Chapter 39 - Whispers from the Year of the False Spring (Patreon)

Codex: The House Vileblood of the Cainhurst

The House Vileblood is regarded as one of the most prestigious, if not the most prestigious Noble Lineage in the entire Lordran. Its history dates back to the opening of Ancient Tombs underneath the Yharnam and the discovery of the Old Blood.

It was rumored that the member of the House Cairan, the predecessor of the House Vileblood, not only participated in the Expedition to the Ancient Tombs but was one of the leaders of the Expedition into the Ruins of the Dungeons underneath the Yharnam.

After returning from the Expedition to the Dungeons of the Pthumerian Civilization under the Yharnam, Lancelin Cairan returned as a fanatical believer of the Great Ones and devout worshipper of the Old Blood. Not long after that, he founded the House Vileblood in the ancestral seat of the House Ciaran, in the town of Cainhurst.

House Vileblood of Cainhurst is best known for producing the finest knights in the Holy Arcadia Empire, further proof of this being the fact that the Headquarters of the Silver Knight Order was stationed in Cainhurst.

- Introduction to the Noble Lineages of the Holy Arcadia Empire

***

"Ts... that is easy to say for you, who isn't really doing much of things."

Even though Maria was Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals, she wasn't doing much in her position, as she spent most of her time lazying around or dumping the work on her subordinates. 

Not like Karl Franz was surprised by such an outcome because it was to be expected from her, not like he wanted something else. The sole purpose of the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals was just to act as a deterrent and be one of the strongest people within the Holy Arcadia Empire.

"I don't really need to do anything aside from being powerful enough to be a deterrent for the enemies of the Imperium."

Karl Franz frowned a little, but at the same time, he understood the viewpoint of his fianceé, a lover, because, from a certain point of view, she was right. In regard to people like them, being powerful enough to act as a deterrent was enough. 

"Still, I have a feeling that things are going to shit, probably even more than enough from now on."

Maria observed the night panorama of the Anor Londo and found his words to be true.

Everything was getting more and more complicated; the Resurgence of the Magic was happening, and Westeros and Essos were becoming more and more magical with each day that passed.

"Did you know that according to the latest reports of the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence, Westeros is already on the brink of civil war, with King getting madder with each passing moment? Not to mention, my future father-in-law has been eyeing some of the territories of the Reach and Riverlands. And that is just the start. Don't let me start with the reports about the things happening in the Asshai and beyond the Bone Mountains."

Maria was rather acquainted with the reports from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence and that the Cross Marian has been more busy than ever. 

"I know... reportedly, the various groups in Asshai are getting more powerful, and some of the Sorcerers went mad and started attacking some of the Free Cities. Temple of the Lord of Light is also getting more and more powerful, and they are saying that the Red Priests are going to wage Holy War on several religions in Essos."

Karl Franz knew that the Resurgence of the Magic wouldn't end well for the common people because the return of the Magic would also mean the return of chaos and war practically everywhere.

"And that is not telling about the reaction we can expect from the Dark Lands, cultists, and others... Lord Maria and Ciaran already reported that they found traces of the Chaos Cults in the Asshai, and most disturbingly, they apparently gained a foothold in the Strigoi and started building their powerbase there."

While Karl Franz, as Holy Imperator, wasn't glad about the change in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, its dissolution and establishment of the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay by the Immortal Dragon Emperor Xen Yang and Moon Dragon Empress Quai Yin, in the end, they were still forces of Order. 

And without them, it would be impossible to combat what was to come. 

Even though the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay would represent a threat to the Holy Arcadia Empire in global politics, they could be valuable allies. Right now, all of the 1st Tier Superpowers of the world were essentially hostile to the Holy Arcadia Empire. 

The Orktarius Empire that was down in the Orklands and the Skaven Under-Empire were already being considered high-priority threats to the Imperium. The Kingdom of Ulthuan of the High Elves was not really reliable because they were far too arrogant for their own good, and they greatly looked down on the Imperium. 

Even though the Imperium was superior to them in many regards. 

Still, the history of the High Elves was long and most probably longer than that of Lordran in some regards. 

"And not only that, the Beastmen are getting more and more active practically everywhere around the Lordran and according to the reports, they have already spread actively into the Westeros, Essos and there have been traces of the Beastmen on the Sothoryos and Ulthos as well... we are living in really troubled times."

As the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was his responsibility to shoulder the Imperium to lead his people and be their protector and leader in these troubled times.

"Indeed, things are not looking perfect, but you are forgetting one important thing."

Maria said as she turned to face Karl Franz face to face. 

"We are strong, and with the recent Military Reforms, we will be stronger than ever. The addition of the Stormcast Eternals would tremendously increase the power of the Imperium, and Master Gehrman said that he would be opening Workshop to more Hunters from now on... which hopefully could cultivate more and more Hunters for the Imperium."

Everything that she said was true; they were strong, and it wasn't necessary to worry so much because fear was the mind-killer. 

The technology was advancing by leaps and bounds in the Imperium, and he was sure that all the innovations of the Dwarves and Gnomes would create some really fearsome machines of war for the Imperium.

"That is true... something that is allowing me to have some sleep during the night, if nothing else."

Maria leaned forward as she kissed her fianceé on the cheek.

"Lately, there have been rumors in the Forge Cities of peerless crystal that could be used to power up the machines of the Imperium. What did they call it... Hek Crystal? No... Hex Crystal! Yeah, apparently, if the Hex Crystals are incorporated into the Imperial technology. They have been squabbling about the issue for a rather long time, and the first tests are looking rather promising."

Dwarves and Gnomes were always striving to create something that was destructive and powerful. Unfortunately, the discovery of gunpowder didn't really meet the exceptions for them, and it was clear that while it was destructive, it still had some deficits.

After that, they started using various Enchantments and Runes to increase the destructiveness of the rockets and various weapons, but the Gnomes wanted to create something even more destructive.

Meanwhile, the Dwarves were searching for a way to revolutionize the usage of Magic; now, with the Resurgence of Magic, its density was increasing so much that it was visible even in the Lordran, where Magic never really died. 

So, they were working on the first prototypes of the Hextech. 

Hextech is a magical technology that fuses Magicule Particles in the air and Spiritron Particles to create exquisite artifacts that can be wielded by anyone, not just a few people out there with a natural aptitude for the Arcane.

It harnesses the Magical Power contained within the environment through the fusion of the Lacrima and Hex Crystal. According to the Dwarven and Gnomish engineers, such devices should be able to work for a very long time with minimal maintenance, not to mention their widespread usage.

Not only that, but if the Hextech became widespread through the Imperium, Karl Franz planned to sell some of the steam technology, albeit the most primitive one, to the Westerosi and Essosi at extraordinary prices.

With the Magic returning, for sure various resources would appear in the future; if possible, he planned to exchange some of the primitive steam technology of the Imperium for the minutes of things like Lacrimas or Hex Crystals.

"Ts... nobody good ever comes from the crazy ideas of Dwarves and Gnomes... especially when they start mixing together."

Maria said with a frown as they then retreated to their chambers for more pleasurable activities during the night.

***

Lands of the Ancient Lords, Holy Arcadia Empire, Grand Principality of the Reikland, Holy Imperial Capital of Anor Londo, January of Year 10,282 - of the Imperial Lordranese Callendar 

Life within the Imperial Borders continued as usual, as everything was going as it should; not even the legendary Resurgence of Magic caused widespread panic among the common population, as many thought it would. 

In the people just took at as something that was happening and nobody cared much. Still, during the following several months, at least within the borders of the Imperium everything was going as it should be.

The Imperial Military was constantly expanding and preparing for future battles, the vital points of interest within the borders of the Imperium were being fortified, and the training regime for all branches of the Imperial military was being increased several fold to be ready against future foes.

This was part of the large militarization effort of the Holy Arcadia Empire because the Daemons in the Dark Lands were profiting most from the entire thing. With Magic getting stronger and stronger in the world, the connection between the Azyr and the Realms of the Chaos, which was the home for the Daemons, was also getting far stronger.

With this, the Daemons could remain in their world for much longer if they were summoned; not only that, but it was also possible for the powerful Daemons to remain in the Azyr almost indefinitely, which was certainly not good news for the Imperium.

Even right now, the Imperial Forces at the Skycrown Gate were being reorganized, and the defenses were being bolstered in case of the possible Daemonic Incursion into the Imperial Space, as nobody wanted to see the Skycrown Gate being breached.

That would be the catastrophic result for most of them, as the Skycrown Gate repressed the ultimate defense between the Dark Lands and the lads of the Imperium. To the point where Karl Franz ordered one whole Chamber of the Paladin Temple of the Stormcast Eternals to remain within the Skycrown Gate.

The fact that they have already reported increased activity from the Level 5 Daemon Nobles in the Dark Lands was disturbing enough, not to mention that there were sightings of new Level 6 Daemon Lords all around the Dark Lands.

Some of the Daemon Lords were even seen close to the World Edge Mountains, and one of them was seen close to the Skycrown Gate. Fortunately enough, as it seemed right now, the various Daemon Lords that had descended from the Realm of Chaos were more preoccupied with fighting each other than attacking the Imperial territories.

Which was certainly a very positive thing to see. 

Not like anyone was surprised by that because Daemons would always be fighting among each other... they were not really the sharpest minds around, and even if they were rather smart, their personal animosities often took everything else in question.

For them, there was nothing more important than solving their problems with each other, and when they were solving their problems with each other, they were solving them with their fists and weapons. 

And until one of them didn't fall down dead.

That was their typical way of solving the conflicts... 

Though compared to the situation in the Dark Lands that wasn't looking very good, the situation in the Orkalnds, south of the Grand Province of Orleáns the situation was looking very good due to the continuous infighting of the Orks. 

Even though, down in the deep south in the region known as Barren Lands, the Orktarius Empire reigned supreme with military power that was estimated to be as powerful as that of the Holy Actraida Empire, though much of it was attributed to the sheer number of the Greenskins.

As Karl Franz predicted, the Orks, under the leadership of their Emperor and Prophet of the Green Gods, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, declared war on all of the Tribez Klanz that refused to listen to him and started brutal infighting in the Orklands. 

That was rather good for the Imperial because it would put the inevitable invasion of the Greenskins by a few years, maybe even a few decades if they were lucky, and till then, the Great Wall that was right now separating the Orkaldns from the lands of the Empire would become an unreachable obstacle and graveyard for the Greenskins. 

Still, one couldn't just underestimate the self-proclaimed Prophet of the Green Gods.

Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka was probably the most dangerous and powerful Ork that was born in the Lordran and even the whole Known World of Azyr since immemorial.

This Ork from the Goff Klan managed to unite several Klanz and Tribez to form his Armageddon Empire, which was then later renamed to the Orktarius Empire after they conquered several surrounding Orkish nations. 

Unfortunately for the Imperium, information from that region of the Lordran was rather scarce because it was deep in the hostile territory, and it was almost impossible to infiltrate, even with the expertise of the Ciaran's Blades or the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence. 

They managed to insert only a few of the observers and spies into the core region of the Orklands, and due to safety reasons, they reported only when something very important happened within the Orkalnds, like this recent war.

It seemed that the Prophet of the WAAAGH! couldn't contain it any longer and, only two or three months ago, sent an ultimatum for all Klanz and Tribez north to the Orktarius Empire to surrender to his rule or to be conquered.

Obviously, if they surrendered, he promised them far greater WAAAGH! than they could imagine, and that was one against the unbeatable Legions of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the greatest enemy of the Greenskins in the past centuries. 

Office of the Imperial Military Intellignece already took precautions and started supplying weapons, armors and supplies to the Tribez and Klanz that were fighting against the Orkatarius Empire of the Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. 

It was a collective decision as they wanted to tire out the Orkatarius Empire as much as possible because this was probably the last opportunity to cause severe losses of the Orktarius Empire and lower their numbers. 

Meanwhile, they even contemplated the usage of sleeper agents within the borders of the Orkatarius Empire to damage their infrastructure and lower their war potential, hoping that this would help the enemies of the Orktarius Empire. 

In these weeks, the Imperium was preparing for the subjugation of the Skaven settlements and cities in the League of Khaz-Modan. The Dwarves and Gnomes reported increased activity of the Skaven in the League of Khaz-Modan, and their increased activity was already creating problems for the Dwarves and Gnomes. 

Not only that, but the Skaven were also creating problems in the Grand Province of Fenris because the House Stark and Russ reported that they had found several small communities of the Skavenblight in their mountains, and some were even bold enough to start attacking caravans and supply lines. 

The long story is that the Skaven Under-Empire was proving itself to be problematic, and their expansion onto the Imperial Territories was something that needed to be addressed as soon as possible. 

Thus, it was decided that the Imperial Military Forces would carry out the subjugation of all Skavens in the entire League of Khaz-Modan and the Grand Province of Fenris. It would be a problematic conquest because the Skaven of the Skaven Under-Empire were building their cities and fortresses deep underground or in places that were very hard to reach.

Another thing that happened in the world of politics in the past several months, from the point where they arrived with Cirilla from the Athel Loren to the Holy Imperial Capital of the Anor Londo.

Just yesterday, Karl Franz got the information from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence that Lyanna Stark had disappeared, which was then attributed to Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen by the Starks. 

In subsequent action, this sparked a reaction from Lyanna's eldest brother, Brandon Stark, who immediately arrived at the King's Landing, went in front of the Red Keep, and threatened the Crown Prince's very own life if he didn't return his sister back.

Though Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen himself was not present, King Aerys II Targaryen was, and he ordered Brandon's arrest. Brandon's father, Rickard, was summoned to King's Landing as well, and in the trial that followed, both Brandon and Rickard were killed in the Wildfire. 

This situation became rather a mess because Ciaran managed to find that Rhaegar Targaryen successfully hatched a Valyrian Wyvern some time ago, and it was already large enough to be used in combat or war. 

Due to this, Karl Franz gave a very special order. As he knew that Robert Baratheon would soon enough start his rebellion, he ordered for a whole bunch of Dragon Slaying Weapons to be delivered to Lord Baratheon, together with some machines that could be used to counter the Wyvern or Dragons.

Valyrian Wyverns were more dangerous than ordinary Wyverns because the ancient Valyrians wanted to elevate and evolve them to the level of the True Dragons, and they were using a lot of Blood Magic to achieve their goal.

Thus, their Wyverns were bigger, more ferocious, and could breathe fire for a far longer time than ordinary fire, aside from the fact that the flames of the Valyrian Wyverns had magical properties.

He also got the letters from the future father-in-law, who was now scheming how to get most things out of the situation because, from the apparent kidnapping of Lyanna Stark, it was clear that the Starks and Baratheon would go to war.

With the recent reforms in the North, they already had a rather decent standing military; while not the best one around, it was still better than the average levies used by the Lords in the Seven Kingdosm of the Westeros.

From the letter from the Westerlands, it seemed that Tywin was indeed doing him a great favor because he decided to strike the Reach, which was a loyal supporter of the Crown, and they also had the biggest army in the Westeros. 

At the same time, they would also be attacking some territories in the Riverlands that Tywin wanted to obtain and hold, as this would be the first time in a few centuries since the map of the Seven Kingdoms had been redrawn. 

Lord of the House Lannister planned to expand the territories of the House Lannister by a good chunk, as there were many members of the lineage that were not ruling anything, and the lands of the Riverlands and Reach were fertile and precious.

Karl Franz allowed the troops of the Holy Arcadia Empire that were stationed in Westeros to conduct military operations if necessary. That was mainly because, from what he learned, the Faith of Seven was using the opportunity of the chaos and everything, to declare the Holy War on the Healing Church in the Westerlands. 

Something that Tywin Lannister was deeply aware of...

The Healing Church was becoming the more and more dominant religion in the Westerlands to the point where conflicts between the Faith of Seven and the Healing Church became more and more common.

Many of the Septs were destroyed by fanatical believers of the Healing Church, be it from the bliínd loyalty or the spite for the Faith of Seven. Nevertheless, Karl Franz contemplated sending some soldiers to the Westerlands to protect them. 

It was clear that the situation in the Westeros was becoming a mess. 

And there was then another thing, as many unsavory individuals from the Essos were coming to the Westeros, providing their services to the Lords and Ladies, especially the Sorcerers and Shadow Binders of the Asshai or the Red Priests of the Temple of the Lord of Light. 

In fact, Karl Franz wasn't keen on very strong interference in the matters of the Westerosi because that could easily backfire on them. The long-term game of the Imperium was the most important, and it took precedence above everything else.

Ensure that the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros cease to exist as a singular nation and prevent any efforts for reunification or reforms within the Westeros. The best-case scenario would be breaking the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros into truly independent states as they were before the Aegon's Conquest.

Many higher-ups of the Imperium, be it Imperial Nobles from the Grand Paladins to the Elector Counts of the Grand Provinces or the Clergy of the Healing Church, were very wary of the potential of the Westeros. 

Their huge population, numbering millions, was very disturbing for them as it represented grave danger if a truly unified state emerged in Westeros. 

Still, because of the influence of the Healing Church in the Westerlands, it was necessary to act, especially considering the fact that Karl Franz was also the Holy Pontiff of the Healing Church when the State and Religious power fused together, everything under the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight.

Due to this, the Imperium needed to take the situation within Westeros more seriously because it could easily spark a religious Holy War between the Faith of Seven and Healing Church, and when that happened, Karl Franz would be forced to declare Holy Crusade on the Westeros.

Or at least on the parts of the Westeros where they were worshipping the Seven.

Now, on a more positive note, the Hextech projects between the Dwarves and Gnomes finally bore the fruits, and they came out with a working prototype of the Hextech. And the results were exceeding our wildest imaginations because the Hextech was a game changer...

Some already said that the Hextech would bring revolution to the Lands of the Ancient Lords, probably only second to that when the Old Blood was discovered in the dungeons deep underneath the Holy Yharnam many, many millennia ago.

Hextech could be used by practically anyone; even those who completely lacked any resemblance of Magic in their bodies could easily use the Hextech devices due to the presence of the Hextech Cores. 

Just small bits of the Lacrima and Hex Crystals were enough to create a device that could work by itself even for several decades without any maintenance as long as there were enough Magicules in their environment. 

If not, then they would work only with the internal Magic of the Crystals, and then it depended on the quality and quantity of the Crystals that were used in the creation of the device.

Still, the first prototypes of the Hextech weapons that were showcased several days ago to the Imperial Military were staggering.

It seemed that the Hextech could be used in practically everything, be it the close-quarters weapons, Hextech Swords, Hextech Spears, Hextech Bows, Hextech Crossbows, and newly, Hextech Firearms that fired shots of concentrated Magic towards the target.

Practically, any weapon could be made with the use of the Hextech. Coupled with Magic conductive materials, one could create weapons that would greatly enhance the power of the average troops by a great margin. 

This would provide essential firepower to the Imperial Army, which was right now the weakest branch of the entire Imperial Military of the Holy Arcadia Empire. With the Hextech weaponry inducted into the service of the Imperial Military, even ordinary soldiers would have enough power to fight against Orks and other physically more powerful creatures.

And that was bringing them to the current headache.

"As you see, Your Holy Majesty, with the introduction of the Hextech, we need to completely revise the Imperial Military. Many of our traditional strategies are becoming virtually useless or outdated, as we have already put orders to compete retrofitting of the Imperial Military."

Right now, Karl Franz was in discussion with Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns, High Chancellor of the Landsraad Luca Brewster and Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer.

"How long would it take to retrofit all the troops of the entire Imperial military to the Hextech weaponry?"

The Holy Imperator asked as he looked at the Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns. 

"The complete retrofitting of all weapons would take a few months. Also, when it comes to at least part of the artilleries, it would take longer because the Hextech implementation would take longer, but the results are worth it. Though it seems that the dwarves and gnomes still have some problems creating Hextech armors; those would apparently need more time. Combination of the Runic Armors is taking some time, and due to the need to perfectly integrate all elements of the Imperium into the new concept of armors, the research is still taking time."

Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns was rather well versed in the topic of Hextech, especially in the aspect of weapons. He was also one of the most vocal supporters of the complete remilitarization with the usage of Hextech.

"Minister Stormhammer, how much will this entire ordeal cost the Imperial Treasury?"

Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer was responsible for handling the finances of the Imperium. It was a hard and arduous task, and the dwarf was very good at what she was doing.

"A few million altogether, but most of it will be going directly to finance the research. Right now, we need to create the industrial complex to manufacture the complex Hextech devices. Also..."

Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer made a short pause before continuing.

"Right now, some aspects of the Hextech are really problematic... especially as Imperial Bashar stated, Hextech Armors would require a lot of additional research and same as all machines in the Heavy Armored Regiments and other similar weapons. We need to increase the funds to research the Hextech. Imperial College of Engineers, Byrgenwerth, and Imperial Gunnery School are establishing a joint research team in cooperation with the Dwarven and Gnome Clans to research the Hextech."

It seemed that Hextech was becoming increasingly important for the future of the Holy Arcadia Empire, and there were a lot of investments needed to research and spread the usage of Hextech. 

This would propel the technological level of the Holy Arcadia Empire by at least a few centuries, and at the same time, they could start dumping their obsolete weapons into other parts of the world that would buy them at extraordinary prices.

"Then you have the permission of the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight. In fact, the Hextech could be the game-changer to protect our borders from the ever-increasing dangers of the Daemons of the Dark Lands or the Orks of the Orkatrius Empire. We need to ensure that the development of the Hextech is fast and smooth and that the Hextech could be widespread across the Imperium in upcoming years, with the Imperial Military being the top priority for the usage of the Hextech weaponry."

Like everyone else, Karl Franz saw the potential of the Hextech and Hex weapons and how destructive they could be. Just the prototype for Hextech Canons that served as main templates for the future artillery should be able to obliterate hundreds of Daemons or Orks in one salvo.

This would greatly increase the effectiveness of the Imperial Troops combating these menaces, as they lacked the means of turning tables when they were faced against the immeasurable numbers of the Greenskins or Daemons.

Only due to the Magic, were they able to survive till now, and thanks to the secrets of the gunpowder and other destructive weapons, they were able to defend their territories more easily and, on many occasions, start pushing the Greenskins or Daemosn back to where they came from.

If the Hextech was developed to its full potential...

Then, even the expeditions to the Dark Lands could be realized as they were proposed many decades ago.

Dark Lands, aside from being the land of endless danger, was also the land of endless opportunity and riches. Especially now, for sure, due to the Resurgence of Magic, many rare metals and ores will appear in the Dark Lands.

The eagerness that Karl Franz was feeling right now couldn't be hidden at all...

"Also, the Dwarves are inviting you to join them in the Conclave of the Forge that will take place in Ironforge in three months The Patriarchs of the Clans would like to discuss the development of the Hextech, and in this Conclave of the Forge, the Gnomes of the Gnomeregan would also send their representative due to the topic of the Hextech."

Hearing what the Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer said, Karl Franz nodded, agreeing to participate in this Conclave of the Forge. On the matter, he also planned to take Maria, Cersei and Cirilla with him. 

The first two were half-required to go as his fainceés, and it would be a nice outing and opportunity, especially for the young lioness. In regard to Cirilla, it would be bad to let her here and not take her with them, aside from the fact that everyone she knew would be going to the Ironforge.

"Then thank them for their invitation and tell them that I would gladly participate."