Chapter 4 – Horns for the Mace
WHAT. WAS. THAT! The unearthly shriek still rings in your ears. Is that the end of Dorylaion? Have the beasts united to destroy Theudis? Is Animus Animalis here itself to end you? And... wait... why are you out of your trance? There's nobody in here. Except the skeleton, but you've grown used to it pretty fast. Is Promelux' power waning? Does that mean that you will now starve? The shriek is long gone, but then again it is not. It still resonates through your skulls. You hear the key, inserted into the door...
And an even more battered Theudis enters. Every bit of him radiates pride. Even the false hand you see in place of his left one. It makes him look more terrifying than before, if this is even possible. “Have you felt it”, he exclaims, drawing in the air of the council chamber with a long breath. “Of course you have. How wouldn't you. That power!”
You wonder if he speaks of himself. After all, didn't he send Chintila to look for immortality? “Kyrillos!” He shouts, full of energy. Has he really found it? Does that make you superfluous? Has he come to end you, he who never liked you?
No. No, he hasn't. As the duke of Ervigisia appears, you immediately realize what was responsible for that unnatural sound. Kyrillos has a tight grip on a figure bound by plenty of chains. A figure, human in form, which is easily recognizable as not being human after all. The horns sprouting from its forehead are speaking a clear language. “May I present you – a Duckling demon! Raised from the underworld to fight us – but having grown up in my prison! If ever there was need to prove our superiority – here it is. We have subdued a demon, without breaking a sweat!”
You study the creature. Now its mouth is bound, but you know that it is from that diabolic woman's mouth that the shriek came. The one which awoke you without anyone's presence. Save for the horns, she might pass as a normal woman, yet one exuding intelligence, strength and ambition. And you see Kyrillos behind her. The duke smiles towards you, even if you didn't choose to speak for him last time. He makes a forgiving gesture, then unceremoniously dumps the demon into the corner next to the skeleton, her struggles against the chains in vain.
“A peak of our successes, perhaps”, Theudis states. “I have achieved what I thought possible in my lifetime. A lifetime which will sadly have to end one day. Chintila failed. Not just in my given task. My son failed to survive me as much as my wife. Luckily, I have another strong successor who has already proven himself worthy.” That explains Kyrillos' smile. He seems to signal his innocence concerning his half-brother's demise, but you aren't sure if you should believe him.
“Cancer”, Theudis continues, lifting his left arm, “cost me this hand. Two years after I had survived dysentery with Lopo's assistance. Lopo died of natural causes right after, and my new physician Ignatios assured me there was no other option.” He grins in defiance. “Still, it wasn't my mace-arm.” You notice the weapon. The former blacksmith amongst your number nods in recognition of its excellent craftsmanship. “The weaponsmith was... distracted... for a moment, but I... convinced... her of focusing on this. It served me well in the last years. Seven of them,to be exact.”
“We write the year 802 AFE”, Kyrillos adds. “Eight centuries after the fall of the Old Empire, the new one is forming.”
“As I told you last time, the vassalization war didn't take much longer”, Theudis begins, and you settle for war stories. “Just as Ioulianos' plan worked out. He got rid of the Duckling, and so his lands reverted to me. Two other Duckling counts remained – for now. I took the men to raid Pawseria next. The time will come for me to exterminate the dogs at my doorstep, but there's no rush here – after all, nobody else can reach the beast but my kingdom.
The first, but not the last Duckling to die in a plot – Ioulianos has been busy plotting all their deaths in Theudis' name
The Pawserians couldn't resist my onslaught, and I returned from Laodikeia with just what I needed – gold (even if the Duckling's death solved the treasury's problems before) and prisoners. Dog sacrifices. And one soul so disformed she thought of herself as a dog – had a dog father! Yet in my great mercy, I didn't sacrifice her. She would serve another purpose, and only the vile agents of Animus Animalis deserve sacrifice.
But with blood freshly spilled, I marched against the hedgehogs of king Aurion, embroiled in civil war and facing the dragon king of the region – Wiggles of Tejaen. How anyone can take a dragon called 'Wiggles' seriously is beyond me, but then again I am illuminated and they are not.
I fought for Tyana. And what I found in that castle – it only staked my bloodlust. Dogs and hedgehogs, interchangeably identifying themselves as the other! Women, brainwashed into behaving like hedgehogs! And worst of all – a syphilitic puppy, even
named Hedgehog! Suffice to say, the blood flowing that day cemented my reputation.
And then, I had to interrupt the attack on the hedgehogs. Two reasons. My daughter-in-law, plotting my demise. With highly interesting conspirators. My weak firstborn. My wife. My daughter. And my former lover and spymaster. At least Kyriake showed enough remorse to bring the plot to my attention.” As Theudis grits his teeth at that memory, Kyrillos shakes his head and points at himself, unknown to his father. Clearly, it was he who convinced his mother that the plot was wrong. After all, he didn't stand to inherit the crown at the time.
Theudis' features soften. “The second reason – Count Vladan. One of my inherited Duckling counts. A man married to a dog. For
some reason”, the king's gaze darts towards his son, who holds it with a smirk, “I couldn't just kill him. 'He can still see the light'.” The king starts shouting. “As if you believed that!” Kyrillos doesn't react to that accusation.
should a beast rule though, I would console him a claim
“I would have killed him, in time. If ever there had come a time of peace, I would have challenged him to a duel. I didn't need it, in the end. He schemed to claim my title. I burned down Kastamon, sacrificed his dog children and wife, threw him in the oubliette. A most pleasing outcome.
Most decidedly not like the one for my wife. Georgia feared my retribution against her part in the plot. My wife fled my reach! Betrayed the faith, even! As I marched back to Tyana, she used her position as member of the Olympians to pretend to join my forces – and sought shelter with the dogs of Qatif. Her host was oblivious enough to brag with Georgia's visit. His mother's betrayal hit Chintila hard, and he soon fell ill.
An illness which made him sloppy on the battlefield. Even as the tales of the Olympians' bravery caused men to flock to prospering Dorylaion and were beneficial to the creation of my personal guard, Chintila disappointed me greatly. We faced the hedgehogs in Samosata. It is different to fight beasts than humans. Even though the hedgehogs are bigger than they were before the Calamity, they remain smaller. So one of them hit my son's leg.”
Theudis vehemently shakes his head. “Such an enjoyable battle, marred by that sloppyness! If I had that traitorous woman in my hands at that time, I would have strangled the life out of her with my bare hands! Cleaving through hedgehogs produced a result, but also caused Chintila's death later. And then, I learnt that the women around him all spewed poison. Kyrillos!”
Face the wrath of the terrible Wiggles the Cannibal!... Or Theudis Skullcrusher. If Aurion weren't a hedgehog, one may pity him.
The king leaves his son to continue, as he needs to let loose some aggression. “Demons regenerate easily from small wounds”, he mutters to himself as he walks to the corner, throwing a multitude of punches against Judjuna.
Kyrillos nods. “He needs more capable men around him. I have taken it upon me to teach his commanders, mother takes care of the plots. Such as Gulisa's. Chintila's Duckling wife, whatever madness possessed him to take her. Not only did his mother betray father, she plotted to kill him. When evidence arose, retribution was swift, and she faced the fate of Animus Animalis' agents.” At these last words, Theudis' blow sends the demon to the floor. For a man nearing the 70 years, his strength is remarkable. He collects himself and leaves Judjuna in the corner.
An exception to the rule – this Duckling clearly opposed the faith too much to live (and execution would have incurred tyranny, despite being wholly justified here)
“As if he didn't hate the Ducklings enough, this further stoked father's fire. The Ducklings of Ikonion went extinct in an arrow skirmish, leaving the county to the crown. Then, he arranged blood games.”
Smiling, Theudis takes over from his son again. “I assembled all male and human prisoners in the realm in Dorylaion's new arena. Anyone willing to join voluntarily could do so, too. Then I tossed a few daggers down. Only one man could survive. Of course, anyone joining voluntarily could fight with his own equipment. The blood games stand as a symbol for our superiority over the Ducklings!
As do our many victories. Invigorated from the fighting in the arena, I went on to take the last human Duckling holdouts between mine and hedgehog territory. My reputation precedes me by now, perhaps also aided by the chronicles of my deeds circulating through the area. Instead of having his skull crushed, Konstantine of Taoeliland preferred to yield – and tumble from a balcony soon after. I turned my wrath on the last county of Vakh-whatever, Ducklings weak enough to have lost their coast to northern hedgehogs.
Seeing as he named his kingdom after himself, he took long enough to become proud
It is around that time that I decided to clear out the dungeons. The promising young noble I had captured? Now serves as a living monument to disappointment, walking around with his mask. The other prisoners? Made Galatia surrender faster. I have been creative with their deaths. And kept Vladan's skull as keepsake.
There were some more, too (unsurprisingly, Theudis leads the kill-list). And that's when I noticed that I had activated another game rule: no release after torture. Fits Theudis, at least.
Hungarian raiders thought the war would distract me. They quickly learned that no, it didn't. Well, soon it will be me standing at Dávidia's gates. The sons of their nobility will learn not to mess with me.
Just as Duke Ergica has to learn that Asland prefers to focus its defence on the east. King Khætag expired as a complete failure, dying of stress as his realm is under assault from three of his neighbours. Asland may crumble just as the '´Hallowed Bear Empire' does. King Alatey may be an imposing figure, but he's also just a cowardly bastard. I have decided to assist Ergica's efforts indirectly, by crushing his army. Once I am successful, Kaliopolis will be royal demesne, and my Steward can probably seize Constantinople as was his intention.”
Theudis points towards the demon. “And now, here we are. My traitorous wife just died. And my prisoner from Vakh-whatever just grew up, revealing her true identity. Out of nowhere, a deafening shriek went through the entire castle, and we soon found its source. I wanted to... but...”, he grunts. “Kyrillos!”
The heir takes over. “Ioustinos has found information about demons in one of his old tomes. Still, we wish to ask for your opinion on how to deal with... it. We have argued for a while, but haven't settled on the course to take.
I wanted to kill it on the spot. A demon deserves no mercy – who knows what it can do.
Father wants to...”
“Show the world a clear example of the power of Promelux' faithful”, the king interrupts. “I would cut off everything that wouldn't endanger its life, and mark it as a being vanquished by the Charax. Then release it as humiliatingly as possible. If we can treat even a demon like that, then even the dragons will recoil in fear of facing us in battle – as they should.”
Kyrillos patiently waits for Theudis to finish, then states the last opinion. “Ioustinos has found an ancient ritual – one which can force the demon to loyal servitude towards its new master. 'Judjuna', he said, 'can be a powerful asset, one which would be a folly to waste'. Ioulianos already suggested that we set her on Taoeliland – a faster solution to the Duckling problem we will hardly find. And who would attack someone capable of commanding a demon duchess?
What is your take on the situation?”
************
How shall be dealt with the demon Judjuna?
Option 1 – Execution
Option 2 – full mutilation, humiliation, then release
Option 3 – turn into a loyal servant
Voting closes Friday, 22nd March, 22:00 CET.
(Option 3 would entail the following: Conversion to Gothic/Prohominist. Loyal Servant modifier towards Theudis. Have her murder as many dukes of Taoeliland [body count so far through plots: 3] until Theudis inherits [I think there should be three more in line before him]. Then land her as duchess of Taoeliland [as she's a woman in an agnatic realm, again with the console].)
Well, I never had a foreign demon child as prisoner before (or didn't notice, anyway). But seeing as Theudis has no important choice to offer you, this one may be interesting. After all, it's just a matter of time until the dukes fall to the plots/to a misguided revolt
.
In any case, hopefully this choice will have more consequences than the last time. Poor Chintila has disappointed not only Theudis' faith in him, but also yours
.
