Eternal
Year 540
It’s not there yet, but the political and social climate in the republic is finally getting to a point that’s a little more recognizable to you. Thanks to Trog’s actions the orcs have been attacking the Nalin just like you wanted. After a couple of burned down massacred villages, the Nalinites are a lot more supportive of military endeavors (Kobold citizens especially, but that’s hardly surprising given their nature).
The citizens are also becoming more fearful and suspicious of other “foreign threats” like the usksha. Highlighting the sandman drug epidemic and the crime due to it, Quintus has managed to get restrictions on the southern borders of Nalin. The usksha that used to live within Nalin are starting to go back to their desert due to the increasingly hostile population. Trade hasn’t completely stopped, but the relationship between the republic and the emirates is very strained now.
Of course some of this still wouldn’t be possible without senate support, however that’s become more in Quintus’ favor due to a combination of several factors. Some are just like the peasants, they’re getting scared because their comfortable lifestyle are at risk and want to protect themselves. Some were weak from the start and vote depending on which way the majority is heading.
There are still holdouts that don’t agree with the more militant policies however. Even the “will of the people” does not sway them to fall in line. The most vocal of these is Senator Batalimus Ventis who has been a long time rival of Quintus. He’s stated that this trend towards militarism is going lead back to the dark days of when Matriarch Tarna ruled the land. He has also stated quite openly that Quintus is a warmongering fool that is only a puppet for his “mysterious Eternal” advisor.
Quintus hates the man more than he hates the usksha and feels he’s the main cause of all his woes. Apparently he’s also decided that even if it isn’t quite time to dismantle the senate, it is time to get rid of Batalimus and has tried to have the man assassinated on a few occasions. All attempts have failed so far though and all it’s done is served to make Batalimus more cautious and legitimize his accusations about Quintus (Even if he can’t quite connect Quintus to the actual assassins).
You’re going to have to speak with Trog soon about the attacks having served their purpose and that he needs to ease up. Trog is under the impression that after all this is over; he or at least his people will have a place within the new order when it finally comes about. In truth, you’d like to have a few orc legions if only for the intimidation factor of keeping the citizenry in line. However, you aren’t exactly sure how likely that’s going to be since orcs are increasingly becoming hated by the average citizen and are unlikely to want them to be incorporated into the new order no matter what. Let alone as soldiers.
Another problem for another day you suppose. Right now though you’re on your way back from another visit with Quintus (who basically did nothing but bitch about Bartalimus) and on your way back to Quala. You’re a lot better known now and as you pass through you mostly get a lot of respectful nods from the military and worried glances from citizens. Your reputation within the republic has grown and it’s much like it was back in the old Empire days. There’s a certain familiar comfort in that.
Before you leave Dalt you decide to pay a visit to Calvin’s museum to see Jennifer. Since the orc war, expeditions to the Quala Badland have been put on hold so Calvin and Jennifer have returned to work at their museum to study what they have found in more detail and ultimately put it on display.
When you enter, you see a sign that tells people to be sure to visit their brand new Empire exhibits. Naturally you wander over to where these displays are, so you can see how much they actually got right.
When you get to the exhibit its currently empty of visitors. You’re impressed with what you see though. They’ve managed to recreate a small portion of the Emperor’s palace and fill it with the old stuff they found. Some of the things are just replicas, but they’re very good replicas and in the correct locations. They even managed to restore one of the Emperor’s big black statues.
Just looking at all this stuff makes you feel like you’re back where you should be. When you close your eyes you can almost imagine that you are where you WANT to be. If only things had been different, you wouldn’t have to be starting all over again…
“We tried to make it look like what we thought it looked like in the past and based on writings we found.” You hear Jennifer’s voice say and you open your eyes to see her stand to the right of you.
“You did a good job, almost feels like home. That big ass black statue wasn’t in the throne room though. In fact the Emperor never even used the throne room when I knew him.” You say.
“Yeah, but we did have any place else to put it. I think its impressive looking where we did put it though. Should draw in a lot of people. So did you come here to revisit old memories?”
“Not at first, but this is was a nice distraction.”
“Glad to hear it, well I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” Jennifer says and begins to leave.
“No, stay here with me, I came here to see you in first place. Besides, no point in reliving past glories when I don’t have anyone to share said glories with.” You say and grab her hand.
Jennifer’s reaction is a positive one in that she doesn’t let go and moves closer to you.
“So since you’ve got the time, how about you tell me about some of those old glories?” Jennifer asks.
You gladly do so.
You talk with Jennifer for hours until it starts getting late at which point you say you have to get back to your mission in Quala. Jennifer understands and wishes you luck on it.
“If you’re going wish me luck, how about you do it with a kiss?” you ask which takes Jennifer by surprise.
“That’s certainly new. What brought this on?”
“I thought you liked me. You do don’t you?”
“Of course, I’m sure I was pretty obvious about it.”
“Well why ask why? I’m fond of you as well. I like your company and you’re the only person I’ve ever considered my friend since I got dug up. You’re independent, you’re physically attractive and you listen to all my stories. What’s not to like?” You say which causes a small chuckle from Jennifer.
“Okay…we’ll talk more about this later, but for right now, here’s that kiss.”
Jennifer moves in to kiss you and the pair of you embrace.
After your minor amorous interlude, you take your leave of the museum. You briefly wonder if pursuing a relationship with Jennifer is a good idea, but what’s done is done and you’ll just have to figure it out. Once again, another problem for another day you suppose.
Just as you get out of the gates of Dalt, two guards approach you. They’re not military or domestic security, they look like private guards, probably those of a senator.
“You the Eternal?” one of them asks.
“Yes.” You answer.
“Senator Batalimus wants to see you. If you would accompany us to his home please, it’s just a few miles west of this city.”
Well this is an interesting turn of events, though perhaps not entirely unexpected. If you had to guess, Batalimus either plans to have you killed when you arrive to meet him or he’s going to try to convince you to be on his side. You doubt he has the means to do either.
You don’t know if you should even bother entertaining him at all, but then you think if he does try to kill you, then you’ll have eliminated the need to kill him later. Hell, even if he doesn’t try to kill you, maybe you should just do it anyway.
You agree to follow the guards and eventually you reach Batalimus’ estate. His home isn’t much bigger than Quintus’ home, though there are a lot more trees and gardens on his grounds. As you expect there are a lot of guards patrolling about. When you step through the front door you feel like you’ve stepped into a barracks rather than a senator’s mansion due to all the guards standing around.
Soon an older balding man dressed in a purple robe comes down the grandiose staircase. It’s Batalimus.
“Ah the Eternal, at last we meet face to face.” Batalimus says.
“Yes, I’m surprised that you didn’t confiscate my weapons though.” You answer.
“Whatever for? We all know you can just incinerate or fry everyone in the room with the snap of your fingers. It’s not like you actually need a sword or even a pistol. You’re a walking weapon without such things.”
“So? Why risk bringing me here then?”
“Because I have nothing to lose. Your associate, Quintus seems quite determined to have me killed. Granted he always has harbored ill feelings, but now that the little reprobate has the advantage his confidence has reached an all time high. I suppose the fool has to have his fun though given the family he has. In any case I figure its only a matter of time before he sends you to do the deed and while I could increase my security even further, I quite frankly doubt if it would stop the likes of you. At best you might get mad.”
You have to appreciate someone who knows exactly where they stand.
“So…you brought me here to kill you?”
“Hah, I hope not, but I suppose that is a strong possibility. No, what I’d like to do is try to convince you to perhaps not kill the republic because that is what you and Quintus are striving to do, though I believe I actually have a shot with getting through to you. You aren’t saddled with any emotions of hatred towards me. To you, I’m just another potential obstacle in your goals. If I have to be killed then you will, but if it isn’t necessary you won’t.”
Well it looks like Batalimus has opted to try to get you on his side, just like you thought he might. He is over estimating your willingness to kill him though. True you don’t have any hatred for the man and quite honestly you probably already respect him more than Quintus within the short time you’ve met him, but you’ve been known to kill folks even if you believe that they will be potential obstacles in the future.
Still, killing Batalimus right now isn’t exactly part of the plan, so you’ll most likely just leave unless he tries to stop you. Then again you did come all this way so there is no harm in hearing him out.
« Go Back It’s not there yet, but the political and social climate in the republic is finally getting to a point that’s a little more recognizable to you. Thanks to Trog’s actions the orcs have been attacking the Nalin just like you wanted. After a couple of burned down massacred villages, the Nalinites are a lot more supportive of military endeavors (Kobold citizens especially, but that’s hardly surprising given their nature).
The citizens are also becoming more fearful and suspicious of other “foreign threats” like the usksha. Highlighting the sandman drug epidemic and the crime due to it, Quintus has managed to get restrictions on the southern borders of Nalin. The usksha that used to live within Nalin are starting to go back to their desert due to the increasingly hostile population. Trade hasn’t completely stopped, but the relationship between the republic and the emirates is very strained now.
Of course some of this still wouldn’t be possible without senate support, however that’s become more in Quintus’ favor due to a combination of several factors. Some are just like the peasants, they’re getting scared because their comfortable lifestyle are at risk and want to protect themselves. Some were weak from the start and vote depending on which way the majority is heading.
There are still holdouts that don’t agree with the more militant policies however. Even the “will of the people” does not sway them to fall in line. The most vocal of these is Senator Batalimus Ventis who has been a long time rival of Quintus. He’s stated that this trend towards militarism is going lead back to the dark days of when Matriarch Tarna ruled the land. He has also stated quite openly that Quintus is a warmongering fool that is only a puppet for his “mysterious Eternal” advisor.
Quintus hates the man more than he hates the usksha and feels he’s the main cause of all his woes. Apparently he’s also decided that even if it isn’t quite time to dismantle the senate, it is time to get rid of Batalimus and has tried to have the man assassinated on a few occasions. All attempts have failed so far though and all it’s done is served to make Batalimus more cautious and legitimize his accusations about Quintus (Even if he can’t quite connect Quintus to the actual assassins).
You’re going to have to speak with Trog soon about the attacks having served their purpose and that he needs to ease up. Trog is under the impression that after all this is over; he or at least his people will have a place within the new order when it finally comes about. In truth, you’d like to have a few orc legions if only for the intimidation factor of keeping the citizenry in line. However, you aren’t exactly sure how likely that’s going to be since orcs are increasingly becoming hated by the average citizen and are unlikely to want them to be incorporated into the new order no matter what. Let alone as soldiers.
Another problem for another day you suppose. Right now though you’re on your way back from another visit with Quintus (who basically did nothing but bitch about Bartalimus) and on your way back to Quala. You’re a lot better known now and as you pass through you mostly get a lot of respectful nods from the military and worried glances from citizens. Your reputation within the republic has grown and it’s much like it was back in the old Empire days. There’s a certain familiar comfort in that.
Before you leave Dalt you decide to pay a visit to Calvin’s museum to see Jennifer. Since the orc war, expeditions to the Quala Badland have been put on hold so Calvin and Jennifer have returned to work at their museum to study what they have found in more detail and ultimately put it on display.
When you enter, you see a sign that tells people to be sure to visit their brand new Empire exhibits. Naturally you wander over to where these displays are, so you can see how much they actually got right.
When you get to the exhibit its currently empty of visitors. You’re impressed with what you see though. They’ve managed to recreate a small portion of the Emperor’s palace and fill it with the old stuff they found. Some of the things are just replicas, but they’re very good replicas and in the correct locations. They even managed to restore one of the Emperor’s big black statues.
Just looking at all this stuff makes you feel like you’re back where you should be. When you close your eyes you can almost imagine that you are where you WANT to be. If only things had been different, you wouldn’t have to be starting all over again…
“We tried to make it look like what we thought it looked like in the past and based on writings we found.” You hear Jennifer’s voice say and you open your eyes to see her stand to the right of you.
“You did a good job, almost feels like home. That big ass black statue wasn’t in the throne room though. In fact the Emperor never even used the throne room when I knew him.” You say.
“Yeah, but we did have any place else to put it. I think its impressive looking where we did put it though. Should draw in a lot of people. So did you come here to revisit old memories?”
“Not at first, but this is was a nice distraction.”
“Glad to hear it, well I’ll leave you to your thoughts.” Jennifer says and begins to leave.
“No, stay here with me, I came here to see you in first place. Besides, no point in reliving past glories when I don’t have anyone to share said glories with.” You say and grab her hand.
Jennifer’s reaction is a positive one in that she doesn’t let go and moves closer to you.
“So since you’ve got the time, how about you tell me about some of those old glories?” Jennifer asks.
You gladly do so.
You talk with Jennifer for hours until it starts getting late at which point you say you have to get back to your mission in Quala. Jennifer understands and wishes you luck on it.
“If you’re going wish me luck, how about you do it with a kiss?” you ask which takes Jennifer by surprise.
“That’s certainly new. What brought this on?”
“I thought you liked me. You do don’t you?”
“Of course, I’m sure I was pretty obvious about it.”
“Well why ask why? I’m fond of you as well. I like your company and you’re the only person I’ve ever considered my friend since I got dug up. You’re independent, you’re physically attractive and you listen to all my stories. What’s not to like?” You say which causes a small chuckle from Jennifer.
“Okay…we’ll talk more about this later, but for right now, here’s that kiss.”
Jennifer moves in to kiss you and the pair of you embrace.
After your minor amorous interlude, you take your leave of the museum. You briefly wonder if pursuing a relationship with Jennifer is a good idea, but what’s done is done and you’ll just have to figure it out. Once again, another problem for another day you suppose.
Just as you get out of the gates of Dalt, two guards approach you. They’re not military or domestic security, they look like private guards, probably those of a senator.
“You the Eternal?” one of them asks.
“Yes.” You answer.
“Senator Batalimus wants to see you. If you would accompany us to his home please, it’s just a few miles west of this city.”
Well this is an interesting turn of events, though perhaps not entirely unexpected. If you had to guess, Batalimus either plans to have you killed when you arrive to meet him or he’s going to try to convince you to be on his side. You doubt he has the means to do either.
You don’t know if you should even bother entertaining him at all, but then you think if he does try to kill you, then you’ll have eliminated the need to kill him later. Hell, even if he doesn’t try to kill you, maybe you should just do it anyway.
You agree to follow the guards and eventually you reach Batalimus’ estate. His home isn’t much bigger than Quintus’ home, though there are a lot more trees and gardens on his grounds. As you expect there are a lot of guards patrolling about. When you step through the front door you feel like you’ve stepped into a barracks rather than a senator’s mansion due to all the guards standing around.
Soon an older balding man dressed in a purple robe comes down the grandiose staircase. It’s Batalimus.
“Ah the Eternal, at last we meet face to face.” Batalimus says.
“Yes, I’m surprised that you didn’t confiscate my weapons though.” You answer.
“Whatever for? We all know you can just incinerate or fry everyone in the room with the snap of your fingers. It’s not like you actually need a sword or even a pistol. You’re a walking weapon without such things.”
“So? Why risk bringing me here then?”
“Because I have nothing to lose. Your associate, Quintus seems quite determined to have me killed. Granted he always has harbored ill feelings, but now that the little reprobate has the advantage his confidence has reached an all time high. I suppose the fool has to have his fun though given the family he has. In any case I figure its only a matter of time before he sends you to do the deed and while I could increase my security even further, I quite frankly doubt if it would stop the likes of you. At best you might get mad.”
You have to appreciate someone who knows exactly where they stand.
“So…you brought me here to kill you?”
“Hah, I hope not, but I suppose that is a strong possibility. No, what I’d like to do is try to convince you to perhaps not kill the republic because that is what you and Quintus are striving to do, though I believe I actually have a shot with getting through to you. You aren’t saddled with any emotions of hatred towards me. To you, I’m just another potential obstacle in your goals. If I have to be killed then you will, but if it isn’t necessary you won’t.”
Well it looks like Batalimus has opted to try to get you on his side, just like you thought he might. He is over estimating your willingness to kill him though. True you don’t have any hatred for the man and quite honestly you probably already respect him more than Quintus within the short time you’ve met him, but you’ve been known to kill folks even if you believe that they will be potential obstacles in the future.
Still, killing Batalimus right now isn’t exactly part of the plan, so you’ll most likely just leave unless he tries to stop you. Then again you did come all this way so there is no harm in hearing him out.