Karik walked along the path to Belfry Kassald, it was made of red and black stones. The colors of House Kassald. The tower loomed over him. It was made of a jet black brick that absorbed light, creating a darker shadow than normal. A week before, Karik and Hesan Kassald planned a meeting. It was now a week later, and Karik found that nothing had changed at Belfry Kassald when he walked in.
His assistant, Jumu, was still semi-frantic in his work. The interior of the waiting room was made of a white brick in sharp contrast to the exterior, and the chairs were made of orange wood from one of the Capital North's many forests. Karik sat down in a chair waiting for Jumu. It did not take very long until Jumu walked up to him, "Hello Karik, Governor Kassald will be with you shortly," he said. Jumu was also very formal, Karik had noticed that the last time Hessan and he had a meeting. House Kassald was one of House Zhala's closest allies. Karik was distantly related to Hessan Kassald, by their great-grandmother. They were close trade partners too, exchanging goods from the Capital West to the Capital East and vice versa.
Kairk sat down in one of the chairs it was strangely smooth despite its rough look. He pulled out his book but looked around the room to see if anything had changed. Around the room, a variety of potted plants could be found. Maybe a difference could be found there. The small plant on Jumu's desk was still only starting to bloom. The larger Zhrulean plant with a stem and leaves that were both red and orange had grown its fruit. "Ah-Ha!" Karik thought, the Coofne Plant, one that sprouted beans used in the making of Zhrulean Brew had finally matured. That's what he would start the conversation with. Now that he had that, Karik opened his book and read a passage while he waited.
The origin of the Kuy Mishin province starts in the forty-seventh year of the Fifth Era when the Empire of Salktum started conquering Zhrulaz. They wanted to set up a holding in Zhrulaz and conquer it as they had with Salktuymai. This new threat caused a now broken alliance to be formed between the seven major kingdoms at the time, with each one contributing a certain amount of their own military force to stop Salktum. Jamtri contributed the most, with 10,000 spearmen. Garfryn contributed the least infantry, but the most battleships, with five hundred swamp walkers and a thousand warships. Kah Tede contributed five thousand of their elite swordsmen known as the Zhumpei. Finally, the island kingdoms also cobbled together a small force that was mostly comprised of battleships. The southern island kingdoms contributed about five hundred raft riders, the northern islands supplied three hundred water chariots, and the middle kingdoms supplied fifty floating fortresses. Altogether, the kingdoms had put together a land force of about 15,000 soldiers, and a navy of about eighteen hundred battleships. This war would comprise most fronts, and on the twenty-ninth of Hibuy in the year forty-seven of the Fifth Era, the first Salkin step was taken on Zhrulean soil.
Karik looked up to see Jumu holding a scroll, "Governor Kassald will see you now," he said. Karik would read more of this later, he dog-eared the page and followed Jumu into the elevator. It was very clearly new, the wood was the same orange color as the chairs in the waiting room, and the elevator ran quick. Whoever managed the elevator was yet to learn that feeding your elevator slaves more than once a day was too expensive to manage.
Karik walked into the penthouse, it was cone-shaped, with red windows similar to Karik's penthouse. Hesan greeted him, "Karik, nice to see you," he said, "As to you Hesan," Karik said back. The two kept a formal relationship, despite the familial relation. This allowed the family drama to stay out of the way from their Houses' alliance. They both say down in chairs, one was black and red, the colors of House Kassald. The other was white and red, the colors of House Kassald's ancestor family, House Zhasal. It was also House Zhala's ancestor family, however, Karik hated House Zhasal for their treatment of the civilians --slaves aren't civilians-- and other houses so he always tried to distance himself and his house from them. The Kassald banner was displayed all along the walls. A red mountain on a black background. Red text displayed the house words, "We Stand as Tall as Mountains," it was a short thing, but it rang true. House Kassald controlled one of the largest provinces and had one of the greatest towers in Khuykir. The tower was so large, it was named a belfry.
"Now tell me," Hesan said, "Why are we having this meeting?" He said. "I have heard from my informants that House Jakliai will soon be destroyed." Karik said, "I want you to help me do a takeover." He explained. "Interesting," Hesan said, "What will you be doing and what will I be doing?" He asked, "I can supply the troops and the intel on when exactly the House falls," Karik explained, "I need you to transport the troops and supply a puppet leader." Hesan seemed fascinated by this, "I can get a puppet leader from Shinkil that will take orders from both of us," he said, "and I can transport the troops." Hesan said. "What troops will I be moving?" He asked, intrigued. "I can get about 1,000 mid-high tier mercenaries," Karik said. "What intel do you currently have?" Hesan asked, "Right now, the intel is that House Valazim is plotting against House Jakliai. Supposedly, House Valazim plans to murder all of House Jakliai in the later year."
Karik had not mentioned himself. This was purposeful, as he knew that Hesan would try to negotiate full control of the puppet leader if there were three people. "How do you get this intel?" Hesan asked, "I have a doppelganger replacing a top general of House Valazim, and I sent a spy into House Jakliai a week ago. They give me intel every week, I found out about the plot early this morning," Karik said. "I was going to just plan the takeover with you. However, when I received the intel, I thought that withholding it would be a mistake." Karik finished explaining. It was some parts a lie, some parts true. "Good to know, I will start preparing my transports for later this year," Hesan said. They shook hands, "Nice meeting with you," Hesan said. Karik walked into the elevator, and out of the Belfry's door.
Karik walked out of Belfry Kassald. The nearby area was surprisingly lush, despite the looming tower. Karik walked towards the Lord's Tower. He had a meeting with Akior Sien, so he would have to make haste. Karik walked along the path noticing the subtle increase in people. At Belfry Kassald, there were only one or two people. He was now in the city center, and there were hundreds.
He walked towards Zhala Tower, it was just before mid-day at this point, the tower was east of the Lords', and in its shadow. After mid-day, the sun would hit the penthouse of Tower Zhala and the nearby area would glow red. The orb on top of it had an infamous reputation. It added to House Zhala's power in house politics. The orb's color was mainly to keep Karik's eyes from straining. His reading habit already meant he would soon need to use Silhoent, sight-enhancing magic, more often.
Karik walked into the tower and was greeted by Su'i, "Akior Sien will be arriving soon, any second," she said. "Have him come up when he arrives, I will be in the penthouse," Karik said. "Another thing," Su'i said, "A letter from the great Lord Empress herself has arrived." She gave him a rolled-up scroll, bound with a string. It had a pin attached to the string that bore the banner of Salktum. "I will read this while I wait," he said. Karik walked into the elevator, shortly coming out of it into the red dome. He sat in the chair and opened the scroll.
To all house leaders and their attendants,
You are formally invited to the great and independent city of Silkop by their leader, King Tunchshu the Second. Come to the city of Silkop on two days from the current date for a feast of allies. At the feast, a treaty will be signed and everlasting peace shall come between Silkop and the Empire of Salktum. You are allowed to bring food to the feast, however, there will already be a massive feast. No housing is given to those who arrive at the earliest. Be on time! Bring two guests, and each person's attendant.
From the Lord's Tower in Khuykir, by the Empress's hand.
It was by the empress's hand. Although, scribes must have made many copies. Karik's original plan for this meeting with Akior Sien was to discuss the current state of politics. This was apart of that, so he may as well discuss it with him. Akior Sien stepped out of the elevator. He controlled the Shu'u province, in Capital East, so he and Karik looked similar. White skin, brown hair, and blue-green eyes. Those traits were common among the people of Capital East. "Karik, good to see you," he said, "Akior, same for you," Karik said back. Karik sat in his chair and Akior sat across from him. "What is the purpose of this meeting?" Akior asked, "Have you received a Silkop invite?" Karik asked. "Why, yes I have," Akior said, "What about it?" He said. "I suspect an ulterior motive than first thought," Karik stated blatantly. "What so?" Akior asked, "I suspect a takeover," Karik said.
"A takeover?" Akior asked, shocked. "The empress knows that a storm is coming," Karik had shared this information with Akior two days before, "I suspect that she wants to hold off that storm by showing strength," Karik said. "Silkop, being an enemy of Salktum in a weak state," Silkop was having an economic depression, "would be a great target for this," Karik explained. "This makes sense," Akior said, "if the empress wished to show her might, then taking down one of Salktum's greatest enemies would be perfect for her." He had a look of realization on his face. "Exactly," Karik said. "Silkop in its weakened state would never suspect a betrayal right before an alliance," Karik said.
"The next question is how will they execute it?" Akior said, "I have some ideas for what may happen to that as well." Karik said. "Salktum is heavily reliant on slaves, especially Kalmgy slaves" he explained, "The Kalmgy rebels in South Capital has evaded Salktum for many years, and it is said that Silkop supplies them with resources." Akior seemed to be following along so far, "If Silkop has the location of the rebel bases," Karik said, "Then Salktum could stamp out the rebellion," Akior finished. "If we are right, then we can steal these locations and sell it to the government for a profit," Karik said, "I will pay you half of this profit if you can help me find these plans when the feast goes awry," Karik said. "I can get a map of the palace with ease," Akior said. "Perfect," Karik said, "I will if you are right then you deserve half of the profit," Akior said. They shook hands, and Akior walked out of the penthouse.
Su'i stood beside him, she had faded into the background of his meeting and followed him into the chambers. She always did. "Su'i," Karik said, "Yes master?" she asked, "Have the chefs cook that recipe for All-Spice soup and serve it in a mug." Karik answered, "Right away master," she said. Su'i ran through the corridor and took a right. Karik walked into his chamber to grab something, a small pendant that was commonly used in thieving magic. He pulled out of a drawer, a long silver pendant. It had an elephant engraving on one side, the symbol of House Zhala, and a long serpent on the other, the symbol of a rival city; the great city of Khlri.
Karik arrived in Silkop, setting foot on the Silkopi docks. The docks were a dark-colored wood, smoothed by years of rain. In Silkop, the rains were constant. Karik walked along the path. He had just brought Su'i, all of his friends were noblemen already invited, so he couldn't invite anyone else. He walked along the streets, he had read of Silkop in his small book. The people of the city wore large cloaks made of a plastic material. They held these over themselves to protect their belongings. Karik had bought one the day before as a preparation. He now saw how useful these cloaks were.
Rain poured on an inclined street leading up to the Palace of Silkop. At the bottom of the incline, the fog was gathered. As Karik walked up, it very slowly dispersed. The incline was made of stone, and slippery from the rain. He walked past several indoor shops. Bookstores, fortune tellers, and many more lined the streets. Their lanterns illuminated from within the rain and dissipating fog. Kairk had several hours, so he may as well take a look around. Karik walked into a bookstore called, "Iuoewi's Bookstore," which seemed promising.
The store had several shelves of books, and many devoted to what he wanted; history. "Welcome to Iuoewi's Bookstore," the man said, "What can I help you with?" He asked. "Do you have books on the Garfoen Revolution?" Kairk asked. "Why yes we do," he said, "In the history section under G." Karik walked over to that section. Several books on the Garfroen Revolution. The largest book titles read; Zha Utchu: The Revolution of Garfryn; The Garfroen Revolution: A Primary Source; and Ikhi Utchu, The Garfroen Revolution from the Loser's Side. Karik gathered these books and a small stack of writing paper and placed them on the front counter, "That will be one hundred fifteen Dju'us," the man said, "Do you accept Salms?" Karik asked, "Why yes we do, that will be three Salms," the man said. Karik could see now that Silkop was really in crisis. Simple pocket money for most Salktum peasants was worth its weight in platinum around here. "Do you have a reading or writing nook?" Karik asked, "Yes we do, over in the back corner, and it's for both," the man said.
Karik walked over to the reading nook and sat in one of the chairs. It was fairly smooth, however, there were some rough parts. One of the books was laid out on the left end table, Karik's ink and quill were to his right, and the paper was at the very center. A strange thing about the small book that Karik carried with him at all times, there was no end. The last page of the book stated, "To whoever reads this book, look at this page last. It was one of the first pages Karik read. It will only be death that does you part from this book. To those who do not wish to, you must. You will lose those who you love if this book is not expanded. You shall continue this book until it has all knowledge of the universe. And on that day, the curse shall be lifted, and the spirits of those you lost will be released; and those whos' lives it has taken away shall be at peace.
Karik was not sure what it meant at first, so he just read the book as most would. Eventually, however, those words became all too true. From that day, when he lost the one he loved, he made it his goal to expand this book with all natures of knowledge. He read from the book about the Garfroen rebellion, it was the one called Zha Utchu. He wrote down what it said as read from the book.
The Garfroen Rebellion, known as Zha Utchu in Garfryn was a several year-long rebellion from the Kingdom of Garfryn against the once-great Empire of Khimt. As background, here are the players on the board. The city-state of Khimt is one of the Six Cities of the Shámnám Mountains. During the war, it used political alliances with the other five cities of the Shámnám Mountains to try and win this war. By the end of the war, it had built up relationships to eventually form a permanent alliance and become the Alliance of Shamnam. Garfryn is a constitutional monarchy known for being at the edge of the world and having the largest navy of most kingdoms today. It won a lot of its battles using this navy. The war took place from about one thousand fourteen of the Third Era to one thousand twenty of the Third Era. It lasted seventeen years.
The war is generally split up into two different parts. The beginning of the rebellion, when Garfryn was still setting up its government and military. The most notable battle of this part was the Siege of Zhriri, a siege that Garfryn barely won against Khimt; setting the point of no return. It is known asJaly Utchu, or, "The Rebellion's Beginning." The second part of the rebellion is known as Azhma Garfroen Utchu, or, "The First Garfroen war," because it was when the war actually began. Three notable battles helped decide how the war would end, the Battle of Greatmarsh, the Siege of Chunt, and the Duel of the Sunken Cave. The Battle of Greatmarsh was a ten-day battle fought on the large, open landscape of Greatmarsh. The Siege of Chunt was a ten-day-long siege at the Garfryn capital of Chunt. Finally, the Duel of the Sunken Cave was a duel fought between both leaders from either side. Ushmo Kadibi on Khimt's side, and Urushi'ou Myzhyly. The two fought in a duel for three days. When it was all over, Khimt was without a leader, and Garfryn had found its first.
With that, Karik looked at the several pages of writing he had done. There were thirty minutes before he had to be at the palace, and it was a block up. Karik took his cloak bag, a bag made of a similar material to the rain cloak that attached to the inside. He put the cap on his ink bottle, which had almost run dry, and placed each of his items inside. The books on the rebellion, the now dry pages he had written, and the ink and quill he used. Karik exited the bookstore, "Bye, thanks for coming in," the man said as he left. Karik walked through the rain and up towards the opulent palace.
The palace stood tall in front of him, Karik had finally reached the top and was taking a view of it before going in. Other Salkin nobles walked around him into the glowing hall. The palace itself was adorned with thousands of golden plates each only the size of a hand. Karik walked through the gate, the crowd of nobles was beginning to fade. He had to keep up with the mass.
The inside of the palace was as opulent as the outside, illuminated by chandelier light. Several long tables, similar to the Salkin Banquet Hall, stood all around the room. Two tiers of floors hung to either wall adjacent to him. A third tier that could not be reached by stairs stood above the first two, Karik figured this could be used by guards. He sat down close to a door and next to Akior Sien, they had done this purposefully; sending messages to and from each other via servants. "Akior," Karik said quietly, "Karik," Akior said matching his volume. "Upon the king's death, follow me and use the map to guide us towards the plans. I will search for them while you stand to on lookout." Karik said, "Yes, until then, we wait." Akior said.
Brass instruments flared triumphantly as the King of Silkop walked out of the door left to the three thrones. The instruments flared in a deeper song, yet still triumphant, and the empress herself walked through the door to the right of the thrones. "The people of Silkop," the king said, "and the people of Salktum," the empress continued. "We are here today," the king said, "to celebrate the alliance between our two kingdoms." The empress continued. Very clearly, they had rehearsed beforehand. "A toast," the king said raising his glass, the entire hall did so too, "to everlasting peace between two mighty kingdoms." The empress said, "Here here!" The king said. "Here Here!" the hall shouted each and everyone taking a drink. Karik and Akior faked a drink. Letting the wine touch their lips, but never consuming it.
With that, someone threw a sword from the third tier. The one you could not reach from within the hall. "GASP!" The whole hall went. The king's corpse fell to the floor. Karik had been right, it was a show of force.
In the chaos, Karik spoke to Akior, "Let us go, immediately," Karik said. They both walked through the door, "Go straight ahead, and turn on the first right," Akior said. The halls each contained a long red carpet. They reached the first right, " Upon the next intersection go straight and immediately afterward left," Akior said. At crossways, there were separate carpet squares of various colors. Ranging from a light red to a deep blue. They followed the directions. "Finally," Akior said, "take another right and enter the first room," Akior said.
When they reached this room shortly afterward, Karik took out a pendant. He spoke the words of Khlri, where thieves were trained like that of mages. "Uislyri áu rasuku I khlntu, Spirits from above and below." He said, "Azsra ák cholok un kala shui tu aztuky, Find the page that shall bring our fortune." He continued in the thieving tongue. The words could be visualized, written on the air in the Khlri script. A page glowed from within one of the drawers. "I have it," Karik said. "Good," Akior said, "The chaos appears to soon be stopping." He said. The two walked the path again, back to the hall where a fight still happened. Karik and Akior left the building, grabbing their rain cloaks and leaving with a crowd of nobles, who adorned their cloaks similar. They all ran back to ships, each house riding in a different ship.
Karik sat in the cabin of his ship. It was illuminated by lamplight with windows displayed along the walls. Karik held up the pendant in front of him. It brought back memories too painful to remember. It was these memories that caused him to realize:
