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Codex: Concept of Levels

The concept of Levels is very old knowledge of the Lands of Ancients, dating back to the first Age of the Lordran, the Age of Ancients, when Lord Gwyn still walked among the mortals and when the Holy Light of the Great Ones was yet to come to bless the inhabitants of the Lands of the Ancient Lords.

One could say that the concept of the Levels had one sole purpose within the Ancient Lordran, which was to categorize people based on their physical and magical attributes within their respective categories so they could be better employed on the battlefield.

The creation of the Level Concept also served as a better way to identify threats so the people who were weaker wouldn't uselessly throw away their lives when facing vastly superior and stronger foes. 

After the Resurgence of the Magic and the contact between the Lordran and other contents of the Known World of Azyr, the Concept of Levels has slowly been adopted around the world. The first was the Westerlands of Westeros and shortly after the North of Westeros, mainly due to the familiar ties to the Holy Arcadia Empire.

Another great nation that adopted the concept of Levels was the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay, and some facts about it are found within the Essos. Slowly but surely, after several decades, the entire world was using it to differentiate between the strong and the weak.

Today, the Lordranian Concept of Levels is the common standard when categorizing people based on their power.

- Compendium of the Known World: Concepts of Level

***

The Conclave of Forge was rather a rare opportunity to participate because usually, the Conclave of Forge was just a private thing for the Dwarves from the League of Khaz-Modan when they were choosing the Clans to represent them in the Council of Three Hammers and vote to choose the Elector Count of the League of Khaz-Modan. 

Karl Franz, as Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, participated several times in the Conclave of the Forge because it was always an interesting event. Most often, it was full of dwarves showcasing their creations, strengths, and talents, but there was also a lot of drama and fights.

More often than not, the dwarves were fighting with each other, and there were a lot of conflicts between various Clans. Often, it started when someone insulted the craftsmanship of someone else, which was considered the worst kind of offense among the dwarves, and thus, the conflict was born.

It often resulted in brawls between all aggrieved parties, sometimes even among non-aggrieved parties, when the fight got too big and too intense.

"Would there be any changes to the current setup or not?"

Jacques d'Orleáns asked as he looked at the Minister of Finance Blackgold Savek Stormhammer. 

Stormhammer Clan was one of the major 40 Dwarven Clans, but they were not never really competing for the seat on the Council of the Three Hammers, as the Clan Stormhammer was most proficient in handling finances and so on, not the other aspects. 

Thus, they were mostly uninterested in competition from this certain point of view, but they were really interested in supporting the right Clans for the position of Councillors because that was their true interest in the game.

"Yer. It seems that the rumors were true, and Clan Longbeard of Erebor is going to challenge the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadow Forge or the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak for the seat among the Council of the Three Hammers. Though, it seems that the Dark Iron Clan is most probable..."

It seemed that the rumors were indeed true, that the Longbeard Clan was going to change one of the seatholders for the place.

The seatholders on the Council of Three Hammers didn't change in the centuries, and the Bronzebeard Clan held the title of the Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan since they joined the Holy Arcadia Empire.

And it was clear that the Bronzebeard Clan wouldn't lose their leadership any time soon because under the rule of the Patriarch Magni Bronzebeard, the Bronzebeard dwarves prospered like never before, and the Ironforge became one of the splendors of the Holy Arcadia Empire.

Not to mention, Patriarch Magni Bronzebeard enjoyed something that not everyone could say, and it was something very, very, very rare...

Personal friendship with the Holy Imperator of the Imperium. Magni Bronzebeard was one of the few people that Karl Franz could call his friend in this life. He personally liked dwarves because they were a merry bunch, they were straightforward and easy to talk to, and once you obtained their trust, they would never betray you.

They were also honorable folk, which was rarely seen.

"In one month, Khazad-dûm would open to visitors from all across the Imperium, and the two months during that timespan, there would be various preparations and events before the Conclave started."

Khazad-dûm, also known as the Dwarrowdelf or Moria, was an underground city of the Dwarves in the League of Khaz-Modan located beneath the Misty Mountains. It was known for being the ancient realm of the Dwarves; according to the legends, it was the place where they were created and born. 

It was as one of the most magnificent cities of the entirety of the Lodran, but for anyone who wasn't a dwarf, it was forbidden to enter. Only those who had permission from the entire Conclave of the Forge were allowed to set foot in its sacred halls.

For the dwarves, the place had too high spiritual value, and thus, foreigners were forbidden to enter the Khazad-dûm. Even the Imperator needed to notify the Conclavve before visiting the Khazad-dûm, for the people who were taking their traditions very, very seriously, it was to be expected.

Contrary to any other city, the Khazad-dûm was collectively managed by all dwarven clans in the Lordran, be it those residing in the League of Khaz-Modan or not. All Dwarven Clans were required to send personnel, money, and soldiers to maintain the Khazad-dûm because no one could lay a claim to the city and area itself. 

It was the cultural heritage of the entire Dwarven Race.

The only exception was when the Conclave of the Forge was taking place because visitors were only allowed to visit the Khazad-dûm, observe the Conclave of the Forge, and vote for the new Council of the Three Hammers.

And even then, those who wished to enter the most sacred underground kingdom needed to undergo the strictest scrutiny possible, as dwarves would never allow someone whom they didn't approve of to enter the Khazad-dûm. 

Approximately two hundred years ago, it even created diplomatic problems; when some of the High Elves Nobility were offended that they were forbidden to enter Khazad-dûm during the Conclave of Forge, and the situation almost escalated to open battle.

"Then it seems that this Conclave of the Forge would be rather interesting... wasn't the Longbeard Clan also heavily involved in the creation of the Hextech?"

Karl Franz asked Minister Stormhammer as the stocky dwarf nodded his head as he scratched his huge beard.

"Year. One of the biggest known lodes of Hex Crystals and Lacrimas is located in the Erebor, in fact."

Erebor was indeed full of treasures. The Longbeard Clan did wonders, as they managed to turn the Lonely Mountain, as it was called, into one of the most armed and defended fortress cities in the entire Lordran.

Not only that, but the Longbeard Clan was also holding the entire bulwark of Skavens at bay because the Lonely Mountain was located in the region where countless Skavens were exiting from the tunnels that they were creating from the Dark Lands where the heart of the Under-Empire was located.

Even though the Holy Arcadia Empire was doing its best to find such tunnels and either take control of them or bury them, they couldn't be everywhere at once. That was impossible, so the only thing that they could do was fight.

In many of the tunnels that were created by the Skavenblight, there were countless fortifications where the Dwarves and Imperial Legions, Silver Knights, and, nowadays, Stormcast Eternals were fighting for every inch of the ground.

Longbeard Clan was holding several of such paths because of their value, as these ones that the Longbeard Clan was holding were leading directly to the Dark Lands and some areas that were rich in several ores like Mitril and Adamantine.

If Karl Franz had to bet, then he would certainly say that the Longbeard Clan would be able to secure a spot among the Council of the Three Hammers. Even though the power of the Dark Iron Clan increased in the past years, it was nowhere near the Longbeard Clan as they were bidding their time. 

Their Patriarch, Durin I., was a very smart dwarf and very patient dwarf, which was a very unusual trait for the dwarf as they were known to be hotheaded and rather short-tempered; rarely, they were more strategists than full skull smashers.

It usually went against the fundamental nature of the dwarves because their species was motorically known for being as frank as possible, straightforward, and blunt. Rarely were the dwarves scheming and cunning, but it seemed that the Longbeard Clan was rather lucky in this regard as they have a very smart Patriarch.

He was conversing his strength for a long, very time, essentially avoiding the prying eyes of the other Clans among the Conclave of the Forge, until the Longbeard Clan was strong enough to contend for the position among the Council of the Three Hammers.

And that wasn't talking about the contribution of the Longbeard Clan towards the research of the Hextech that was short only after the Bronzebeard Clan, mostly due to the access of the Hex Crystals that were rather abundant within the territories controlled by the LongbeardClan.

"Now, if there is anything else that requires my immediate attention, we should conclude the meeting. On the matter of Westeros, the stance of the Holy Imperium is clear... the support our interests but only act when attacked. We don't need to meddle too much with the Westerosi; the last thing we need is for them to band together to counter our influence within the Westeros. The last thing, I will give you permission to ensure that the impending civil war go exactly as it should; we need a direct outcome."

For the greater good of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the civil war within Westeros must end in the extinction of the House Targaryen, preferably. Their abominational desecration of the Blood, and proliferate usage of Blood Magic was heresy towards the teachings of the Healing Church.

Even right now, Karl Franz had a very hard time containing some fanatical elements of the Imperium that wanted to declare Holy Crusade on the House Targaryen and kill every single one of them due to their desecration of the Blood.

When the Holy Arcadia Empire came into contact with the Westeros and Essos, it also caused them to find out about the Valyrian Freehold and their civilization that was built on Fire, Dragons, and Blood Magic. 

Due to their heretical practices, there was a great deal of hatred for anything related to the Valyrian, especially for the spawns of the Blood Magic. The existence of the Valyrians was blasphemy in the face of the Great Ones, and as such, they needed to be exterminated for the glory of the Great Ones.

It is not like the current House Targaryen, which actually had something to do with the Valyrian Freehold. From what Karl Franz knew, they were in a desperate straits, their glory and legacy lost due to decades, most due to the foolishness of their Kings and the Faith of the Seven that forced them to destroy most of their knowledge. 

And during the hundred years that they spent confined to the Dragonstone, it also didn't really help their legacy and preservance of the heritage of the Valyrian Freehold. Still, there was for sure that they had some things from the Freehold, and that was something that the Imperium needed to secure at any costs.

But everything will come in time.

"Also, give down the orders that Dragon Slaying Weapons are to be delivered to the House Baratheon in even greater numbers. With the Resurgence of Magic, that dammed Crown Prince already hatched Valyrian Wyvern. This information is personally confirmed by Ciaran and the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence, and it seems that the beast is growing very, very fast. If the House Baratheon should succeed in the rebellion, then they need some means to slay it, and what are the better methods than the weapons designed and created to slay True Dragons."

Now that the Crown had Valyrian Wyvern, it was complicating the things, as the Westeros wasn't that developed to handle even single one of them without significant casualties. 

Not to mention the Resurgence of Magic would ensure that the Valyrian Wyvern would be growing at exponential rate, much faster than it should. This was also because the Valyrian Wyverns were far more magical than ordinary Wyverns and they had more magic in them as they were closer to the True Dragons.

***

1st POV

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 

This was proof that the Resurgence of Magic wasn't always good because even though we were strong and the Resurgence of Magic was also benefitting us, it was even more beneficial for other subjects.

Within Westeros and Essos, where Magic was dominant, it was getting stronger and stronger at an exponential rate to the point where that fucking Valyrian abomination managed to hatch Valyrian Wyvern, which was apparently as large as adult Griffin. 

That was certainly a problem, but not one that couldn't be solved by us...

According to the reports, during the few months since the Tourney of Harrenhall, many of the Westerosi were acclimatized to the Magic and some of their physical capabilities, especially the most skilled warriors...

There were many who already reached the standards of the Silver Knights, even Elites among the Silver Knights, and according to the Ciaran, there were many that reached Level 2 in terms of physical strength upon having enough contact with Magic that has awakened in the Westeros. 

Many of the Westerosi Lineages were heavily magical in their nature, some no less compared to the Houses of the Elector Counts in the Holy Arcadia Empire. The House Baratheon was a prime example, a combination of the Heritage of the Valyrians and House Durrandons, rumored descendants of Gods.

Nobody knew what was true about that, but the strength of Robert Baratheon wasn't for a joke; that thing was for sure. Rather, it is a funny thing that the Targaryens would be brought down by something that was, technically speaking, Branch House of their very own Bloodline.

"It shall be done, Your Holy Majesty. We shall send even a few of the Dwarven Blacksmiths under the leadership of Master to take care of their equipment and other special needs in regard to creating more powerful weapons to ensure success."

Everyone knew that the eruption of the Rebellion was just a matter of time. It won't really take long for Robert Baratheon to ally with the Starks and raise an army against the Targaryens. 

With the current numbers, the odds were rather equal, though if the Valyrian Wyrm was taken into the equation, then the Royal Faction had a certain advantage as they had aerial combatants, which was becoming more and more important in the wars in the future.

I was even thinking of officially establishing the Air Force as an independent branch of the Imperial Military. In the future, air battles will become more and more prevalent and important in engagements. 

Even right now, when the Daemons of the Dark Lands were attacking the Skycrown Gates, there were typically tens of thousands of Daemons that could fly. Even most of the Daemon Nobles or Daemon Lords had wings and could fly, or even if they didn't have wings, they could still use their Magic to fly.

In the future, the existence of the Air Forces will be crucial because if you cannot attack or defend against the attacks from the skies, then your entire army will be fucked up. If we didn't have a means of dealing with the flying enemies, the soldiers at the Skycrown Gate would be overrun by the flying daemons that were numbered in countless thousands.

"Then, if you would excuse us."

With that being said, everyone slowly left my office, leaving me alone with my thoughts for the time being. 

Sometimes I was deeply regretting that I initiated the unification wars to unfity the civilized parts of the Lordran and became the Emperor. The amount of work and paperwork that I had to deal with on a daily basis was insane. 

Even though I had a rather advanced administration system and a ton of bearcats that were helping me on this, I was even using Magic on my occasions to ease up my work, but there were still many things that needed to be done personally.

Some papers and orders were too sensitive to be handled by someone else and were only for my eyes; some things, on the other hand, were basically situations where the administration couldn't decide on their own for one reason or another, and thus, it ended on my table.

In the end, it was annoying me to no end. 

Still, some things were causing me a slight smile...

With the Resurgence of Magic, many of the endangered species of the Dangers Beasts were undergoing nirvana like phoenixes. Some of the Danger Beasts were not really fertile and were slowly dying out, mostly those in Westeros and Essos, but with the Resurgence of Magic, this was essentially solved.

That was because the fertility of some species was directly tied to the Magic itself. 

Even in the Lands of the Ancient Lords, this was notable when I got reports that the Griffins now had more young ones when we were breeding them. Not only that, but the Great Eagles also had more hatchlings that were born from the eggs they had laid.

Griffins and Hippogriff were the most common creatures that were bred within the borders of the Holy Arcadia Empire as means of aerial combat. Though they were not only that, they were also companions for life because there was nothing more loyal than Royal Griffin. 

Another creature that we were attempting to breed was the Great Eagles of the Ulthuan, which were brought to the Lordran in ancient times during the First Age. Nowadays, the majority of their population actually lives in the Lordran instead of Ulthaun, as, many would wrongly think.

Great Eagles were like ordinary eagles in appearance, with a single minor difference in size. One adult Great Eagle was, in fact, in no way inferior to adult Valyrian Wyvern in their size, and like the Valyrian Wyvern and True Dragons, the Great Eagles were growing till the end of their lifespan.

Unfortunately, the Great Eagles had a very low fertility rate, and only a few of their eggs were successfully hatched thus, their population was protected by the Holy Imperium with great prejudice.

Even entering the Great Shelf within the Misty Mountains, which was located in the Leauge of Khaz-Modan, would be punished with a death sentence if someone didn't have an explicit permit from the local or Imperial authorities. 

Great Shelf was the home of the entire population of Great Eagles, numbering in a few hundred, but according to the latest reports, they were increasing as more and more hatchlings were born.

I didn't doubt that in a few decades, the entire world would be far more magical than before the Resurgence. Still, it would be nice to see countless endangered species being saved by the Resurgence of the Magic from the brink of extinction. 

And if the problems that we were facing were not enough with the situation in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, then there was this entire mess with the High Elves of Ulthuan as the High Chancellor is pestering me all the time.

In fact, I hated dealing with the High Elves; they were arrogant beyond reason and rather stupid, in my opinion. It was not like their crumbling power was any concern to us, but at the same time, if they were to fall, it would be a catastrophe.

Ten Kingdoms of the Ulthuan was one of the "superpowers" of the Known World of Azyr, even though this title was more or like attributed to them due to their long heritage and Magical prowess. 

When it came to their military experience and military might, there was a lot to be desired, as the High Elves got complacent with the time. Yes, for them, everything had been going splendidly since the war with the native Tribes of Trolls around four thousand years ago.

Sicne then rarely fought in wars or even large-scale conflicts, with only occasional Daemon Incursion and some pirates being some enemies they faced. Of course, the Orks were always a topic, but they were rather rare among the Ulthuan. 

Thus, the High Elves declined.

While they decided, we Lordranains rose to power.

This certainly created a great deal of jealousy from the side of the High Elves. Not only for our might and power that we obtained through the Old Blood, but also that their monopoly on the immortal species has passed.

High Elves were always so proud and arrogant about the fact that their species was angels, but when this was broken by the blessings of the Old Blood, they grew bitter and jealous, they grew angry, and the relationship with the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan, and Lordran became what it is today.

Bad in one word.

Not like I cared for them.

In fact, it would be best if they perished on their dammed islands. Unfortunately, things were not that easy, and the High Elves were guarding the Well of Eternity and Winds of Magic, making them extremely valuable.

Enough for the Holy Arcadia Empire to send its Legions to fight for the High Elves Kingdom and die for its survival if there was a need.

If the Well of Eternity and the Winds of Magic fell into the hands of someone else, if they fell into the hands of Chaos Cultists, Daemons of the Immaterium, or any other unscrupulous individuals, it could spell the doom of the entire world.

Like literarily the doom of the world.

So, unfortunately, and sadly, they cannot fall...

But that didn't really stop me from enacting my latest scheme against the Ulthuan...

Apparently, there was a lot of discord towards the Ruling Dynasty of the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan from some Grand Nobles of the Ulthuan. Some of the more militaristic noble families were disgusted with the current state of the Ulthuan and were striving for change. 

I know it was futile because the highest leadership of the High Elves and the entire Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan did something that was considered the greatest taboo in existence and most forbidden thing to do...

They grew accustomed to the status quo.

Once something like that happened, then the people who were used to the status quo would do everything in their power to preserve the status quo at any cost.

Still, it was a rather interesting list of people when I saw it on my table shortly after the Ambassador of the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan talked with my High Chancellor.

Windrunner, Theron, Sunstrider, and the list went on with some more names.

All of them were extremely militaristic families that ruled either entire Kingdoms or held positions of great power within the Ulthuan and High Elves society.

Windrunner Family being the Ranger-Generals of the Ulthuan, Theron Family holding the position of the Lord Commanders of Hoeth or Sunstrider Dynasty being the guardians of secret lore and one of the families that guarded the Well of Eternity.

'How to make use of it... Hmm... in the end, we need to help them get away from the menace, or they could really be in trouble... Still, the state of their military is terrible; have the millennia of doing really nothing dulled them to such an extent?'

It was almost mind-boggling because the Ten Kingdoms of the Ulthuan were once in the past most powerful nation in the Azyr. Their military might was famed across all continents, and they were without an equal...

And yet...

They were asking for help because they couldn't handle problems within their very own borders.

'Still... even if this will result in nothing and they will survive with our help, the next time would probably kill them. They were rather lucky that the person who planned the scheme wasn't really that smart as he played, or else it would be totally useless sending reinforcements to the Ulthuan.'

It felt weird because centuries ago, I wasn't really a scheming person, but now, after a few centuries of ruling, I was a perfect backstabbing and scheming bastard. 

I tapped several times on the deck before a small magic circle appeared above my desk, shining in dark purple color, before it cracked apart and dissipated into the nothingness in a split second.

Not even a moment later, a figure appeared from the shadows themselves. She wore silver armor with blue cloth, her face being completely covered by her helmet and mask, but the strikes of blonde hair couldn't be entirely hidden from the sight of my eye.

She was my Chief Spy and Assassin in most cases when it was needed; also, where there was a need for something to be done quietly, effectively, and brutally enough, it was her turn to undertake the job that I was giving her.

"Your Holy Majesty."

I saw her kneel on the ground as she looked at the ground. Ciaran, in fact, was one of the more devoted people in the Religion of the Great Ones and the teachings of the Healing Church; who knows why? 

"You can raise your head."

After being told that, she slowly raised her head, but was still kneeling.

"Your wish is my command, Your Holiness."

I faintly smiled, but we have more pressing matters, and Ciaran, as the Grandmaster of the Officio Assassinorum, was the perfect person to carry out the task that I was planning to entrust to her.

The Officio Assassinorum was a newly established, highly secretive agency within the colossus of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its countless branches in military or administration. 

It employed different Temples that trained Assassins to further the goals and protect the security and interests of the Holy Arcadia Empire at any cost. Although the Imperial Might strikes fear in the hearts of all Imperial citizens, loyal and corrupt alike, the deadly disciples of the Officio Assassinorum strike fear in the hearts of even the most savvy, battle-hardened of Imperial warriors.

Officio Assassinorum was created only recently after transferring the entire previous 2nd Legion that was commanded by Ciaran and some of the assassins of the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence under the command of Ciaran. 

This was to create the perfect agency that would deal with assassination and such. Ciaran was obviously the only choice for the post of Grand Master Assassin of the Officio Assassinorum, not only due to her skills as an assassin and personal might but also due to her fanatical, zealous loyalty towards my person. 

"You are certainly aware of what is happening in the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan."

I said as she nodded because everyone among the higher-ups of the Imperium heard about that as the situation within the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthaun went on for years, and it was shit. 

Drukhari, Orks, Corsair, Chaos Cultists, Corrupted Ones and Daemons...

Everything was in the Ulthuan in one huge melting point of troubles and problems.

"Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns, upon my order, sent there already some minor reinforcements, but the real wave of our troops would move only in a few days. Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence already confirmed that there are connections between the Witch King Malekith and the Orkatrius Empire. Corsairs of Lustria are just fighting for gold, nothing else. Now... this situation in the Ulthuan is a peerless opportunity for us. You shall go into the Ulthuan together with the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet and contact the Sunstrider House and other dissent Houses and give them a helping hand. There are many who are not satisfied with the ruling method of the Ten Kingdoms, and the Phoenix Dynasty is losing its previous support with how weak they have become."

Breaking apart the Ten Kingdoms of Ulthuan seemed to be impossible right now, but creating enough discord between the Kingdoms and sowing the seeds of hatred between the High Elves?

That was easily done with some minor operations.

"It shall be done."

Ciaran was always a woman of a few words. 

What was more problematic was that I sensed that something sinister was coming toward the Ulthuan, something like a foreknowledge. Suddenly, the feeling was getting stronger and stronger, as I felt my heart beating faster and faster.

My head started spinning, which was a rare thing, because since I reincarnated and drank the Old Blood, I didn't have such minor things. And yet, right now, I was feeling rather indescribable, but I knew that it was a very bad feeling.

Everything around my body started hurting, especially my eyes and my head, which was hurting like hell... 

Suddenly, I felt like the entire world had started turning around me...

"Lady Maria! Lady Maria! There is something happening with the Imperator!"

Those were probably the last words that I felt, and darkness overcame me entirely.