Uprisings and Downfalls

[Beauty]

((Take 2))

Far out in the Salvarian countryside, times were getting extremely difficult. The harvest had been minimal at best, so there was a shortage of food. In addition to this, civil war had swept across Salvar with the Church of the Ethereal Sway at the forefront. Many, many fiefdoms had fallen to the silver-lined words of Church-inspired peasant revolts.

News of these revolts had reached Kanoth Springs, home of Lord Gregory Carth, within weeks of the Church’s first victory over the fiefdoms. His first reactions had been shock and outrage. The idea that King Rathaxea was an illegitimate ruler was not one the young Lord was willing to accept. He’d wanted to declare open warfare against the Church located in Kanoth Springs, however, he was not a stupid man. He had been very careful over the last several weeks to do everything he could to make sure the local clergy believed he would side with them.

Other than the issues with the church, the food shortage was a major headache. For the most part, the people here seemed fairly happy with their lot. Their taxes weren’t all that drastic, though he was sure they’d still complain if he only took a tenth of the harvest and trade earnings. However, when their children won’t stop crying about being hungry, peasants tended to forget how good things could be when the harvest was good.

Sighing, Carth pushed the thin stack of papers he’d been looking though away from himself. He’d been studying them fo at least an hour trying to figure out a way to make the numbers last for the winter. Thus far, it looked like things were only going to get worse. Groaning, he raised his hands to his head and massaged his temples with his fingertips.

While he did that, the door to his office opened silently to admit a beautiful young woman. She was dressed in a gown of fine, red and black silk and velvet. The neckline scooped dangerously low, but she preferred it that way. Her long blonde hair was partially pulled up and cascaded down her back in soft curls. As soon as she walked in, her crystal blue eyes noted that Carth had yet another headache. It seemed he was having a lot of them lately. Normally, she didn’t care about the state of other people’s health, but Carth was an important factor in her plans. She could not afford for him to start having headaches all the time.

Smiling a soft, alluring smile, she glided across the floor and let her hands rest on Carth’s shoulders. She was absolutely silent for a few minutes as she began to massage his shoulders. When she felt the tension start to fade under her fingers, she spoke softly.

“You are working too hard again, dearest. You need to relax.”

A contented sigh escaped Carth’s lips as he slowly relaxed a bit at the sound of her voice and the feel of her hands.

“That is easier said than done, Venus. This is going to be a very hard winter. A lot of people are going to be very hungry.”

Venus sniffed depreciatingly at that statement.

“You care too much about simple peasants. They are just peasants, nothing to worry your so much about. You should be more concerned with making sure that the manor is well stocked with more than enough food for the winter.”

Carth sighed and bent his head back to look up at her.

“It is exactly that kind of attitude and the actions it causes that incite revolts. They are what make or breaks a fiefdom. If they don’t work the fields, then there’s no food or income. The better I take care of my workers, the happier they will be. The happier they are, the less likely they are to revolt. Unless, of course, you want to start working the fields this spring?”

The look on her face was all the answer he needed to that particular question. He shook his head and stood to his feet. He offered her his arm, which she happily took and led the way out of his office.

“I’m sorry, love. I shouldn’t speak like that to you. Let’s go for a walk in the garden. That always seems to help me relax.”

~*~*~*~

Out in the streets of Kanoth Springs, decorum was rapidly disintegrating. A young acolyte of the Church stood on an upended barrel, making a long, wordy speech to the peasants. The words he said were not so important as the message behind them. Namely, that Lord Gregory Carth was a tyrant that would rather let the people starve than share what he had with them. This was, of course, a blatant lie, but it did not take much to get the people to believe it. The acolyte had been taught that the easiest way to win a crowd was to speak to their immediate needs. By insisting that Lord Carth had more than enough food hidden away in his manor to last the whole fiefdom the whole winter, he had the peasants’ undivided attention.

Before long he finished his speech and went back to the Church. As he left, he could hear many of the peasants grumbling and talking about how true his words were. He planned to talk to them again either tonight or tomorrow. By tomorrow he was certain that he would be able to incite the revolt his superiors desired. Despite his efforts, the lord of Kanoth Springs had not fooled the local clergy. They knew he would remain loyal to Rathaxea. Therefore, he had to be removed.

~*~*~*~

In another part of town, a young woman with long, brown hair and eyes to match, wandered casually down the streets. She was dressed in a simple dress of green linen and green slippers. Her hair was loose, falling down in waves to her knees. Though she did not know any of the people she saw, they all knew her. This was Slave, Lord Carth’s personal slave. Anyone that touched her was possibly signing his own death warrant.

At present, she was out on her daily walk about Kanoth Springs as per Lady Venus. Ever since the Lady arrived several months ago, life had improved drastically for the slavegirl. First of all, Lady Venus had thought it simply barbaric that Slave couldn’t even count to ten, write her own name, or read a simple sentence. After much prodding, the Lady had finally talked Carth into allowing her to give Slave lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic. For her part, Slave had been very eager to learn and was a fast learner. Though she couldn’t read and understand some of the books her master favored, Slave could now enjoy a short children’s novel and could write very well.

The other thing Lady Venus had insisted on was that Slave get regular exercise. A walk about town was plenty for one that was already as slender as Slave. Everyday, she was to take at least half an hour walk through Kanoth Springs. She could go anywhere she liked so long as she did not go outside the gates.

As she turned a corner, she stopped suddenly and backed around the corner again. There ahead of her she saw three of her master’s soldiers with another man on his hands and knees between them. She looked on in horror as they kicked him, punched him, and beat him with the flat of their swords. From the soldiers’ derisive comments, she guessed that the man was both a peasant and loyal to the church.

She could not stand to watch very much of it. Turning on her heel, she ran as fast as she could back to the manor. She knew her master well, and was sure he would not approve of his soldiers treating an innocent man the way they were treating that peasant. She was determined to tell him just as soon as she was able. She ran so quickly and blindly, that she barely saw anyone that she passed. She ran into several people and called a hurried apology over her shoulder, but did not stop in her hurry to reach her master.


((OOC: This is closed!))

[Heart of Zaga]

The sun had yet not reached it's highest point in the sky, and the peasants where already making such a commotion, Selene could barely stand it. Her and Saga had been riding for two days now, not halting a minute for a supper, or fifteen for a nap. Yet they where not the ones doing the walking. Their horses where now beyond exhaustion, it was almost amazing they had not yet plummeted into the ground taking their cruel riders with them. It was a lifestyle Selene and Zaga where not used to, continuously moving around the country and sometimes out.

Her father's was one of the fiefdoms that had betrayed the crown and allied with the church to retain which ever level of wealth they could after the church assured their allegiance. In other circumstances, like any good daughter, Selene would have obeyed whatever the lord's decision was upon The Heights. But the church worked carefully, and slyly in secrecy to investigate and remove any kind of behavior that might attempt to disrupt the momentum of The Sway.

A member of the clergy had been the first one to inspect an illness that had befallen the lord's daughter some ten years ago. It was found in her, what old document called, "An evil essence, that deprives toughs, and blurs judgment". Although nothing was done, (for nothing could be done) Selene recovered and the whole incident was soon forgotten until after she disappeared little before the church took over The Heights. Selene's decision of silently escaping the manor to take a long trip around Salvar like any road-side hitchhiker would be taken as an act of desertion. the church, under the spell of war, holds this as treason that should be prosecuted. And they would use this so-called evil entity to make her inquisition more formal in the eyes of a higher office.

The elements of Salvar where not gentle on her body so she wore a black parka over her garments when she galloped. That was probably why a man spewing The Sway's fabricated truth did not mind her while she passed. She had always hated these bastards, the ways they worked to manipulate the masses, feeding them lies and inspiring false hopes just sickened her. She was not fond of the fickle nature of the peasants either, who bow loyalty to whom ever even promises to spare one of two loafs of bread a day.

"Is it really alright?" Whispered Zaga, riding just alongside his mistress.

"...What is?" She spoke in a tone more or less disgruntled. Out of sleep deprivation, she felt almost like anyone with a hangover. Clearing her mouth, she chewed on her saliva twice, and rose her brow to look at the blond youth. He wore a slim, blue, leather jacket, and pants made of some light material.

"To come here like this," Zaga placed a hand over Selene's arched back, she had been half-sleeping this whole time, "it's like entering the lion's den, they will find us!"

"Has missing your daily ration of soup made you an idiot?," she groaned, a little irritated, "I told you yesterday and I will tell you again, now for the forth time. If those thugs followed out track to the last town, they should assume we moved south, out of the country. The best way to hide from someone is to hide right under their nose, hence why we moved back north. Besides, with this many people there it will be harder to spot us. It seems they have too much happening here to be preoccupied about a couple of traitors anyway."

"Ah... but..." The male attempted to formulate an objection, but it quickly faded away in his mouth.

In a world in which her parent turn over the head of their own daughter to the inquisition, Zaga, the sprite who has taken his mistress's soul to survive a natural cataclysm, holds her only company and protection. In other times Selene would have embraced The Sway with open arms, but now she scorns the name whenever she can, as it has forced her to live a life of secrecy. A group who works in the shadows seems to always be in their track, whether they plan to bring her back, torture her or kill her it does not matter. Avoiding the church's intentions is what consumes her completely.

"At all this. Where will we sleep tonight?," continued Zaga, "I bet you have not figured that one out! We don't have enough money for an Inn, and we can't keep moving north, not with these tiered horses atleast."

Saga jumped twice in his saddle as if wanting to finally bring the thin horse down, much to the animal's displeasure.

She threw the man a quick glare. "What? you think I brought us all this way just to sleep on an alley street? I'll have to pass out first for that to happen-"

"You kind of are already..."

"Yes!" she shouted, "that's why we are came to Kanoth Springs. I trust the lord will be gentleman enough to house us for a night or two. Right now I might not look like one, but I am a noblewoman."

"A noblewoman who's the daughter of a traitor," Zaga pursued, "do you really think he'll open his doors to you?"

"I am a traitor of traitors, thereof we have a common enemy, that makes us somewhat of allies doesn't it? besides, there is such a this as the law of hospitality."