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This is Act 4 of the 4 piece End of the Year post. Most of this is written in a somewhat hurry due to the holidays and cramming it all out before the end of the year. I hope everyone will enjoy reading it all, or interacting with it all in roleplay, whether they signed up or not.
Adelheid Ivrae had meanwhile wandered into a little group of Etosian revolutionaries who were just jumping to seize their shot at making the world remember that Etosil still existed. Still weary of Moriarty's death, Adelheid decided to influence these women to seize the Chancellery to prevent the Anahera supporters from compromising important documents. Her supporters were Apolonia Tzavaras, Aikaterine Tzavaras, Theo Reust, Sitrius Ravenburg and a whole militia worth of Etosian church goers. The plan was to assault the Chancellery and seize the Chancellor's private personnel to secure the necessary information for the aftermath of this rebellion. Maybe Adelheid could even secure some means to put an Ivrae on the Chancellor's position if she held control over the building. The Etosians were a means to an end, but the Etosians also used her. For the Tzavaras, this wealthy politician was a means to let the Etosians have a side in this conflict, for them to pick the winning side and profit from the sidelines. When the group arrived at the Chancellery, they found it already ablaze, turning a occupation mission into a salvage mission. Adelheid did the unthinkable and started tearing up her dress to form small laps, handing them out to the the Etosian militia. Her fine thin multi layered silk dress provided the perfect cover for breathing in a burning environment, urging her supporters to race into the Chancellery and save what they could.
Apolonia and Aikaterine organized the support rally, providing jugs of water to wash eyes and clear throats while picking out the relevant papers and handing them to Adelheid. Eventually Sitrius and Theo brought out a whole drawer of Imperial seals, and just like that they controlled the means to have a functional Chancellory. Many of the documents were lost in the upper levels of the building, though by the time enough buckets arrived to try and save the building most of the important materials were already evacuated. Some Anahera soldiers showed up which engaged in combat with Theo and Sitrius, supported by the Etosian militia. The soldiers quickly routed, though they were succeeded by Vultar heretics which had decided to come pick a fight with the Etosian militia. The Tzavaras and Ivrae decided to pick their fights elsewhere and commandeered a wagon with the paperwork, racing to the Imperial Palace for its safekeeping as a column of Imperial Guards arrived to make short work of the Vultar heretics together with Theo and Sitrius.
Ztril and Niantha Merrit had meanwhile left their makeshift clinic on the forgeroad to re-supply in their own apothecary when they stumbled upon Autoria Penen and Lucien Raen who were hiding behind a small wall. When they came closer, the two were informed that an Anahera food cart was being loaded behind them to be driven into the river to prevent the peasants from receiving the food. The food had really been hoarded by the Anahera mercenaries when the rest of the city suffered the famine, so the four of them decided to try and steal the cart. Given that it was guarded heavily, a direct assault would prove tricky since neither of the Merrits were fighters. They opted for a two pronged attack, a distraction and a couple of well placed smoke grenades. With Authoria and Lucien forming the distraction, Niantha and Ztril snuck up from behind and unleashed a flurry of alchemical mixtures and concoctions. First the guards fell to the floor vomiting before passing out finally after a struggle to breathe. When the smoke cleared, the four of them paced closer to inspect the wagon with Lucien lifting the blanket that covered it. "Are you sure this food isn't affected by it?" Autoria asked. Ztril nodded as he gestured for Niantha to attach the reins to the horses which were stationed halfway across the street, thus unaffected by the smoke. When the cart was ready, the four of them mounted it and raced through the streets, tossing out bread and fruit as they went like a merry crew of gift givers. Niantha found a little red hat with a white fluffy end, a traditional Drixagh serf hat worn by the civilized tribesmen. She put it on Ztril's head with a smile as he whipped the reins while Autoria and Lucien kept tossing food out to hungry citizens along the road. Even in these trying times, there were still moments of happiness, companionship and compassion.
It wasn't only the Humans who would play a role in this rebellion however. Aside from the Orcs, most other races kept suspiciously quiet, but Rhathael Gaebalan and Aewyn Daedroghnith were going to change that. Upon instruction of Gaelthar Daessalia, they marched into the Elven district and used a flurry of magical tricks to draw the attention of the crowds. The Elves had hidden away from the chaos in the main city, after all the Elven district was attached by a single thin bridge to the mainland which separated the Elven quarters. The Elves had no love for Andrieu as he was a well known slaver of their kind, but they also did not have the heart to rise up and challenge his rule. They simply favored to keep hidden away and let the situation result in whatever may. This wasn't enough for the three Elves that decided to change their minds. They ought to fight the injustice that was done onto them with all their might and be proud of their heritage and their culture. They certainly had a momentous task ahead of themselves as barely any race was as unmotivated to change their fate as the Elves. Rhathael and Aewyn started with a rousing speech to get the Elves ready for an armed insurrection. Some of the Elves armed themselves, but it all seemed really lacklustre. They lacked something to push them over the edge.
Aewyn and Rhathael instead switched scenes to the Elven temple to try and convince the priests to support their plan. Gaelthar decided to provide his final assistance in the form of a little bit of magic. He used Stone magic to influence the statue of Estel to raised her hands whenever Rhathael spoke of insurrection. The priests instantly dropped to their knees and started chanting. When they were done with their prayers, they agreed to spread the news. With Aewyn at the head of the armed mob and Rhathael at the head of the priests who continued to rouse the fighting spirit of the Elves, the mob rushed across the that narrow bridge that split the Elves from the rest of the city. Like a crashing tsunami, the Elves flooded the poor districts and started crashing down on the Vultar militia's who had otherwise ruled the poor district with none in sight to stop them. Nobody in the common or noble districts cared much for what happened in the poor districts, but the Elves were about to save a whole lot of people from the Vultar abuses. Diviners also reared their heads in an attempt to crush these non believers, bearing torches and oil in attempts to burn these Elves as sacrifices to the Imperial Spirit. The sheer will of the Elves to cast off the bonds of abuse however overcame even the religious zeal of the Diviners and the poor districts were washed clean of religious fanatics. The Elves raised up Regalian banners and sang the Regalian anthem in a divine choir, filling the sky with something else than the sounds of death and chaos.
Ulric and Tristan paused as they walked the south park ridge, a cliffside pathway that overlooked the lower poor districts. The enchanting harmonious singing of the Elves was both beautiful and rousing to the spirit, to hear the Regalian Anthem sung in such brilliance. Tristan put a hand on Ulric's shoulder as he muttered "It's time to attack the Tyrian fortress Ulric". Ulric nodded, straightening his shoulders as he prepared to march along. Astrid Kade just came running by, having tracked Tristan halfway across the city. She resolutely marched up to them and exclaimed "I'm coming with you!". Ulric tried to protest but Tristan agreed to let her join them, after all it was his duty to protect her and he could only protect her by his side, but he did need to achieve the objectives the Emperor had set for him. Ulric and he both knew Andrieu was likely holed up in the Tyrian fortress, an old Imperial Guard base used before the outbreak of the rebellions, though abandoned when the Imperial Guards were recalled. As such, it was filled with Anahera soldiers who had made it their home and base of operations, it was the last castle in Regalia not yet taken back by the citizens and people of the Empire.
Ulric, Astrid and Tristan took the leading positions in the assault on the castle. This assault was also going to be relatively messy as there was no means to break open the front gate and the assault had to take place with makeshift ladders made by the rebels just moments before. The first ladder Tristan tried to climb even collapsed when he came halfway, sending him crashing back down to the floor. When he got back up however, the first soldiers managed to reach to the top of the wall. They were mostly reinforced by leftovers from the Violet Order struggle, soldiers who were originally on Hector's side, but granted a pardon by William if they proved their loyalty in a struggle to assault the Tyrian castle or die trying. Astrid skillfully landed hits on the soldiers on top of the walls to prevent them from hitting the assaulting troops. Ulric stood next to her directing the assault on the walls, his mind heavy with all that had happened in the past weeks, but his heart filled with resolve to prove that the Typhonus Family was far from finished. The gatehouse was eventually captured when Tristan smashed his greatsword into the mechanic holding up the gate, causing it to come crashing down and paving a direct way for the others to assault the castle's interior. Astrid opted to stay outside with Ulric to assist in his leading capacity while Alistair Coen, Thomas Kade and Percy Ravenstad just arrived from the Viridian Castle with more Viridian Knights. From the south walls, William Coen and Christopher Black arrived with more Violet guards while from the river bend Rerik Ulster, Rhathael Gaebalan, Theresa Anahera, The Valors, the Pilerans, Niantha Merrit and many more flooded to the scene. It was as if all the people who had fought in the past hours to restore the Empire had finally come together at this final push to oust Andrieu and liberate the city.
Before the full assault could take place, Bethany Fong and Dr. Fong met up near the harbor and marched their troops into cover. There was still the pending problem of the Anahera battleships which were shooting at the walls with their cannons. Their position had become all the more desperate. Victory for the rebels was pretty much inevitable, and any pro Anahera assets were just trying to cause as much damage as possible for the sake of causing damage. Morei, the Maiar supporting the Fong cause came up with a plan which may have just worked. Fiora Cerdici had gathered by the dockside with Eilyn Eikenfi, Louis Lebeau, X'hatck Embo and Aron Cullas who volunteered to assist with the taking down of the Anahera battleships. The various members of this group each took a pier arm, instructing the Maiar in the water with the right instructions and glyphed stones which were provided by Morei. Each of them skilfully commanded their little Maiar militia to do what was necessary, and when the final order was given by Dr. Fong, the Anahera battleships blew up with a fier blaze, silencing their guns as the wooden ships sunk to the bottom of the Harbor bay. With the lower Harbor district now secure and safe, the Fongs and remaining members of the Harbor assault teams turned to tending to the many wounded. By far, the harbor assault had costed the lives of the most Regalian citizens, even more than the piles of corpses in the Violet Order Plaza. The entire lower district was now liberated, only the Tyrian Castle remained looking out over a city that was once within its grasp.
Thomas Kade, Percy Ravenstad, Alistair Coen were the first inside the Tyrian fortress. The keep itself had many rooms, all filled with Anahera soldiers armed to the teeth. It was a slow wearing down battle for those fighting the Anahera supporters while Ulric Typhonus and William Coen concerted the supply effort from the outside. With Viridian Knight, Imperial Guard and Violet Guard at their sides, the three Knights battled their way through various rooms before they suddenly came face to face with a massive pike shield wall and a set of crossbows. The first fire took out several Imperial Guards and Viridians before the rest could dive for cover. Thomas Kade and Percy Ravenstad accidently tripped down a small staircase leading into a wine cellar below. Alistair Coen stuck his head out while saying as casually as he could while being shot at: "Feeling comfortable down there?": Thomas and Percy nodded, as they both replied in tandem "I think we're done fighting for today, we'll just stay here for a while".
Then all of a sudden the crossbows stopped firing. The soldiers kept their heads down, but Alistair couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Theresa walking slowly with trembling legs towards the Anahera wall. She had her hands spread wide, her jewelry gently making noises as they danced near her ears and collar. Her lower lip trembled as tears welled into her eyes. She was absolutely terrified, but she had to do it. Visions of her son flashed in front of her eyes. Not the terrible monster one, but the one that was taken from her. Then Camila, then Andrea, then Lorea. And then sweet sweet Classia, so loyal and so sweet. She stepped closer as if expecting them all to fire at any moment and end her dream, but they did not. The thought of her grandchildren in her mind gave her strength as she stood before this sea of Anahera soldiers who all had their weapons aimed at her. "And yet they fire not" she thought to herself. Suddenly she felt completely in her element. Her plan was succeeding. This was the birth of a queen. Her chin raised up and her chest pushed forward as she started speaking to the Anahera soldiers in their native tongue with an assertive yet compassionate tone. She spoke of the terrors that had befallen her family, the same terrors Andrieu would inflict upon his soldiers and supporters if they chose to support him to the grave.
The reality of the situation dawned on all of the soldiers, and when she finally switched to common and commanded her troops to lay down their arms and surrender to the true Anahera Matriarch, they all lay down their weapons in large numbers. Camila appeared from behind her with Atilio in tow almost overwhelmed with joy. Theresa and Camila had picked up Atilio earlier as part of Theresa's plan, he was assigned to guard Camila. Theresa instructed Camila and Atilio to take shelter in the office to the side of this room while she directed the now turncoat Anahera troops down the corridor to deal with the Anahera mercenaries who would not so easily be swayed by her emotions. Outside, William, Tristan and Ulric had secured the battle site. Tristan had gotten hungry from all the fighting and grabbed a nearby melon he found on the ground. When he smashed it open, N'omiel flopped out and dropped onto his lap. Ulric stepped closer as he muttered "What in Emperor's name have you given birth to now Imperial Guard". Tristan and N'omiel just looked at each other before both cracked a smile, N'omiel still holding onto that ornate golden necklace with the inlaid rubies and sapphires.
Meanwhile inside, Camila rushed into the office room with Atilio behind her. Atilio locked the door behind them while Camila tried to get away from him. She still didn't trust him. As she turned around, she peered over the room. It was very dark, the only lighting came from the window at the far end of the room with the balcony. And yet there was a shadow in front of one of the curtains. She could see it was a person but it didn't move while the curtains behind it gently danced in the wind from the door opening. She could see the city beyond, the dancing lights. Some buildings were still on fire, but most of the lights were bonfires with people dancing around them. They were already celebrating. But Camila's most trying moment was still to come. The silhouette at the window lit up a match before igniting a Sigg of Tabacca. The light of the Sigg revealed his face, or the half of it that was burned. Camila could never mistake that face, it had haunted her nightmares for the past days. Atilio was equally stunned at Andrieu seemingly being in such an insignificant office tucked away in a side corridor. It made sense to Camila though. She had already convinced herself Andrieu was a big coward and hid there. But he remained very calm. His movements were fluent and his speech demanding of respect and calmness. Andrieu and Camila got into an argument, one of many they had had since the death of her father and her imprisonment. This time though Andrieu did not lose his temper or raise his voice, he simply moved closer as Atilio circled around the two. Andrieu paid no real heed to him until he was about a meter away from Camila. When Camila tried to slap him in the face, Andrieu pulled out a dagger and started swinging it at Camila's face. With a quick swing, Atilio thrust up his blade, cutting off Andrieu's hand in mid flight thus preventing the dagger from hitting Camila. Andrieu let out an agonizing scream as he paced backwards, Camila now full with anger and rage. After letting out a final barrage of heated insults and regrets, Camila charged forward, giving Andrieu a final push, pushing him backwards and over the railing of the balcony. He flipped over backwards and fell headfirst down into the blazing inferno below, the roofs of houses that were set on fire not hours before by Anahera loyalists. As Andrieu's screams died out, Theresa burst into the room and rushed over to Camila. Camila was crying by now, Atilio unable to comfort her. Theresa embraced her tightly as she muttered to both of them: "We have done all we could today. This is our first battle for survival and we have a long way to go". Her sight panned to the doorway as Ulric and Willam approached, ready to take them all into custody for future trials.
It was on this day that the common people of Regalia deposed a tyrant to restore order to the Empire. Noble and common had come together, nobody had a larger or a smaller impact on the outcome as a whole, which made the victory all that much better. But it wasn't certain to anyone involved what this order was going to be. Was the old noble system going to be restored, or were changes necessary? Did Andrieu's radical socialist politicies take hold, or would the Empire descend into ultra nationalist reactionary policies? Would all races be equally rewarded for their part? What would happen to the Anahera's? Nobody knew for certain, but at least for today, it wouldn't matter, not yet at least. Today was a day of celebration as old friend and foe stood side by side, Santorski and Typhonus, Anahera and Fong, Etosian and Unionist, Ithanian and Dressolini, Men and women. The Empire's citizens and even more so the people of Aloria had come together to rid the Empire of this dictator. The hopes were high that order would be restored in the other provinces. Anglia would start sending food again. The rioting in Vultaro would stop. And the world would hopefully see Regalia with some prestige again instead of the unstable Federation it had become. There was yet a long road ahead for the people of Regalia as the battlefields had played out, the realm of politics was poised to take over. The coming months would certainly dictate how the Empire would function for a long time to come, and everyone big and small was jumping to have a say in the matter.
And this draws an end to this massive 13325 word/22 page monstrosity. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This draws a wholesome conclusion to the past months of political intrigue and story progression, and we're looking forward to the new year and all the new cool roleplay plots that will unfold. Such big blow out progressions will be held more in the future, as the recipe is one for success and it only took me 16 hours to write it all.
Adelheid Ivrae had meanwhile wandered into a little group of Etosian revolutionaries who were just jumping to seize their shot at making the world remember that Etosil still existed. Still weary of Moriarty's death, Adelheid decided to influence these women to seize the Chancellery to prevent the Anahera supporters from compromising important documents. Her supporters were Apolonia Tzavaras, Aikaterine Tzavaras, Theo Reust, Sitrius Ravenburg and a whole militia worth of Etosian church goers. The plan was to assault the Chancellery and seize the Chancellor's private personnel to secure the necessary information for the aftermath of this rebellion. Maybe Adelheid could even secure some means to put an Ivrae on the Chancellor's position if she held control over the building. The Etosians were a means to an end, but the Etosians also used her. For the Tzavaras, this wealthy politician was a means to let the Etosians have a side in this conflict, for them to pick the winning side and profit from the sidelines. When the group arrived at the Chancellery, they found it already ablaze, turning a occupation mission into a salvage mission. Adelheid did the unthinkable and started tearing up her dress to form small laps, handing them out to the the Etosian militia. Her fine thin multi layered silk dress provided the perfect cover for breathing in a burning environment, urging her supporters to race into the Chancellery and save what they could.
Apolonia and Aikaterine organized the support rally, providing jugs of water to wash eyes and clear throats while picking out the relevant papers and handing them to Adelheid. Eventually Sitrius and Theo brought out a whole drawer of Imperial seals, and just like that they controlled the means to have a functional Chancellory. Many of the documents were lost in the upper levels of the building, though by the time enough buckets arrived to try and save the building most of the important materials were already evacuated. Some Anahera soldiers showed up which engaged in combat with Theo and Sitrius, supported by the Etosian militia. The soldiers quickly routed, though they were succeeded by Vultar heretics which had decided to come pick a fight with the Etosian militia. The Tzavaras and Ivrae decided to pick their fights elsewhere and commandeered a wagon with the paperwork, racing to the Imperial Palace for its safekeeping as a column of Imperial Guards arrived to make short work of the Vultar heretics together with Theo and Sitrius.
Ztril and Niantha Merrit had meanwhile left their makeshift clinic on the forgeroad to re-supply in their own apothecary when they stumbled upon Autoria Penen and Lucien Raen who were hiding behind a small wall. When they came closer, the two were informed that an Anahera food cart was being loaded behind them to be driven into the river to prevent the peasants from receiving the food. The food had really been hoarded by the Anahera mercenaries when the rest of the city suffered the famine, so the four of them decided to try and steal the cart. Given that it was guarded heavily, a direct assault would prove tricky since neither of the Merrits were fighters. They opted for a two pronged attack, a distraction and a couple of well placed smoke grenades. With Authoria and Lucien forming the distraction, Niantha and Ztril snuck up from behind and unleashed a flurry of alchemical mixtures and concoctions. First the guards fell to the floor vomiting before passing out finally after a struggle to breathe. When the smoke cleared, the four of them paced closer to inspect the wagon with Lucien lifting the blanket that covered it. "Are you sure this food isn't affected by it?" Autoria asked. Ztril nodded as he gestured for Niantha to attach the reins to the horses which were stationed halfway across the street, thus unaffected by the smoke. When the cart was ready, the four of them mounted it and raced through the streets, tossing out bread and fruit as they went like a merry crew of gift givers. Niantha found a little red hat with a white fluffy end, a traditional Drixagh serf hat worn by the civilized tribesmen. She put it on Ztril's head with a smile as he whipped the reins while Autoria and Lucien kept tossing food out to hungry citizens along the road. Even in these trying times, there were still moments of happiness, companionship and compassion.
It wasn't only the Humans who would play a role in this rebellion however. Aside from the Orcs, most other races kept suspiciously quiet, but Rhathael Gaebalan and Aewyn Daedroghnith were going to change that. Upon instruction of Gaelthar Daessalia, they marched into the Elven district and used a flurry of magical tricks to draw the attention of the crowds. The Elves had hidden away from the chaos in the main city, after all the Elven district was attached by a single thin bridge to the mainland which separated the Elven quarters. The Elves had no love for Andrieu as he was a well known slaver of their kind, but they also did not have the heart to rise up and challenge his rule. They simply favored to keep hidden away and let the situation result in whatever may. This wasn't enough for the three Elves that decided to change their minds. They ought to fight the injustice that was done onto them with all their might and be proud of their heritage and their culture. They certainly had a momentous task ahead of themselves as barely any race was as unmotivated to change their fate as the Elves. Rhathael and Aewyn started with a rousing speech to get the Elves ready for an armed insurrection. Some of the Elves armed themselves, but it all seemed really lacklustre. They lacked something to push them over the edge.
Aewyn and Rhathael instead switched scenes to the Elven temple to try and convince the priests to support their plan. Gaelthar decided to provide his final assistance in the form of a little bit of magic. He used Stone magic to influence the statue of Estel to raised her hands whenever Rhathael spoke of insurrection. The priests instantly dropped to their knees and started chanting. When they were done with their prayers, they agreed to spread the news. With Aewyn at the head of the armed mob and Rhathael at the head of the priests who continued to rouse the fighting spirit of the Elves, the mob rushed across the that narrow bridge that split the Elves from the rest of the city. Like a crashing tsunami, the Elves flooded the poor districts and started crashing down on the Vultar militia's who had otherwise ruled the poor district with none in sight to stop them. Nobody in the common or noble districts cared much for what happened in the poor districts, but the Elves were about to save a whole lot of people from the Vultar abuses. Diviners also reared their heads in an attempt to crush these non believers, bearing torches and oil in attempts to burn these Elves as sacrifices to the Imperial Spirit. The sheer will of the Elves to cast off the bonds of abuse however overcame even the religious zeal of the Diviners and the poor districts were washed clean of religious fanatics. The Elves raised up Regalian banners and sang the Regalian anthem in a divine choir, filling the sky with something else than the sounds of death and chaos.
Ulric and Tristan paused as they walked the south park ridge, a cliffside pathway that overlooked the lower poor districts. The enchanting harmonious singing of the Elves was both beautiful and rousing to the spirit, to hear the Regalian Anthem sung in such brilliance. Tristan put a hand on Ulric's shoulder as he muttered "It's time to attack the Tyrian fortress Ulric". Ulric nodded, straightening his shoulders as he prepared to march along. Astrid Kade just came running by, having tracked Tristan halfway across the city. She resolutely marched up to them and exclaimed "I'm coming with you!". Ulric tried to protest but Tristan agreed to let her join them, after all it was his duty to protect her and he could only protect her by his side, but he did need to achieve the objectives the Emperor had set for him. Ulric and he both knew Andrieu was likely holed up in the Tyrian fortress, an old Imperial Guard base used before the outbreak of the rebellions, though abandoned when the Imperial Guards were recalled. As such, it was filled with Anahera soldiers who had made it their home and base of operations, it was the last castle in Regalia not yet taken back by the citizens and people of the Empire.
Ulric, Astrid and Tristan took the leading positions in the assault on the castle. This assault was also going to be relatively messy as there was no means to break open the front gate and the assault had to take place with makeshift ladders made by the rebels just moments before. The first ladder Tristan tried to climb even collapsed when he came halfway, sending him crashing back down to the floor. When he got back up however, the first soldiers managed to reach to the top of the wall. They were mostly reinforced by leftovers from the Violet Order struggle, soldiers who were originally on Hector's side, but granted a pardon by William if they proved their loyalty in a struggle to assault the Tyrian castle or die trying. Astrid skillfully landed hits on the soldiers on top of the walls to prevent them from hitting the assaulting troops. Ulric stood next to her directing the assault on the walls, his mind heavy with all that had happened in the past weeks, but his heart filled with resolve to prove that the Typhonus Family was far from finished. The gatehouse was eventually captured when Tristan smashed his greatsword into the mechanic holding up the gate, causing it to come crashing down and paving a direct way for the others to assault the castle's interior. Astrid opted to stay outside with Ulric to assist in his leading capacity while Alistair Coen, Thomas Kade and Percy Ravenstad just arrived from the Viridian Castle with more Viridian Knights. From the south walls, William Coen and Christopher Black arrived with more Violet guards while from the river bend Rerik Ulster, Rhathael Gaebalan, Theresa Anahera, The Valors, the Pilerans, Niantha Merrit and many more flooded to the scene. It was as if all the people who had fought in the past hours to restore the Empire had finally come together at this final push to oust Andrieu and liberate the city.
Before the full assault could take place, Bethany Fong and Dr. Fong met up near the harbor and marched their troops into cover. There was still the pending problem of the Anahera battleships which were shooting at the walls with their cannons. Their position had become all the more desperate. Victory for the rebels was pretty much inevitable, and any pro Anahera assets were just trying to cause as much damage as possible for the sake of causing damage. Morei, the Maiar supporting the Fong cause came up with a plan which may have just worked. Fiora Cerdici had gathered by the dockside with Eilyn Eikenfi, Louis Lebeau, X'hatck Embo and Aron Cullas who volunteered to assist with the taking down of the Anahera battleships. The various members of this group each took a pier arm, instructing the Maiar in the water with the right instructions and glyphed stones which were provided by Morei. Each of them skilfully commanded their little Maiar militia to do what was necessary, and when the final order was given by Dr. Fong, the Anahera battleships blew up with a fier blaze, silencing their guns as the wooden ships sunk to the bottom of the Harbor bay. With the lower Harbor district now secure and safe, the Fongs and remaining members of the Harbor assault teams turned to tending to the many wounded. By far, the harbor assault had costed the lives of the most Regalian citizens, even more than the piles of corpses in the Violet Order Plaza. The entire lower district was now liberated, only the Tyrian Castle remained looking out over a city that was once within its grasp.
Thomas Kade, Percy Ravenstad, Alistair Coen were the first inside the Tyrian fortress. The keep itself had many rooms, all filled with Anahera soldiers armed to the teeth. It was a slow wearing down battle for those fighting the Anahera supporters while Ulric Typhonus and William Coen concerted the supply effort from the outside. With Viridian Knight, Imperial Guard and Violet Guard at their sides, the three Knights battled their way through various rooms before they suddenly came face to face with a massive pike shield wall and a set of crossbows. The first fire took out several Imperial Guards and Viridians before the rest could dive for cover. Thomas Kade and Percy Ravenstad accidently tripped down a small staircase leading into a wine cellar below. Alistair Coen stuck his head out while saying as casually as he could while being shot at: "Feeling comfortable down there?": Thomas and Percy nodded, as they both replied in tandem "I think we're done fighting for today, we'll just stay here for a while".
Then all of a sudden the crossbows stopped firing. The soldiers kept their heads down, but Alistair couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Theresa walking slowly with trembling legs towards the Anahera wall. She had her hands spread wide, her jewelry gently making noises as they danced near her ears and collar. Her lower lip trembled as tears welled into her eyes. She was absolutely terrified, but she had to do it. Visions of her son flashed in front of her eyes. Not the terrible monster one, but the one that was taken from her. Then Camila, then Andrea, then Lorea. And then sweet sweet Classia, so loyal and so sweet. She stepped closer as if expecting them all to fire at any moment and end her dream, but they did not. The thought of her grandchildren in her mind gave her strength as she stood before this sea of Anahera soldiers who all had their weapons aimed at her. "And yet they fire not" she thought to herself. Suddenly she felt completely in her element. Her plan was succeeding. This was the birth of a queen. Her chin raised up and her chest pushed forward as she started speaking to the Anahera soldiers in their native tongue with an assertive yet compassionate tone. She spoke of the terrors that had befallen her family, the same terrors Andrieu would inflict upon his soldiers and supporters if they chose to support him to the grave.
The reality of the situation dawned on all of the soldiers, and when she finally switched to common and commanded her troops to lay down their arms and surrender to the true Anahera Matriarch, they all lay down their weapons in large numbers. Camila appeared from behind her with Atilio in tow almost overwhelmed with joy. Theresa and Camila had picked up Atilio earlier as part of Theresa's plan, he was assigned to guard Camila. Theresa instructed Camila and Atilio to take shelter in the office to the side of this room while she directed the now turncoat Anahera troops down the corridor to deal with the Anahera mercenaries who would not so easily be swayed by her emotions. Outside, William, Tristan and Ulric had secured the battle site. Tristan had gotten hungry from all the fighting and grabbed a nearby melon he found on the ground. When he smashed it open, N'omiel flopped out and dropped onto his lap. Ulric stepped closer as he muttered "What in Emperor's name have you given birth to now Imperial Guard". Tristan and N'omiel just looked at each other before both cracked a smile, N'omiel still holding onto that ornate golden necklace with the inlaid rubies and sapphires.
Meanwhile inside, Camila rushed into the office room with Atilio behind her. Atilio locked the door behind them while Camila tried to get away from him. She still didn't trust him. As she turned around, she peered over the room. It was very dark, the only lighting came from the window at the far end of the room with the balcony. And yet there was a shadow in front of one of the curtains. She could see it was a person but it didn't move while the curtains behind it gently danced in the wind from the door opening. She could see the city beyond, the dancing lights. Some buildings were still on fire, but most of the lights were bonfires with people dancing around them. They were already celebrating. But Camila's most trying moment was still to come. The silhouette at the window lit up a match before igniting a Sigg of Tabacca. The light of the Sigg revealed his face, or the half of it that was burned. Camila could never mistake that face, it had haunted her nightmares for the past days. Atilio was equally stunned at Andrieu seemingly being in such an insignificant office tucked away in a side corridor. It made sense to Camila though. She had already convinced herself Andrieu was a big coward and hid there. But he remained very calm. His movements were fluent and his speech demanding of respect and calmness. Andrieu and Camila got into an argument, one of many they had had since the death of her father and her imprisonment. This time though Andrieu did not lose his temper or raise his voice, he simply moved closer as Atilio circled around the two. Andrieu paid no real heed to him until he was about a meter away from Camila. When Camila tried to slap him in the face, Andrieu pulled out a dagger and started swinging it at Camila's face. With a quick swing, Atilio thrust up his blade, cutting off Andrieu's hand in mid flight thus preventing the dagger from hitting Camila. Andrieu let out an agonizing scream as he paced backwards, Camila now full with anger and rage. After letting out a final barrage of heated insults and regrets, Camila charged forward, giving Andrieu a final push, pushing him backwards and over the railing of the balcony. He flipped over backwards and fell headfirst down into the blazing inferno below, the roofs of houses that were set on fire not hours before by Anahera loyalists. As Andrieu's screams died out, Theresa burst into the room and rushed over to Camila. Camila was crying by now, Atilio unable to comfort her. Theresa embraced her tightly as she muttered to both of them: "We have done all we could today. This is our first battle for survival and we have a long way to go". Her sight panned to the doorway as Ulric and Willam approached, ready to take them all into custody for future trials.
It was on this day that the common people of Regalia deposed a tyrant to restore order to the Empire. Noble and common had come together, nobody had a larger or a smaller impact on the outcome as a whole, which made the victory all that much better. But it wasn't certain to anyone involved what this order was going to be. Was the old noble system going to be restored, or were changes necessary? Did Andrieu's radical socialist politicies take hold, or would the Empire descend into ultra nationalist reactionary policies? Would all races be equally rewarded for their part? What would happen to the Anahera's? Nobody knew for certain, but at least for today, it wouldn't matter, not yet at least. Today was a day of celebration as old friend and foe stood side by side, Santorski and Typhonus, Anahera and Fong, Etosian and Unionist, Ithanian and Dressolini, Men and women. The Empire's citizens and even more so the people of Aloria had come together to rid the Empire of this dictator. The hopes were high that order would be restored in the other provinces. Anglia would start sending food again. The rioting in Vultaro would stop. And the world would hopefully see Regalia with some prestige again instead of the unstable Federation it had become. There was yet a long road ahead for the people of Regalia as the battlefields had played out, the realm of politics was poised to take over. The coming months would certainly dictate how the Empire would function for a long time to come, and everyone big and small was jumping to have a say in the matter.
And this draws an end to this massive 13325 word/22 page monstrosity. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This draws a wholesome conclusion to the past months of political intrigue and story progression, and we're looking forward to the new year and all the new cool roleplay plots that will unfold. Such big blow out progressions will be held more in the future, as the recipe is one for success and it only took me 16 hours to write it all.
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