Chapter One
It was raining, hard. The hailstones came down fast and thick and the Battle-Priest cursed his misfortune as he pounded the door-knocker at the Great Hall in Olmsborg. "Come in." said a Royal Huscarl. The door opened and he came in and was given a towel by a slave. He dried himself off as he rehearsed what he was going to say to High Yarl Ingvaldbjorn Amundsen. The High Yarl was on the Dragon-Throne and the Battle-Priest came forward. "Your Excellency, I have returned from the Kaiser-Reich and your cousin the Kaiser wishes you the best." said Alarik Alariksen the Battle Priest. "Go on." said the High Yarl. "I saw a unit of mounted Priests in action called 'Paladins' they were able to do so much more than our own Battle Priests. I am convinced that if we had an Order of Paladins up here, our battles wouldn't be so protracted." said the Battle Priest. "Our warriors are the best in the world, why do we need another kind of warrior?" asked the High Yarl. "Demons have been entering the world and only the Paladins know how to repel them." said Alarik. "Good enough, you go south to the Kaiser-Reich of the Nords and bring up a leader of theirs to train our Battle-Priests into Paladins." said the High Yarl. Alarik bowed and saluted and left the Hall to join his comrades in their Hall for much needed food and rest.
Chapter Two.
Alarik Alariksen and Anathon Anathonsen took a dragon-ship down to the Nord Kaiser-Reich and docked at Aldorburg and they traveled inland to the Great Paladin Monastery at Analiusburg, which was shared by the "Holy Hand of the Light" and "The Holy Order of the Light", two closely allied Paladin orders. The roads of the former Venetian Empire were still in good condition but the Nords had torn down all the cities and aqueducts to build their Castles and Halls. Even Venetia, which had once been the queen city of the whole world, was a Nord city of wattle and daub buildings, and a Nord Castle. The Temple of the Light was the last building remaining from the Venetian Empire, except for the Venetian Palace, which was the seat of Kaiser Alberkt Alansen Magnus the First. The Paladin Cathedral was a new structure and an engineering marvel, a cross between a Nord Stave Temple and a Venetian Temple. The men rode in and saluted the Archethnarch of the Orders. "Hail! Julius Varian Gaius Ammanuelsen the Third!" they said. The Archethnarch father was a Nord Baron and a Venetain noble woman, making him very powerful with both ethnic groups. "Hail to you!" said the Archethnarch as he saluted. "I come to establish an Order within the boundaries of Vyirlundia." said Alarik to the Archethnarch. The Archethnarch smiled. "Come to our hall and dine with us after prayers and Mass." said the Archethnarch. "Why do you Nords and Venetians believe that the High God is the only God to be worshipped?" asked Alarik to the Archethnarch. "The last Ethnarch of all men commanded men that the High God dismissed all of the minor gods and he is now in charge. That is the long and the short of it. The Dark gods oppose the will of the High God but they cannot win, so long as we continue to be faithful to the Light." said the Archethnarch. "That would be a hard doctrine for the Vyir to accept." said Alarik. "If a Yarl made himself the high overlord of all and made the other Yarls into Earls, who would object?" said the Archethnarch. "The Vyir all have statues of the god of war in their right pockets, if they heard that the god of war was powerless, who knows what would happen." said Alarik. "Just tell them that the High God has assumed that office and they are to trust only in the High God." said the Archethnarch. "You know that I secretly accepted rebaptism from you, but my baptism is not yet an open matter in Vyirlundia." said Alarik. The men entered the building and they passed the monks who were busy copying the texts of the last High Ethnarch's commandments. There where twelve books in total of the holy codex. "Our order is not only a fighting Order, we also spread the Word of the New Way to every corner of the world with our missionaries and scribes." said the Archethnarch as he pointed at the scribes busy at their work. The men came to the Office and sat down. "I can send you Brother Xaiver Timotheus." said the Archethnarch. "He will come with three scribes and three missionaries and they will talk with your High Priest. I have met the man, he has an open heart and I am sure that the native Priesthood will convert the land to the New Way." said the Archethnarch. "He will also train all converts interested in becoming Paladins. Shall we celebrate Mass?" asked the Archethnarch. The men went to the chapel and celebrated the Mass of the High God, chanting the Mass in Latini.
Chapter Three.
Alarik Alariksen and Anathon Anathonsen returned to the Great Hall in Olmsburg with the seven brothers. The High Yarl heard of the New Way and accepted baptism. The High Priest came to visit and after hearing of the New Way, accepted baptism. "So Brother Ultherhed, you may choose a new name." said Brother Xaiver Timotheus. "I shall be named Brother Ambrose, after one of the Twelve followers of the late Ethnarch." said the High Priest. "I will reform the Temple according to the new pattern." said the High Priest. "Excellent, make sure that all the Priests receive baptism and choose Bishops and Arch Bishops from amongst them." said Brother Xaiver. "The Holy Subethnarch will receive them at his chapel in Antonburg." said another brother. "So, the yearly sacrifice of the atonement is out?" said the High Priest. "Replaced with the weekly Mass. You will need to erect new Cathedrals and churches in order to bring the change fully into effect." said another brother. "So we tear down the Temples then." said Brother Ambrose. "Yes, the only Temple left, and we call it a Cathedral now to conform with the new doctrine, is in Venetia." said a brother.
Chapter Four.
Priest Andolf Andolfsen heard of the radical change and prayed to the gods of the Light. "It is indeed true." said the White Wolf to him in a vision. "The High God has exiled all the gods from his sight because they became compromised by the darkness." and his dream ended and he told his vision to the other Priests. "By the gods, this is an artifice of men!" said an angry Priest, Aldrik Aldriksen. "I shall continue to lead the people in the ways of the gods." he said. The other priests warned him to repent and Brother Andolf, having received baptism, threw Aldrik out of the Priesthood. "Return home in shame you brother of bandits and Orcs!" he said harshly. Aldrik drew a sword and almost slew the Priests but could not because of their Light. Priest Aldrik went all over Vyirlundia preaching that the gods would never abandon them, and soon the Vyir became split between the false preacher and the true preachers. More and more Vyir accepted baptism and finally even Aldrik was baptised and repented his former rebellion. The way was finally clear for the tearing down of all the Temples and the building of Cathedrals and churches. Everyone adopted the new symbol of the New Way and in a ceremony the Archbishop of Olmsburg released all of the White Rams from their enclosures at the old Temple. The people sang a hymn and received Mass. The new Paladin order was established at Olmsburg with 100 mounted Paladins.
Chapter Five.
The warriors and the Thanes were somewhat confused and resistant to the sudden change. Many still held to their pocket idols but change slowly came as more and more warriors and Thanes accepted baptism and agreed to not make marks on their body and to shave their heads and their beards. Churches were built in every slave village and as a part of the New Way, the slaves were all manumitted. The Kelti remained and agreed to assimilate into Vyir society. A few isolated Halls held out but after 70 years, they too converted. A huge change was that the latini alphabet and language replaced the Vyir runes for official business. The Orcs dared not to attack the Vyir now and only did occasional raids and forays into Vyirlundia. The Vyir Paladins focused on fighting the new threat: Demons portalling in from Undergard. A demonic Army of 1,000 demons led by a Dark Priest named Janus Ithicir marched on a number of towns in Nordlandia and razed them to the ground. The Paladin Orders rode in and defeated them in a massive battle at Anthon's Field. The Dark Priest was caught and executed and his body burned to ashes. The few Kelti and Nords that had refused baptism turned to the Dark gods and began to erect chapels to them in the wilds and set up a Dark Temple, deep within a mountain, replete with a Dark Sacrament and a Dark High Priest. The Dark High Priest then wrote down all the insane thoughts of the Dark gods and sent his missionaries to the wealthy and the powerful to lure them into the darkness.
Chapter Six.
"There is an active opposition. The Dark Temple seeks our destruction." said Brother Xaiver to the Subethnarch. "Send the Paladin Orders, destroy the worshippers of evil." said the Subethnarch. "As you Command your lordship." said Brother Xaiver. Brother Xaiver went north to Vyirlundia to speak with the Vyir Chapter of the Holy Hand of the Light. "I am not sure of your report. My mind seems clouded as of late." said Andar Andarsen, the Archethnarch of the Order. "Go gather more evidence and we will move then." he said to Brother Xaiver and went back to sleep. Brother Xaiver took a look around the Monastery and saw Paladins either missing, not in prayer, off drinking or otherwise arguing with each other over trival matters. "Oh my, this is serious." he said to himself as he left the Monastery. The White Wolf came to Brother Alarik in a dream. "The enemy has sapped your Paladins! Go and quickly bring in Paladins from the south to confront the Dark Archpriest Arvandius! He hides in the mountain named for Thane Albergsen." said the White Wolf and the dream ended. He quickly saddled a horse and rode to the Nord Kaiser-Reich and rode to all the Orders, compelling them to join him. All the Archethnarchs agreed and 5,000 Holy Paladins rode north into Vyirlundia to meet the enemy. 200 Wilderness Priests of the New Way joined the Paladins, their ministry was that of tearing down the shires to the gods of the Darkness and ripping down idols of every sort. They came to the tunnel entrance of the Dark High Temple. The Dark Priests poured out of the tunnel with their golems. The battle began in earnest. The Light and the Darkness surged until finally all of the Dark Priests lay dead on the ground. The Paladins and Priests entered into the mountain to confront the evil High Priest of the Dark gods but he portalled out. The Paladins and Priests left the mountain and ordered engineers to cave in the tunnel. They did and the Dark Priesthood never came back.
Prologue.
Over the proceeding years, the Paladins in Vyirlundia reformed and became a vital part of the war against the darkness. Demons invaded from different portals but were always beaten back by the Paladins.
The End.
It was raining, hard. The hailstones came down fast and thick and the Battle-Priest cursed his misfortune as he pounded the door-knocker at the Great Hall in Olmsborg. "Come in." said a Royal Huscarl. The door opened and he came in and was given a towel by a slave. He dried himself off as he rehearsed what he was going to say to High Yarl Ingvaldbjorn Amundsen. The High Yarl was on the Dragon-Throne and the Battle-Priest came forward. "Your Excellency, I have returned from the Kaiser-Reich and your cousin the Kaiser wishes you the best." said Alarik Alariksen the Battle Priest. "Go on." said the High Yarl. "I saw a unit of mounted Priests in action called 'Paladins' they were able to do so much more than our own Battle Priests. I am convinced that if we had an Order of Paladins up here, our battles wouldn't be so protracted." said the Battle Priest. "Our warriors are the best in the world, why do we need another kind of warrior?" asked the High Yarl. "Demons have been entering the world and only the Paladins know how to repel them." said Alarik. "Good enough, you go south to the Kaiser-Reich of the Nords and bring up a leader of theirs to train our Battle-Priests into Paladins." said the High Yarl. Alarik bowed and saluted and left the Hall to join his comrades in their Hall for much needed food and rest.
Chapter Two.
Alarik Alariksen and Anathon Anathonsen took a dragon-ship down to the Nord Kaiser-Reich and docked at Aldorburg and they traveled inland to the Great Paladin Monastery at Analiusburg, which was shared by the "Holy Hand of the Light" and "The Holy Order of the Light", two closely allied Paladin orders. The roads of the former Venetian Empire were still in good condition but the Nords had torn down all the cities and aqueducts to build their Castles and Halls. Even Venetia, which had once been the queen city of the whole world, was a Nord city of wattle and daub buildings, and a Nord Castle. The Temple of the Light was the last building remaining from the Venetian Empire, except for the Venetian Palace, which was the seat of Kaiser Alberkt Alansen Magnus the First. The Paladin Cathedral was a new structure and an engineering marvel, a cross between a Nord Stave Temple and a Venetian Temple. The men rode in and saluted the Archethnarch of the Orders. "Hail! Julius Varian Gaius Ammanuelsen the Third!" they said. The Archethnarch father was a Nord Baron and a Venetain noble woman, making him very powerful with both ethnic groups. "Hail to you!" said the Archethnarch as he saluted. "I come to establish an Order within the boundaries of Vyirlundia." said Alarik to the Archethnarch. The Archethnarch smiled. "Come to our hall and dine with us after prayers and Mass." said the Archethnarch. "Why do you Nords and Venetians believe that the High God is the only God to be worshipped?" asked Alarik to the Archethnarch. "The last Ethnarch of all men commanded men that the High God dismissed all of the minor gods and he is now in charge. That is the long and the short of it. The Dark gods oppose the will of the High God but they cannot win, so long as we continue to be faithful to the Light." said the Archethnarch. "That would be a hard doctrine for the Vyir to accept." said Alarik. "If a Yarl made himself the high overlord of all and made the other Yarls into Earls, who would object?" said the Archethnarch. "The Vyir all have statues of the god of war in their right pockets, if they heard that the god of war was powerless, who knows what would happen." said Alarik. "Just tell them that the High God has assumed that office and they are to trust only in the High God." said the Archethnarch. "You know that I secretly accepted rebaptism from you, but my baptism is not yet an open matter in Vyirlundia." said Alarik. The men entered the building and they passed the monks who were busy copying the texts of the last High Ethnarch's commandments. There where twelve books in total of the holy codex. "Our order is not only a fighting Order, we also spread the Word of the New Way to every corner of the world with our missionaries and scribes." said the Archethnarch as he pointed at the scribes busy at their work. The men came to the Office and sat down. "I can send you Brother Xaiver Timotheus." said the Archethnarch. "He will come with three scribes and three missionaries and they will talk with your High Priest. I have met the man, he has an open heart and I am sure that the native Priesthood will convert the land to the New Way." said the Archethnarch. "He will also train all converts interested in becoming Paladins. Shall we celebrate Mass?" asked the Archethnarch. The men went to the chapel and celebrated the Mass of the High God, chanting the Mass in Latini.
Chapter Three.
Alarik Alariksen and Anathon Anathonsen returned to the Great Hall in Olmsburg with the seven brothers. The High Yarl heard of the New Way and accepted baptism. The High Priest came to visit and after hearing of the New Way, accepted baptism. "So Brother Ultherhed, you may choose a new name." said Brother Xaiver Timotheus. "I shall be named Brother Ambrose, after one of the Twelve followers of the late Ethnarch." said the High Priest. "I will reform the Temple according to the new pattern." said the High Priest. "Excellent, make sure that all the Priests receive baptism and choose Bishops and Arch Bishops from amongst them." said Brother Xaiver. "The Holy Subethnarch will receive them at his chapel in Antonburg." said another brother. "So, the yearly sacrifice of the atonement is out?" said the High Priest. "Replaced with the weekly Mass. You will need to erect new Cathedrals and churches in order to bring the change fully into effect." said another brother. "So we tear down the Temples then." said Brother Ambrose. "Yes, the only Temple left, and we call it a Cathedral now to conform with the new doctrine, is in Venetia." said a brother.
Chapter Four.
Priest Andolf Andolfsen heard of the radical change and prayed to the gods of the Light. "It is indeed true." said the White Wolf to him in a vision. "The High God has exiled all the gods from his sight because they became compromised by the darkness." and his dream ended and he told his vision to the other Priests. "By the gods, this is an artifice of men!" said an angry Priest, Aldrik Aldriksen. "I shall continue to lead the people in the ways of the gods." he said. The other priests warned him to repent and Brother Andolf, having received baptism, threw Aldrik out of the Priesthood. "Return home in shame you brother of bandits and Orcs!" he said harshly. Aldrik drew a sword and almost slew the Priests but could not because of their Light. Priest Aldrik went all over Vyirlundia preaching that the gods would never abandon them, and soon the Vyir became split between the false preacher and the true preachers. More and more Vyir accepted baptism and finally even Aldrik was baptised and repented his former rebellion. The way was finally clear for the tearing down of all the Temples and the building of Cathedrals and churches. Everyone adopted the new symbol of the New Way and in a ceremony the Archbishop of Olmsburg released all of the White Rams from their enclosures at the old Temple. The people sang a hymn and received Mass. The new Paladin order was established at Olmsburg with 100 mounted Paladins.
Chapter Five.
The warriors and the Thanes were somewhat confused and resistant to the sudden change. Many still held to their pocket idols but change slowly came as more and more warriors and Thanes accepted baptism and agreed to not make marks on their body and to shave their heads and their beards. Churches were built in every slave village and as a part of the New Way, the slaves were all manumitted. The Kelti remained and agreed to assimilate into Vyir society. A few isolated Halls held out but after 70 years, they too converted. A huge change was that the latini alphabet and language replaced the Vyir runes for official business. The Orcs dared not to attack the Vyir now and only did occasional raids and forays into Vyirlundia. The Vyir Paladins focused on fighting the new threat: Demons portalling in from Undergard. A demonic Army of 1,000 demons led by a Dark Priest named Janus Ithicir marched on a number of towns in Nordlandia and razed them to the ground. The Paladin Orders rode in and defeated them in a massive battle at Anthon's Field. The Dark Priest was caught and executed and his body burned to ashes. The few Kelti and Nords that had refused baptism turned to the Dark gods and began to erect chapels to them in the wilds and set up a Dark Temple, deep within a mountain, replete with a Dark Sacrament and a Dark High Priest. The Dark High Priest then wrote down all the insane thoughts of the Dark gods and sent his missionaries to the wealthy and the powerful to lure them into the darkness.
Chapter Six.
"There is an active opposition. The Dark Temple seeks our destruction." said Brother Xaiver to the Subethnarch. "Send the Paladin Orders, destroy the worshippers of evil." said the Subethnarch. "As you Command your lordship." said Brother Xaiver. Brother Xaiver went north to Vyirlundia to speak with the Vyir Chapter of the Holy Hand of the Light. "I am not sure of your report. My mind seems clouded as of late." said Andar Andarsen, the Archethnarch of the Order. "Go gather more evidence and we will move then." he said to Brother Xaiver and went back to sleep. Brother Xaiver took a look around the Monastery and saw Paladins either missing, not in prayer, off drinking or otherwise arguing with each other over trival matters. "Oh my, this is serious." he said to himself as he left the Monastery. The White Wolf came to Brother Alarik in a dream. "The enemy has sapped your Paladins! Go and quickly bring in Paladins from the south to confront the Dark Archpriest Arvandius! He hides in the mountain named for Thane Albergsen." said the White Wolf and the dream ended. He quickly saddled a horse and rode to the Nord Kaiser-Reich and rode to all the Orders, compelling them to join him. All the Archethnarchs agreed and 5,000 Holy Paladins rode north into Vyirlundia to meet the enemy. 200 Wilderness Priests of the New Way joined the Paladins, their ministry was that of tearing down the shires to the gods of the Darkness and ripping down idols of every sort. They came to the tunnel entrance of the Dark High Temple. The Dark Priests poured out of the tunnel with their golems. The battle began in earnest. The Light and the Darkness surged until finally all of the Dark Priests lay dead on the ground. The Paladins and Priests entered into the mountain to confront the evil High Priest of the Dark gods but he portalled out. The Paladins and Priests left the mountain and ordered engineers to cave in the tunnel. They did and the Dark Priesthood never came back.
Prologue.
Over the proceeding years, the Paladins in Vyirlundia reformed and became a vital part of the war against the darkness. Demons invaded from different portals but were always beaten back by the Paladins.
The End.
No comments:
Post a Comment