Post by astokohai on Nov 7, 2022 19:49:40 GMT
On the first day of both November and Cheshvan a liturgical feast was held in the grand temple to celebrate All Saint's Day, with the Holy Council of NR afterwards heading up to the Second Chamber of Hewn Stones and have a smaller after-meal, mostly consisting of wine, nuts, honey and various berries as it is more a social gathering then a feast. The chamber was filled with talks of previous saints of the Caudian church, about hopes for the future and many other things. However, Rybakar herself stayed mostly silent, watching over the chamber from her Patriarchal dais and over her glass of plum kvass. Her eyes prowl amongst the members of the clergy for moments but largely she watches the guards and the door, and once the guards change shifts, she nods to them and stands up, tapping her glass with a small table knife to announce a toast.
"I thought it would be nice to recount a few words for the season, and to express my gratitude to you all for your commitment to the state and to your diligent preparations of these festivities, although it is a shame that Zarsegan Miriam Smitdottar couldn't be here." There is a brief round of half-hearted applause, most of the priests clearly being used to such commandments. "However, I have to make some other announcements that I do urge should not leave this room" The priests begin to mutter amongst themselves none noticing the fact that the guards begin to put on gas masks or that they do not appear to be of Caudian or Caudian Naive extraction. "As you all should know, our suzerain in West Thosel-Cransconia has abdicated the throne and his nephew Ludwig will be ascending sometime next year... I have decided that we should use this time to more fully formalise and have writ down the exact nature of our relationship and try work it too our benefit" The air in the common council grows stale, cloying down throats and causing a couple more senior members of the council to cough occasionally. "I'm sure many of you disagree with the idea that we should try gain a greater amount of self-determinism, after all, we came from Tholen all those years ago..."
The air thickens still, many members of the clergy now coughing as the guards move to load their guns and Rybakar's expression goes from corporate cheer to calm and callous, almost sadistic in her words. "Oh? Do you not recognise this? Have you all forgotten where it is we came from?" Rybakar slowly moves forward, amongst the coughing fits of her associates. "The wars they had us in? Smoke so thick it stole every ounce of being from you and left you a mewling wreck in the mud, cloying for even a hint of oxygen?" Rybakar looks over the slowly collapsing crowd around her, although it's clear she's slowly suffering from the gas too, only her will (And fore knowledge this was happening) keeping her so collected "And did they reward us? Pull us up from our pastoral tribes? No, we were exiled, sent away like wild dogs, we might have capsized and drowned... But he saved us, offered us a taste of prosperity and fresh air again. He granted us new life and new purpose" The guards move forward standing aside their Queen as she absent-mindedly kicks over one of the collapsed suffocating priests "But you've all grown fat and complacent... Too much time in this paradise, but I haven't!" She rests her foot atop Þancyer's stomach "We don't all have your vaunted luxuries, I come from a world where there was never assurance as to new frivolities, where it was work or marriage... Þancyer, you taught me a lot but... Faith is not why we lead, they are why we lead" She points out the window, towards the rest of the city "Do you remember?"
Þancyer claws at Rybakar's leg, coughing violently as she breathlessly begs and pleads with her replacement, managing to make out a brief "B-But I saved them from the Sadalen war" Rybakar chuckles slightly, although now even she is beginning to cough "Oh don't worry, I'll make sure you're remembered too, as a hero and saint" She turns to her guards and nods again, as they begin shooting the helpless priests, only stopping when Rybakar takes out her own pistol from the folds of her robes and shoots them both in the back. As she finally collapses to the ground, her will breaking as her plan is complete, dropping the pistol into Þancyer's hand as she falls, the last thing gracing her ears being the sound being the chamber's door being broken in as more guards attempt to enter and rush to her aid as she falls unconscious against the fine polished stone.
"I thought it would be nice to recount a few words for the season, and to express my gratitude to you all for your commitment to the state and to your diligent preparations of these festivities, although it is a shame that Zarsegan Miriam Smitdottar couldn't be here." There is a brief round of half-hearted applause, most of the priests clearly being used to such commandments. "However, I have to make some other announcements that I do urge should not leave this room" The priests begin to mutter amongst themselves none noticing the fact that the guards begin to put on gas masks or that they do not appear to be of Caudian or Caudian Naive extraction. "As you all should know, our suzerain in West Thosel-Cransconia has abdicated the throne and his nephew Ludwig will be ascending sometime next year... I have decided that we should use this time to more fully formalise and have writ down the exact nature of our relationship and try work it too our benefit" The air in the common council grows stale, cloying down throats and causing a couple more senior members of the council to cough occasionally. "I'm sure many of you disagree with the idea that we should try gain a greater amount of self-determinism, after all, we came from Tholen all those years ago..."
The air thickens still, many members of the clergy now coughing as the guards move to load their guns and Rybakar's expression goes from corporate cheer to calm and callous, almost sadistic in her words. "Oh? Do you not recognise this? Have you all forgotten where it is we came from?" Rybakar slowly moves forward, amongst the coughing fits of her associates. "The wars they had us in? Smoke so thick it stole every ounce of being from you and left you a mewling wreck in the mud, cloying for even a hint of oxygen?" Rybakar looks over the slowly collapsing crowd around her, although it's clear she's slowly suffering from the gas too, only her will (And fore knowledge this was happening) keeping her so collected "And did they reward us? Pull us up from our pastoral tribes? No, we were exiled, sent away like wild dogs, we might have capsized and drowned... But he saved us, offered us a taste of prosperity and fresh air again. He granted us new life and new purpose" The guards move forward standing aside their Queen as she absent-mindedly kicks over one of the collapsed suffocating priests "But you've all grown fat and complacent... Too much time in this paradise, but I haven't!" She rests her foot atop Þancyer's stomach "We don't all have your vaunted luxuries, I come from a world where there was never assurance as to new frivolities, where it was work or marriage... Þancyer, you taught me a lot but... Faith is not why we lead, they are why we lead" She points out the window, towards the rest of the city "Do you remember?"
Þancyer claws at Rybakar's leg, coughing violently as she breathlessly begs and pleads with her replacement, managing to make out a brief "B-But I saved them from the Sadalen war" Rybakar chuckles slightly, although now even she is beginning to cough "Oh don't worry, I'll make sure you're remembered too, as a hero and saint" She turns to her guards and nods again, as they begin shooting the helpless priests, only stopping when Rybakar takes out her own pistol from the folds of her robes and shoots them both in the back. As she finally collapses to the ground, her will breaking as her plan is complete, dropping the pistol into Þancyer's hand as she falls, the last thing gracing her ears being the sound being the chamber's door being broken in as more guards attempt to enter and rush to her aid as she falls unconscious against the fine polished stone.