|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 15, 2021 5:08:49 GMT
After a day of Stately duties the Eminence retreats to his chambers to gain some rest for the next day, after he settles in for a rest without noticing the person in the corner hidden in the shadows. the servants suddenly hear a scream and run back to his room but find the door locked they call the guards to help bash the door down but they will be a few minutes. as they wait they can hear the sound of footsteps and breaking glass as they struggle against the door, Finally the guards arrive and start hacking at the door with their weapons in a fierce attempt to gain access but it is no good their spears bending against the hard wooden door. They resort to trying to break the door of its hinges with a nearby bench as an improvised battering ram and finally manage to break the door of its hinges, as the door slams on the floor leaving an audible thud throughout the palace. Inside they find a dead body though they don't recognise the person who is barely dressed with just a loincloth and a feathered headdress as well as the eminence's sword embedded into its skull certainly having killed him instantly. As they look around for the Eminence they see a shattered window with a rope connecting it to a small airship which is rapidly ascending to get away from the palace. The guards raise the alarm and attempt to get some form of opposition but it is already to late the eminence has been captured...  |
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 15, 2021 5:34:17 GMT
Count Claus Mandelbaum Captain of the guards was in a flurry of activity as reports came in saying that his charge had been kidnapped on his watch this would certainly mean a demotion or even an execution unless he could recover the eminence before something bad happened as well as protect the only child of the eminence incase something tried to kill her. He sent a messenger to the royal airport to get a airship ready for departure as soon as possible while he called every available guard to the palace to assemble for a mission to recover the eminence from the predicament he found himself as a captive of what Claus was sure were the Ilhicaco a race of people known for savage attacks on the border regions of Asderaordian territory as well as human sacrifices...
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 15, 2021 6:09:14 GMT
As the guards were in the armory gathering equipment the heir apparent Princess Monika came up to Claus and asked to be allowed to accompany the guards to retrieve her farther as it would put her closer to the guards meaning better protection after a quick conversation the count agreed and ordered everyone to board the airship and get going. Onboard were The count, the princess, the pilot and 50 guards. They set of after the kidnappers in a westerly direction after the setting sun following the faint silhouette on the horizon...
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 15, 2021 6:32:50 GMT
Tlanextli was the proud leader of the Ilhicaco, as a priest of Huitzilopochtli it was his role to lead the sacrifices that take place on the apex of his temple and he was currently with the next offering to the gods with the leader of this massive empire that had recently sprung up on his boarder and were conquering what he saw as his offerings as flower states where most of his sacrifices came from but with the leader of this empire he hoped to sacrifice him to gain ascend into a immortal champion of Huitzilopochtli and lead his people in a crusade to rid his land from this infection apon it. he looked over his captive who now under his control seemed much less impressive then many of his previous captives which made him somewhat nervous that he wouldn't be the one as the frail aging old man which to him appeared to be at least 90 years old and his back was covered in horrible burns that revealed no skin on his back. It didn't matter though as someone who had the power to rule such an empire must be very knowledgeable. As the Huitzilopochtli finally settled beneath the horizon descending the world back into its daily pattern of dark and light. He knew back home his priests were getting ready to make the further sacrifices that would call the god back into the sky above. He just hoped that Taloc would not hinder his efforts with a storm like the one they had to avoid coming here.
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 15, 2021 14:02:13 GMT
The Count and the princess followed the other airship all night losing them a couple of times but managing to find them each time. As the sun rose the following day they were leaving Asderaordian territory with the ground beneath revealing a sprawling city glittering with golden roofs and glistening stone walls in the morning sun surrounding giant fountains and vast gardens  The airship ahead of them landed in a courtyard with a gilded gold pattern beneath a enormous traveling above the clouds. They saw some figures emerging carrying a body and start the ascent up the temples massive staircase into the clouds. "What the plan count" inquired the princess. "We will take the airship to the apex and stop this vile ritual before it can take place" he replied while motioning for the guards to get ready for combat. As the Airship ascended from the clouds the apex became apparent as a stone structure emerged from the clouds with a small stone rested before it covered with a thick layer of blood no doubt from countless sacrifices to their false gods. The airship descended to the stone platform and the guards spilled out followed by the count and the princess. they quickly assembled on the apex and formed up looking down the stairs towards the bottom for the inevitable arrival of the captors and their ruler. Soon shapes began emerging from the clouds and soon revealed to be the leader of these savages dragging the frail frame of the eminence, surrounded by 50 guards all armed with rifles. The count ordered them to stop their advance and release their captive which just prompted the guards to take aim at each other with the count himself pulling out his pistol and aiming at the head of their leader. The response was to simply point behind the Asderaordians to the guards which had surrounded them from behind and split them of from the airship. The Asderaordians Fired... |
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 16, 2021 4:57:55 GMT
The shots rang out in the crisp morning air with many of the Ilhicaco guards fell as well as the count himself shooting there leader in the chest and throwing down the stairs.
The response was quick with the second group of Ilhicaco firing into the Asderaordians rear blocking of their retreat. They then ran down the steps grabbing the frail frame of the eminence and descending into the clouds with many being killed in the fire from above with the count himself being shot in the left arm as they emerged from the bottom of the clouds with the city below glittering in the rising sun. their ticket out was there before them the captors airship still inflated in the perfect position to escape.
They rushed on board killing some of the guards as they did. The count ordered the ropes cut and to begin the trip up before being shot in the back by one of the guards that managed to get on board who quickly overwhelmed the airship and grabbing the eminence and dragging him back to the ground as the airship finally lifted up. The remaining Ilhicaco guards were quickly dispatched and thrown overboard. The airship didn't go far however as shots from below destroyed the engines and were causing leaks in the airbag resulting in the airship settling back down onto the plaza.
Suddenly the airbag above her head burst and the airship plummeted to the ground as the princess looked around she saw only 1 guard left who was beckoning her to follow him which she tried to do before realising her leg was broken so she resorted to crawling after the guard as the Ilhicaco followed them close behind who soon caught up to the pair and knocked them out.
At the apex of the temple Tlanextli was standing wounded above the tied down body of their leader. After saying a few prayers and raising a glinting obsidian dagger above the being before him he plunged it down into the chest of the mortal before him and ended at 92 year life whilst simultaneously ascending into immortality...
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 16, 2021 7:26:30 GMT
The princess woke up in a cold dark room, in the corner lay the crumpled body of the guard she had seen before she had been knocked out. She shuffled over to him and tried to find a sign of life but her hands just came away covered in blood, his whole back had been shredded by thousands of tiny obsidian shards so many that his back would be a deep purple colour if not for the blood seeping from it. She worried that she might be next.
Tlanextli was now feeling better then ever with the wound in his chest completely gone with no trace left behind. His strength seemed to have increased and he felt ready to launch the final attack on the invaders to the east. The armies soon rallied behind his call and began to move out with special divisions moving ahead to sneak and destroy supply lines.
In her cell the princess could hear movement above but could only wonder what would come of it as she attempted to break out of the cell which to her surprise was easy as the vibrations hade weakened the cement and allowed her to squeeze through to the other side of the wall and begin to escape.
Finding a weapon was no issue as she found herself in what seemed to be an armory and gathered a rifle with some ammunition to help her escape. She stealthily made her way out side and now on the side of the plaza which she found to be presently empty. She made her way up the stairs hoping to make it to the airship she had came here on and make her escape. As she ascended from the clouds a figure moved before her...
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 16, 2021 8:21:35 GMT
The princess run to the top seeing the count there who had managed to make it up the stairs to retrieve the body. He collapsed when he saw the princess clearly exhausted she helped him up and managed to drag the body of her father to the airship. She started the engines and regained the wheel as the count passed on, after embracing him for a moment she went back the the wheel and started the journey home to Predorvia. Princess Theodora was returning home. The campaign went south very quickly with Albermarle division being destroyed in the first 2 days allowing the Ilhicaco to gain control of the entire island and turn their eyes further south to the capital itself.  The Siege of predorvia was looking to be a long affair and the now Queen Theodora set about prepping the city defenses and calling all ships back to the capital to help defend. |
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 16, 2021 14:50:51 GMT
The first line of defence against the Ilhicaco was the Battleship Predorvia as a wall to protect the namesake of the ship. The invasion force mostly consisted of small steamships and wooden row boats no match for the battleship and its guns which started to shred the invasion forces. The Battleship moved into range of the coast and started to bombard the gathered forces well into the night with the searchlights keeping the beach lit up, however they failed to notice the small boat that moved up behind the Predorvia and sent a small party of soldiers aboard who armed with their obsidian blades swiftly took control of the bridge before putting the engines of full ahead and running the battleship full speed into the Predorvia docks and the side of an ammunition ship which after being cut in twain by the Ram exploded with a massive eruption shattering the hulls of every ship in the harbour and flattening >40% of the immediate city and the surrounding walls which was just the moment the Ilhicaco had been waiting for as they launched an all out assault on the shattered walls quickly securing the northern and western sections quickly overrun. Queen Theodora and her closest advisors fled in the remaining airship south to meet up with the final division. As the Sun rose on the next day the sky was filled with smoke as the capital burned with the palace itself blow to pieces as a final finger to the Queen who the Ilhicaco saw as a coward for fleeing. The lands soon fell except for the final stronghold of the south.  |
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 17, 2021 4:20:30 GMT
Valentine Gottschall looked out on the ruined city that was once the capital of his Kingdom, although he tried to avoid it a small tear ran down his cheek.
"This was not the plan" he shot at Tlanextli who replied with
"The old is dead and time for the new, time to take your throne"
"What throne it is completely destroyed" he replied
"Do you want it or not I can always just kill you and take the throne myself" Tlanextli stated
"Very well" replied Valentine stepping of the airship and started to move through the destroyed palace trying desperately to hold back tears as he remembered spending his childhood running through these halls that were now just a pile of shattered stone and charred wood.
The Repair work was seen as to hard for now and the decision was taken to demolish the old city and build a new and improved city in its place. The only issue was who to design the new city. The decision was made to send a message to many nations asking for their top architects to submit new ideas for the city.
Valentine also had another issue to deal with legitimacy, for the people of the old kingdom had rejoiced at the end of that previous dynasty being freed from slavery, he needed a way to get the old nobles on his side this was to be done with a political marriage to the final ruler of the old dynasty Queen Theodora. He sent the message as one of his first acts.
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 30, 2021 1:39:42 GMT
King Valetine looked on the map spread before him. The situation didn't look good The coalition was landing troops throughout the country with more men and ships arriving each day. Also The navy had rebelled and was no longer listening to his commands and had left the city mostly unprotected taking the hull of the nearly finished battleship with them as well as a supply ship filled with the ammunition stores left in the city. He had decided that enough was enough and he new what he had to do before he lost all the bargaining chips left on the table. He sent the following telegram to Queen Theodora.
Her Esteemed Majesty The Queen Theodora
During the past Month I have been leading a false government in your great kingdom and I have now realised the errors of my ways. Therefore I request that you accept my surrender and that of my court. This I hope will end the war and prevent furthur conflict.
My only condition is that my only son will become the heir to the throne.
King Valentine
|
|
|
|
Post by Empire of Rashad on Aug 30, 2021 4:29:04 GMT
The queen returns a telegram stating that she will accept the terms within the treaty and is returning to her capital on board her battleship to prevent any possible betrayal. She also issues a warning to members of the coalition that attacking Duom Asderaordia will result in no compensation for their costs and no favour being offered for their help.
|
|
