of the woods. It was nighttime, and the only illumination came from the pale moonlight above.

The woman slowly began to turn around, her face concealed by a shadow until she was facing me. Her features came to be fully revealed. To say she was gorgeous would be an understatement.

"S-saint Sōfia! It's you! Why do you speak to but a mere girl such as myself?"

She spoke clearly, her eyes stern but warm. "My young child; your world is at war. The Emperor is dead, and the resulting struggle to claim his throne will continue to cost the lives of many. It is your destiny to fight alongside your Lord in battle."

Me fight?! I was utterly confused. What did I possibly know about warfare?

"My lady, forgive me for my ignorance, but I do not understand? I know not of the concepts of war."

Sōfia reached her hand out and placed it on top of mine. "You have been blessed by the grace of God Himself. Mary, Queen of Heaven and the eternal virgin, will guide you through your journeys. You will not be alone dearest child." Her grip loosened until my hand was able to fall free to my side. "I am afraid I must return. Please Alma, consider my words."

And thus, Saint Sōfia, the ancient Hvidovian Queen from five centuries past, faded out of existence, leaving me alone in the eerily quiet woods.

....

My eyes opened, taking several seconds to adjust to the low level of light. Father's snoring was audible from the other side of the room. Warm embers glowed from the hearth, painting the room in a very dim reddish tint. It must have been midnight, as neither my parents nor siblings were awake.

A memory slowly began to creep to my mind.

Saint Sōfia!

I had no doubt that this was not a mere apparition. No, it was an instruction from heaven.

[Treko]

Moriz Lipovsky (Мориз Липовскй)
The Black Company
Kingdom of Leirhofn-Rodkilde

---

"I hope this Lord Aslak feeds his fierce and mighty lap dog," I said as I looked back with a wide grin at my numerous compatriots and chuckled once more. There was another roar of laughter, but a slew of curses and insults were thrown at the Captain of the Guard. With raised hands, I motioned for my men to calm down despite their eagerness to start a fight. This place was rather queer compared to the homeland. Here you have to tell some lapdog of a lord why you are here yet that is not information privy to the lapdog. However, this was not the homeland and lapdogs given armor seem to think highly of themselves here. I stepped forward a bit and shouted back to the Captain of the Guard.

"Moriz is name. We have obligation to bang on door. We kill other lord soldiers. That is obligation and why we bang on door."

It was an easy concept to understand was it not? If we were not raiders would we have not sacked the first port we landed at and the following cities after it? Obviously this man was lowborn for he could not comprehend we were no threat to him at all or his Lords lands. The thought did cross my mind that he might just have pitchfork up his ass.

"I give answer now take to Ser Ingvi," I shouted once more back at the Captain of the Guard.

[Kanadorika]

Úlfar Loftsson (ᚢᛚᚠᛆᚱ ᛚᚮᚠᛐᛋᛋᚮᚿ)
Captain of the Guard - Rodkilde

"Alas, I expected little more from our southern barbarians of neighbours... ᛐᚼᛆᛐᚼ ᚡᛆᛂᚱᛁ ᛋᚤᚿᛑ ᛂᚠ ᛐᚼᚢ ᛘᛁᛋᛋᛐᛁᚱ ᚼᚮᚠᚢᛐᚼᛁᛐᚼ..." I muttered the last swear under my breath, a more local variant of Hvidovian that an outsider would not be able to understand. "But with my demands met, I shall honor my word. Sir Ingvi owns a castle south of Rodkilde, not far from this location. It is closer to here than Rodkilde, and with haste one can reach the town within a day at marching pace. I shall lead your company of men there right now."

I turned back to the men accompanying me, signaling for them to prepare to march, then returned my attention to the fellow in front of me. "I have but one simple request Mo- er... Moriz. The common citizens of this kingdom are to remain unharmed. The last thing I need is for the King to catch word that his subjects are being threatened by a company of foreigners. I would prefer if he did not stick his nose into our affairs. Does this sound reasonable enough?"

[Ezhara]

Gisara Taliesin, Village of Eyjafjoll
"Oh ho ho, lords of the east, lords of the west!" Gisara said to himself as he strummed his lute, passing by a small stream, "How they quarrel, watch it all unfurl, bloodcurling! Hah..." He paused, & his vain gaze looked into the shallow waters. "Vicar's dying breath, saint's living gaze, king's decadent death, prince's scarred haze," he readjusted his hat, continuing to ramble on to himself, "Hah, Gods! Where's my rhythm? I suppose that not every rhyme I craft or every line I muse will be perfect, some heavenly elixir of beauty intended to intoxicate any audience of all sorts into falling under my honeypot. Perhaps I just need a little draught..." He paused to take a sip from his horn of mead & swirled the water in the stream, watching it ripple about. "Of inspiration. Perhaps I will find something if I visit the village over there."

He extracted a small, unassuming stone from his pocket, which he juggled in his hand. "Ah, can I smell it, the whims of fate, dancing in the wind!" he gazed upon the stone, examining the well-worn artifact with a curious eye, mesmerized by something about it. Perhaps his sight fell upon the cryptic scratches adorning it, the minuscule purple stain on one of its facets, or the traces of a regal figure facing what seemed to be some peasant girl. "Ah, h-hold on, are my eyes playing a trick on me?" he began to rotate the stone all around, only to drop it within the stream, eliciting a surprised grunt as he fumbled with the stone in a desperate bid to catch it. However, it came to elude his grasp, fall into the stream, & was washed away by the waters. "Gah! Gods, that is not good, that is not good!" he said to himself as he fell to his knees in a bid to retrieve it.

After a few frantic minutes of splashing around, he returned empty handed — the stone was far too nondescript & blended in perfectly with the grey riverbed. For a few moments, he kneeled by the stream, shocked that he lost such a precious object. Ho, Gods, he thought as he felt its strange aura fade away, one formed by years of treasured protection over it, Those three had warned me to keep it safe, & now? He got up & looked around, plucking a few of the strings on his lute & playing a discordant melody. Ah, but I can't possibly find it in here! he thought, stepping away from the stream, which he knew he would see later in his dreams, Ah, I do hope their prophecy will not come true! Yet why is it that I feel as though... He stood there, oddly enamored by their prophetic words, the specific phrases long forgotten & their peculiar emotions long remembered.

Eventually, he would get moving into the nearby village, at which point he would enter the tavern, humming softly to himself & with his lute in his right hand as he sauntered to the fireplace. Then, he would take a seat near it, watching as the fire burned & churned, crackling & cackling away at the wood within, & his lute would drift towards his left hand, yet he still did not play. Something about this fire... it reminds me of something, he thought, trying to remember some long-gone memory.
All he remembered was fire all around, cackling as it did now, & the grip of fear strangling him. Yet why was it that the cackles of the blaze that scene sounded scared as well, sounded as though in throes of agony, trying to escape from its own prison burning brightly in the new daylight it gave upon the land? The inferno was all at once familiar, yet just as much different.
Gisara blinked, & the faint memory vanished. For a moment, he sat there, silent, until at last he took out his lute & began to sing a solemn dirge of a prodigious dying king who departed with no regrets, letting his serene voice drift through the tavern air. His words whispered into patrons' ears, twisted & turned through the furniture & wind, & every now & then popped with a sudden yet gentle fervor, like that of an epiphany. Just as soon as he sang them out though, they would soon be overwritten by another coiled word, leaving but a faint impression within their minds to be reawakened by the next feast of a phrase.

Perhaps someone might be reminded by his words, & how they might echo their own life. What had they, mere peasants or perhaps soldiers, done so far? To embody the king's dirge would be to embody success, to embody fortune, & to embody legacy. Someone in that tavern would be remembered that day. They would become the king who would pass with no regrets. They would become the king who was beloved by his subjects. They would become the king to be remembered in songs.
They would become the king.

[Metsa Vennad]

Kaua aega tagasi me ventured Põhja otsima ressursse ja uus maa. Enamik see maa on nüüd meie. Me vallutasid maa on oluline, et meie inimesed. Toidu ja eluruum valdkondades pakkuda oluline vajadused.

"Peeter valmis mehed meil on peaaegu uus territooriumil ja peame olema ettevaatlikud, kuna me reisime. "Pea meeles, see on uus valdkond, mis meil ei enne uurida."

"Puhul Jaanus, ma ütlen neil koostada kergelt, nii et saame reisida vaikselt."

"Hea Jällegi See on vaid uurimise missiooni. See ei ole meie eesmärk, et võidelda. Kui leiame probleeme me tagasi laeva ja sealt seal me kogub ülejäänud vägedele."

Kui me maandusime me kontrollida Ümbruskonnas ja valmis minema kaugemal sisemaal. Nägime väikelinna, mis tundus päris hästi kaitstud. Vastust me tagasi meie paat koguda meie väed.

[Dominatus Leviathan]

The MH Unconquerable Spirit, was at sea. the Emperor's flagship, the Unconquerable Spirit, was contributed to his majesty by the House of Taito in 1396, loaned to Ezen Taito for his mission, dwarfs the ships of foreign nations, in size, glory and cargo. Normally reserved for trade, the US was being used for exploration purposes. It carried supplies, trade goods, to appease the local population, and weapons, to defend itself. The sea was fair, and the Ezen sighed. The Imperial maps were up to date, the whether was mild, but boredom filled his mind. Truth be told however, the ambitious Ezen had other plans. The land of Northurland would be added to Taito's realm. It's people primed to resist further incursions on Aristocratic liberties by the Emperor, to embrace civilisation, and perhaps, someday in the far future, a man of the Taito dynasty could usurp the Celestial Throne for them self!

However, the throne of Dominatus Leviathan is protected by far more than the Ever Victorious Army, the loyal bureaucracy was stuffed with eunuchs, who fulfil the Emperor's will, and ensure a healthy transition of power through succession. The imperial jurists, a group of scholars under the employ of the Emperor (or a regency council), enforce a successful continuation of power legally, and through merit. Gone are the days when might makes right, the power of the army, decides the choice of heaven.

A voice called from the stern of the ship, from the ambitious commander of the fleet, Jucun Zun

"My Ezen! My Ezen! Come quickly!" （我主人！ 我主人！ 过来!)

Taito quickly put on his red cloak, signifying Imperial nobility, and walked in a hurried pace towards the commander, in a menacing yet calm manner. "What is it, commander?" Taito asked harshly, irritated that he had been summoned, but at the same time, thankful for the relief from the boredom. Zun quickly kowtowed in reverence of the Lord. "Apologies, my Ezen. But the escort ship Good Tidings has reported that there is an unidentified vessel just north of the fleet's position. It flies no flag, or any heraldry of any house of Kanadorika. It is most likely a pirate, privateer fleet, or some form of aid ship. I humbly suggest, that we disable the ship, seize and assets, and determine if our mission is compromised."

Taito pondered for a moment, he worried, for a moment that it may be an Imperial ship, government or trade. If such a vessel was ransacked, and it was discovered, the Emperor would have all the justification needed to further punish the Taito family. But he also was an enterprising man, and the House of Taito could use the treasures on that ship. The choice was an easy one, soon the Unconquerable Spirit was coming into range, while the smaller escort ships attempted to prevent escape. After a short chase, the ship started to open fire on the escort ship Hammer, doing moderate damage. Quickly the ship was disabled however, after a few hits from the Unconquerable Spirit, the enemy ship was boarded. The people on board were pale, and looked like traders from a backwards Kingdom to the west of Dominatus Leviathan, The Khanate of Seberu. Now that Taito had commited to the attack however, he could not back out, so he walked up to the first crewman he saw, tied up by his men, and asked "Why do you attack us? We are a relief ship bound for Kanadorika!"

---

[Khaw Si Khaw]

Quest Log 1, First of Harvest, 1392
Tonight we head off down this Great River, seeking to rediscover the Great Land of Our Ancestors, the land they now call Kanadorika, apparently the Empire (of Venesia) Collapsed while we were gone. We know where how to reach Venesia by land and by jumping the sea, but unfortunately for us we do not have the privilege of traveling by land this time, for the Trekish Occupy the land so our only chance is by the sea. We have a Younger Son of a trader who has traveled to our most Serene land to gaze and buy our silks. This son, Kakr, has been recruited as our guide for this journey to the west. In return for his services we have gifted him four wives as of our Islamic Tradition and accepted both him and his father in our administration.

We have faced some resistance from the court in our task to find our ancient homeland, they be stating that this will be a fruitless endeavor with nothing in our favor, but his majesty, the Prince, has give his blessing for our quest. For we shall find this homeland of Kakr and meet with their Emperor and present him with our gifts of silks and shiny metals as a show of good faith in a attempt to gain favor. Kakr says that it shall take about Sixteen Months or so to reach the Emperor’s Court. For we set sail as of this night, the ships of Fourteen in number, the civilians are bringing with them a great deal of food and supplies for the journey, for our families shall travel with us for we have all been on Campaigns of out of the Homeland for extended time periods but this great distance and time would have a hit on the morale of the men.

With the Help of the Almighty God we shall be untroubled in our quest. Kakr has informed us that Kanadorika has men of Honor similar to ourselves, men of plate and heavy armor. There has been great speculation on the nature of combat in their strange realm due to this revelation, their land musn’t be to rugged for I would find it quite tiresome to wear such Armor in lands like this, their land must be of smooth ground, of good for them of Horseback and of Heavy Infantry. It is in our interest to make contact with these Men of Plate too, we have been informed about their great prowess and fierce fighting nature, such men of great strength might be useful in another quest in order to find the most Illusive Garden of Eden, for where the Prophet Adam (pbuh) fell from, starting the seed that would create the line of all men, both of the Lord God and of corrupted by the Jinn.

With enough of that speculation of the future we must now discuss the task of heading down the river, the land of which (half) of our Ancestors came from, the land of Zhi, the Great Dynasty of the East, the land of unlimited expanse, with Rice Fields that expand past even our own, for upon miles upon miles they stretch, protected by a endless horde of protectors, ready to give their lives for their Emperor. It is in our best interest to not contact them and simply wash down upon the river, out to the mouth of the Great Blue and Serene Ocean, for we must remained focus on our quest to find this Land, on our Journey to the West our gaze upon the future must not be infringed or distracted by the Beauty of the Zhi, In Sha Allah we shall pass right through without incident of any kind.

We must not need to resupply our wears and supplies by then as we have packed for the entire Year Past Journey, but if we must make contact in order to feed ourselves then we can as we have brought much trade goods with us, although I must say it would be disappointing to not bring these goods upon the Emperor’s Courts. Once out upon the ocean we shall keep close to the coast of this landmass, for if we keep following it up we should be able to find Kanadorika by sea, but before we can even get near to the Venesian Remnant we must head far south, while heading west, coming upon another state of like the Zhi, we do not know much about this one state of many lands and I do not wish to find out as it would only slow us down. For our arms we bring are of our traditional wears, our chain armor, of our long arms, our shorts swords, and of our mounts, adorned in the protectiveness of their hides and armors. For the Order of Azrael shall not fail in its task, we shall find this land and bring good will upon this for we wish the same upon us. We sail at dawn.

Quest Log 7, of After Harvest 1392
For we have made it past the mouth of the river, into the far coast. The trip downwards the thrift was of little incident and I do not believe we were noticed by the Authorities of this land but we certainly did grab the attention of the farming folks, of the laymen, of the fishers. They starred at us with great curiosity in their expression of both the eyes and of the face. The adults did not speak, rather the children would run to catch up with our ships however.

Waving and laughing as the men greeted them back, although this was made in good faith I fear that we may have caused too much attention towards us, I fear that this may lead to a attack by the pirates who are known to be the scourge of the waters, an interception by those of the Dynasty’s Fleet of Warships, or even worse than any of those, of a expedition to figure out of where our serene homeland is. That more than anything else brings my heart great sorrow just by of the thought of it, for our ancestors founded our most Serene Principality to escape from the Courts and the Thumb of the Dynasty, may the All Mighty God make that not of the case, for i pray upon it for it would bring me of the upmost guilt of the heart.

Now we sail south, following the coast, the men are in great spirit so far, I believe that the comfort of their families is certainly of a great reason for that, although the boredom has been slipping its way into the cracks of the wood planks of our ships of the fleet, but all is well still as Kakr’s first wife has fallen pregnant, I pray upon the fair maiden good health of both her and of the baby for it would be most of the sadness to my dear heart if the baby were to not survive this journey to the west. Seeing the men with their wives and children brings comfort to my heart, reminds me of myself when I was of young, of both spirit and of age, of how time has passed over the years, hasn’t even felt like that long since I was inducted into this order.

If I may be honest with all of my heart, from the deepest part of it to the skin of it I most confess that I wish to die upon this quest, for nothing is there for me in the homeland, for many years have passed since my wife left this earth for the afterlife to fly to the bosom of our God, to enjoy a everlasting life with him the Lord God.

Quest Long 365, of when leaves fall 1392
Well, this is hopeless, when it was of the pitch dark of the night, when the moon’s light was of barely illuminating a strong wind of blew hard and nearly caused us to crash into one another, but due to the Grace of our Lord God he has saved us from this disaster, but unfortunately we have been blown severely off course. When it was of midday we saw land, originally we had thought it was of the Kanadorikan land but Kakr’s had reminded of us that we still had months left in this journey, that this land of unknown to him.

All seems lost, at dinner we called a meeting of the Order, to decide what to do, the shore of this land is green and is bearing of many trees, seemingly a unending forest, as if that of the Garden of Eden from the Holy Book of our God, for this we named upon it Green Island. Upon a vote the Order has decided to settle upon this land and make of this our home, we may never see this land of our ancestors or even our homes ever again but at least here we can find solemn peace and settle.

Perhaps this is where I shall die, not as glamorous as a event as if I have accepted but at least I can make a difference upon this land, perhaps a new life for us all, the wives were in fact quite relieved when we had Informed them of the begrudging choice that we have put ourselves upon as they stated nearly unanimously that they were sick of the travels already and that they believe this land is a blessing from the lord into his faithful. With this I shall retire this writings of the quest, for there is no more purpose.

Quest Log 366, of Spring’s Light 1398
The old man has passed and left this up to me, by the Lord this thing is not up to date at all. I guess it is my responsibility to update this for if we ever return to the Homeland. Over the past five years we have created upon ourselves a little community, the rest have gone soft as we farmed and fished this blessing of a land. I myself have set upon a family with one of the handmaidens who had accompanied the wives of the rest, for with her I have a family of five, including myself and her of course, a blessing from my Lord. Anyways, this is not a personal journal but of a log of an expedition, for that reason I shall not busy myself with the writings of the uneccesary details of this life.

For what is of needed to be known is that the Chapter Master of our Order, this log’s former owner, has passed into the after life, before he died he left me in charge of this element of the Order and ask of me with his final breath to continue the search for Kanadorika, to follow his last request I shall do so, Incase we never come back I bring with myself a handful of our order on one ship, no civilians, except for Kakr of course, we still need him. As I write into this the ship is being stocked with the supplies that we need to reach the Venesia, and of course the gifts we had originally intended to bring upon their Emperor. If God is willing then we shall make it, if it for part of his plan for us to perish it shall not trouble me as I have made my farewells to my wife and the children, with the rest of the handful being of volunteers, willing to put their lives on the line to fulfill this quest, God bless their brave hearts. For as soon as we are ready we shall take sail north, with the illuminating moonlight paving our way, the stars as a map, and as God as our witness of bravery.

Quest Log 400, of the Sun’s Gaze 1398
We actually made it, the cities here are more beautiful than any I could have imagined, although the weather is a lot less astounding, well that is a lie, it is astoundingly cold for the summer. I mean our homeland is quite harsh still but by God’s good grace how can anyone live in this environment?! The farming apparatuses must be quite advanced to support such a population upon this frozen land. Anyways, enough on that. We saw upon a city on the shore, with a great harbor, Kakr quite enthusiastically informed me that this was it, this was Kanadorika.

I almost wept in joy as he told me this, and cracking of the voice I announced it to those who had sticked around on what we thought would be our last journey. For Kakr made contact with the port authorities in his own tongue, they relented and let us in. The people here are of snowy skin, their eyes round, and their figures sleek, well except for their women. Forgive my rather blunt phrase but their women’s greats are rather huge, their figures like hour glasses, I haven’t seen such a thing before with my own eyes.

Moving on from that the natives gave us rather quite curious stares, Kakr was able to get the local authorities to give us a session with the Emperor, but not really. For we learned that just two years earlier the Kingdom was set up a crisis of succession, for the old Emperor died with no clear heir. Now the kingdom is split, locked in combat that consumed lives like branches to a flame of the forest.

For the one who met with is Aslak, the one who seems to my limited knowledge to be the most legitimate. For we went into their court, ordained in our armor of which many stared upon, it is also here where I saw the famed plate armor myself, it is still a mystery upon all of us how anyone can fight in such a thing, but a thing hardly mattered when we met with Aslak. I spoke in Venesian and explained of who he is and of who we are, introducing us, I made a politeful genuflection towards this man who is close upon the title of Emperor. We flattered upon him the gifts of silk, silver, and gold. I then furthered introduced us properly as the Lost Venesian Seventh Legion.

To our utmost delight he accepted it, it was then when I declared to make ourselves useful and bring favor to our land of birth and of our land of our ancestors. Through Kakr I explained of our Knightly Order and how we sought to fight alongside his side to end this most disastrous war, for all we need was one thing. That being protection for our community down south, our island, our new home.

For if I were to go and gather the rest of the fighting component of the Order to go fight in his war then our settlement will be defenseless against the men painted red on the skin that we have spotted to the far south of the island but don’t have the courage to make contact with us. After a translation and a the working out of the final details we came to a agreement, no we all shall serve. With God’s help we shall win this war, only then with victory and favor we shall one ship of our own to return to the homeland with news.