Pomp, Circumstance and Decadence

[Eminence]

Three loud knocks. BANG. BANG. BANG. A man, clad in all black, knocks his cane against the iron door of the cathedral. The knocking of the cane, trimmed in plated silver over oak wood, echoes loudly in the quiet streets of the capital.

After the three bangs, a aged voice calls out "Who is there?"

The man in black responds, "His royal highness, crown prince of Caparetta. Royal prince of Mangou and Arraine. Pomainte, Hermark and Nadaronne. Of Lochut, Arterach, Montpensier, Lambersville, Hermark and Bronfurt. Knight of the Iron Crown, inspector-general of royal infantry, archduke Siegfried of Ladislaus."

From behind the great iron doors of the cathedral, the old monk responds "We do not know him." bluntly.

Again, three knocks. BANG. BANG. BANG. The knocks once again echo throughout the quiet streets of the city.

"Who is there?" repeats the old man from behind the iron doors.

"Archduke Siegfried of Ladislaus." repeats the man clad in black.

From within, the same words are repeated by the old man "We do not know him."

Defiantly, the man once again knocks his cane against the iron doors of the cathedral, silence briefly follows.

The old man picks up again, saying in his frail voice "Who is there?"

The man clad in black says in a much softer tone "Siegfried."

Silence follows the man's response, until the coarse sound of the iron locks of the gate being released can be heard. From within, monks carrying single wax candles open the two iron gates of the cathedral. As the iron gates are opening, the men at its gate proceed inside. Six of them carry a coffin, draped in the tri-colour flag of the Kingdom as well as an assortment of various flowers and wreaths, proceed inside.

The procession proceeded down the dark halls of the cathedral and as it did so the monks flanking the halls lit candles as the procession made its way down the long hallway. As the monks lit the candles, the tri-colour flags of the Kingdom that flanked each side of the cathedral were visible, draping down from the ceiling to the stone brick floor of Caparetta's oldest standing place of worship. As the procession proceeded to the front of the cathedral, the man carrying the decorated coffin stopped and together they brought it down over a stone slab, it was well decorated with religious inscriptions along its sides. As the men let the coffin down, the full procession began to fill the once empty hall of the cathedral. Men clad in black suits occupied the farthest side of the cathedral and at the front closest to the coffin of the crown prince mourners were clad in a wide variety of outfits, many with gold epaulets, gold and silver buttons, medals at their breasts, and sashes of different colours and designs - each representing a different noble house. Flanking the main hall to the cathedral were honour guards, clad in red and black tunics, they carried high halberds and white plumes draped down the back of their helmets.



Despite the pomp and circumstance of the affair, the mood was largely mellow, and few tears were seen in the polished faces of the nobility that had chosen to attend. The monks flanked the coffin of the crown prince, and at the forefront a man clad in the fine white robes of the clergy appeared, carrying a golden staff with etched patterns up and down it. The man began speaking, although to much of the audience his tongue was unknown. He spoke in an archaic Lanlanian tongue, unfamiliar to much of Caparettan society save much of the upper clergy and the religious nobility. The man in white blessed the man within the coffin, whose face and body could not be shown to the attendees due to the circumstances of his own end.

As the ceremony progressed, the man in white concluded his blessings and stood to the side and a figure clad in a pale blue tunic emerged, countless medals and decorations rested at his breast and a sash of yellow, blue and black hung across his torso. As he looked on at the audience, he moved his arms from behind his back and with his hands, which were clad in white satin gloves, he pulled out a small piece of paper with almost indecipherable and archaic writing on it.

"His royal highness, King Leopold of Caparetta, sovereign lord of Mangou, Arraine, Pomainte, Hermark and Nadaronne. Of Lochut, Arterach, Montpensier, Lambersville, Hermark and Bronfurt. Grandmaster of the orders of the Knights of the Purple Fleece, of the Knights of the Iron Crown and of the military order of Henri Ladislaus has instructed myself, crown prince Frederick to issue this statement." the man said in a most solemn and proud tone. "We sincerely regret that we are not present at the ceremony of our most beloved son and heir to the throne of our Kingdom. We should have liked personally to express to you our sincerest thanks for your sympathy in our keen sorrow, a sympathy which has greatly touched me. By your warm and sympathetic condolences you have given me renewed proof that we have the most ardently loyal of subjects, and that we may count upon you in every hour of grave trial. The attack directed against our poor son is the direct consequence of the agitation carried on by anarchists and uninformed members of our peasantry, whose sole aim is the weakening of our great house and the destruction of our Kingdom. It is no longer an affair of the single bloody deed of an individual but of a well organised conspiracy, of which all the threads reach to those who seek our society's collapse. Nevertheless it cannot be doubted that the event regarding the death of our noble son will nourish further crimes of this sort, and that the continuance of this state of things constitutes a constant danger to our house and to our kingdom's good health. The efforts of our government should in consequence be directed toward the isolation and the decimation of these anarchistic elements of our society immediately. If we are to ensure the continued prosperity of our Kingdom, we must ensure the safety of its ruling house - which is why we do announce our government's intention to begin immediately an investigation into the death of our son and into the rise of the anarchistic elements of our society, which are by no doubt motivated by the greed of the up and coming as well as that of those who we have rightfully wronged in the past decades of our most glorious reign." the man said. As he finished, he returned the piece of paper to his pocket and nodded to his audience. He stepped to the side and with his right hand he clasped the hilt of his cavalry sword and proceeded back into the mass of noblemen that occupied the front of the cathedral.

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

Turenne, Kingdom of Caparetta
Saint-Guillaume Cathedral
Vintyr 4, 1584

The large, old cathedral was packed with people, or at least as packed as it could be without disgracing the noble-blooded attendees by having their shoulders rub together. The death of Archduke Siegfried, Crown Prince and Heir Apparent, demanded the attendance of every noble that would be considered to be of any note, and so that meant that nearly all of them attended, or tried to. It really served a double purpose, as with most things in the social life of a Caparettan aristocrat. One’s importance and rank could be judged by their position in the cathedral. In the front rows, of course, were the royal family. The new Crown Prince, Frederick, was of course present with his wife and children, as were the king’s other sons and daughters. The king’s brothers and sisters and their children, the Crown Prince’s uncles, aunts, and cousins, in addition to a variety of distant relations, were also there. Immediately behind the royal family were the most important of the aristocracy, the upper class of the upper class. Duke Clément of Arraine, Guernot of Pomainte, Joachim of Lochut, Adrian of Bronfurt; Count Otto of Nadaronne, Bartolt of Mangou, Fabien of Montpensier; Marquis Othon of Arterach and Henneck of Hermark. Lord Mayor Wautier of Lambersville, somewhat to the chagrin of the nobles around him, was also among the first rows.

The viscounts of Kasburg, Tuteliard, and Weissen, as well as the barons of Bonhalden, Aledan, Mergoul, and Etellec, and the lord mayor of Partorre, among others, were present as well. Indeed, the whole of the cathedral was full to the brim with aristocrats and their families, and they even spilled out into the yard. For these latter attendees, speakers had been installed so that all would be able to hear the funeral proceedings. Whether this was a blessing or a curse was up to speculation. The entire event was unimaginably boring, even for those veterans of social events that one might have thought were used to this sort of thing. Because House Ladislaus were Sentric, a Sentric priest was there to pray and preach. About half of his speech was in an archaic Lanlanian tongue that few were able to easily understand, even those who spoke Lanlanian. The other half, spoken in a Geinic language, spoke about the purposes of life, duty to God, duty to family, duty to the dead’s legacy, etc. Then various persons stepped forward to speak about the deceased’s fine character, pure heart, and important legacy. Naturally, no one wanted to be outdone by the others, so they all strove to make their speeches sufficiently long and flowery. When, finally, after many hours, the ceremonies and funeral were over, the noble attendees immediately went to their many waiting cars and were driven straight to the wake, the social gathering after the funeral.  It was held in the royal palace, so naturally no expense was spared. The royal palace was finely decorated, gold and silver trimmed the ornate walls and draperies of silk swung high from the ornately decorated ceiling of the great hall, containing frescoes of Caparettan historical moments. Servants dressed in lavish purple coats and white powdered wigs walked the halls carrying silver trays of food. Flanking each door of the palace, household guards dressed in red ceremonial tunics carried halberds.

Otto, count of Nadaronne, approached the circle where Duke Joachim of Lochut was engaged in polite conversation with several people. When Otto came up, Joachim excused himself, and they walked off together. After several long moments of silence, Otto said in the Geinic tongue used by the nobility, “That’s an exquisite suit, my duke.”

“Don’t test my patience, Nadaronne,” the duke responded tersely. “What is it?”

“We should discuss strategy,” Otto said calmly after downing a glass of fine wine and taking another off of a servant’s tray. “The king’s directive was quite clear, the investigation must immediately commence, and you are the minister of justice.”

“Yes, I know that,” the duke responded sharply. “It was rather… crude of him, though, to get so directly involved.”

“His son and heir was brutally murdered, cut down in the prime of his life. Wouldn’t you?”

Joachim frowned a sour frown. “Yes, I suppose it is understandable. In any case, at least we no longer have to deal with that bastard Siegfried. I swear, if he had looked at my wife like that one more time-”

“Calm now, Joachim,” Count Otto interrupted. “Not another word about it. We did just come from his funeral. Forget about him.”

“And how can we forget? He was an ass, but he was the Crown Prince! And he was assassinated by peasants! Do you realize what sort of repercussions this could have? If the commons get into their heads the idea that they can simply kill-”

“It’s not gone that far,” Otto assured him. “It was an isolated incident, and it’s your duty to ensure that it stays that way by making an example out of the perpetrators. Now, as I was saying about strategy-”

“Hold on! There’s the king,” Joachim said, gesturing with his chin to a far balcony. The balcony was high above the floor, and the king looked down upon all of the guests. He was a middle aged man, about sixty years old. As with all his public appearances, he wore his regal robes and crown, and held his royal scepter. A herald cried, “Announcing his Royal Majesty, Leopold Renaud Étienne Ludolf Konrad Magnus Alexander Filip Ladislaus, King of Caparetta, Sovereign Lord…” The herald went on to list his many titles.

The hall was utterly silent. Finally, the king spoke. “Our loyal subjects, who honor us with their presence and grieve with us for the tragic loss of our beloved son, we welcome you. We entreat you to enjoy yourselves, to partake in our arrangements of food and drink. We entreat you to enjoy yourselves, as our beloved son would have wanted you to.” The king raised a glass of wine. “To Siegfried, beloved son, brother, husband, father, and friend.” Everyone in the hall raised a glass, and said as one, “To Siegfried.” The king took a drink from his glass, turned from the balcony, and left.

After the king was gone and the party returned to normal, Otto looked at Joachim. “Indeed, to Siegfried,” he said, and took another drink of wine.

[Eminence]

Turenne, Kingdom of Caparetta
Palace of Ladislaus, East Wing
Vintyr 4, 1584

The King sat at his armchair, his posture straight and disciplined. He wore a pale blue tunic that was decorated in countless golden, silver and brass metals. Gold buttons etched with the insignia L.R., Leopold Royal, kept each breast of his coat together. The King wore black trousers trimmed by red lining on each side. On his head, the King wore a black military style cap with a yellow and navy blue plume at its peak. A sashe decorated in the colours of the Kingdom, yellow blue and black, crossed around his back and shoulders. The King's face was dignified, his expression always plain and blunt, and his eccentric beard was always trimmed and well-kept. The King's mustache was waxed and his short hair combed back under his hat. The room itself was rather empty, aside from several chairs that stood by the doors and a small end table by the King's armchair, the room was largely empty. The King sat in-front of a roaring fire, which had been on for hours by how hot the room was by now. The King held a cup and a saucer, and with a hand clad in white satin gloves the King took soft sips from his cup while he watched the fire. The doors to the room were open, signifying that the King was receiving guests. Servants clad in ceremonial robes and powdered wigs flanked the doorways of the room, hands behind their back and their eyes forward.

The King had not been sitting at his chair for fewer than five minutes before he heard from down the hall the sound of some dozen footsteps, the sound of the King's coming entourage and their accompanying petitions and requests of the King. The King, hearing the footsteps, turned and placed his cup of tea atop the end table by his chair. Clasping his knees the King lifted himself up and placed his hands behind his back, arching forward ever so slightly. Some thirteen or fourteen men entered the room, each of them clad in regal or ceremonial dress. Some wore military uniforms and had elegant cavalry swords at their sides. As befits tradition, the King may not be seen seated by his subjects, and so he stood. As the men entered the room, they bowed and lowered their heads. At the head of the group was a highly decorated military officer, he stood almost six and a half feet tall and he held his right hand to the hilt of his cavalry sword as a way of signifying his martial position.

"Your royal majesty." the man said to the King as he lowered his head to a bow, the King nodded to him and with his hand he signaled for the man to speak.

"Speak, Count Franz." the King ordered.

"Your royal majesty, I have personally seen that the security of the palace and of your royal highness's motorcade is bolstered, we are also taking steps to increase the level of surveillance in the capital and in other large cities in an attempt to ease our law enforcement of further burdens on their numbers or their capacity to protect the safety of all of your majesty's subjects in this time of crisis." the man said in a most archaic and elegant form of Geinic.

The King looked at him bluntly and nodded ever so slightly. "And the security of our son and heir apparent, as well as the rest of our royal family?" the King inquired.

"Your royal majesty, I have seen to it that the new Crown Prince and Archduke is to cancel many of his domestic functions whilst the investigation continues, I have limited his attendance to military events only." the Count stated.

"See to it that our son is sworn to the positions he is now entitled to, we would have things return to normality and the most immediate instant in order to inspire stability in our Kingdom." the King stated.

"Yes, your royal majesty." the Count said, he donned another bow to the King and walked back several steps before turning, and leaving the room.

The next man stood forward to speak, as tradition goes this man was the second ranking individual of the original thirteen or thirteen attendees. The man wore an elegant tailored suit, his collar was styled in the shorter fashion and a white bow tie accompanied it. He wore a black jacket that had tails stretching down to the man's mid thigh. He wore no hat but white satin gloves covered his hands.

"Duke Adrian Bronfurt." the King said, acknowledging the man's presence and giving him permission to speak.

"Your royal majesty." the Duke said as he bowed his head to the King. The King then quipped his fingers signalling for him to rise.

"Your royal majesty, I have come to you this day to wish you the most sincere of sympathies regarding the tragic assasination of your majesty's late son and heir apparant to your majesty's Kingdom. The loss of the Crown Prince has been felt throughout Bronfurt, your majesty." the man said sincerely, he moved his hands behind his back and twisted his fingers around eachother nervously.

The King nodded briefly, and almost appeared as if he were about to speak, before the loud sounds of boot-steps could be heard. Entering the room was the Crown Prince, Archduke Frederick Josef Louis Rudolf Ladislaus, the newly recognised heir apparent to the Caparettan throne. As the Archduke occupied now a higher position than that of the Duke, the Duke took several steps back and gave his audience up for his superior. The Archduke walked into the room proudly, the heels of his cavalry boots crashed against the hardwood floor of the palace loudly. He wore a white military coat, decorated with epaulets, medals, and a sash of the Caparettan national colours. He had short brown hair that was neatly combed to the sides, a short brown mustache sat on his upper lip and was curled slightly upwards. As he walked in the entourage of the King nodded to him as a sign of respect, they remained silent. The King nodded to his son and signaled with his right hand that he may speak.

"Your royal majesty." the crown prince said quite vocally.

"My son... It brings us great gratitude that you heeded our call for you." the King said in his archaic and unbelievably eccentric Geinic language. "You have taken place of your late brother, long may he rest, as a member of the most esteemed body of the Royal Council." the King continued, he straightened his back to a more disciplined pose before saying "Tradition hath dictated that much of my direct influence remain out of the Council itself, my son." the King said, his son's eyebrows raised ever the slightest. "Therefore you are to take the position of representing ourself upon the council, and must stand for the interests of the Crown." the King stated.

"Yes, your royal majesty." his son responded, he clasped tightly at the hilt of his decorative cavalry sword and straightened his back to the disciplined posture that befitted his title.

"In times like these it is necessary to recognise the necessity of information, my son. Therefore I ask of you to relay the events of the Council meetings directly to me rather than by notice, and that you attend all meetings rather than by proxy until the political situation calms down." the King concluded.

"Yes, your royal majesty. I shant betray your will and shall carry out these duties to my fullest." the Archduke responded. The King waved his hand to him as a signal that his audience was over, and in Caparettan military fashion the Archduke stood to attention and straightened his boots. The Archduke then bowed and took several steps backwards, before turning and leaving the room.

The King then turned back to the Duke and raised his hand to him. "Where were we, Duke?" he asked, smiling.

[Jamzor the Jaxxor]

Turenne, Kingdom of Caparetta
Carnot Avenue
Vintyr 6, 1584

“As you can see, my lord, the damage was extensive,” the police detective said. “Debris was thrown hundreds of feet away.” The debris was now, for the most part, cleaned up, but at the time of the explosion there were bricks, car parts, and body parts strewn across the ground up and down the street. The avenue was still cordoned off to traffic of any kind by royal decree, even though the initial criminal investigation of the scene had been concluded. “If your lordship will forgive my impoliteness, I do not know why you are here, or why another investigation must be simultaneously conducted besides that of the National Police’s,” the detective said.

Duke Joachim, Minister of Justice, glanced at him in annoyance. “Because,” the duke said, “His Royal Majesty the king has decreed that it be so. His Royal Majesty wishes to ensure that the investigation is done properly, and that nothing is overlooked. I assume, detective,” he said, looking down his nose at the man, “that you can understand the king’s decision, given the gravity of the crime.”

“Yes, of course, my lord,” the detective hurried to say. “My apologies. Now, ah, if you’ll just step this way… Yes, well, the late Crown Prince’s car was almost directly over the spot where the bomb was buried when it exploded. It was due either to dumb luck or precise planning. If your lordship were to ask me my opinion, I would say luck.”

“If I wish to hear your opinion, detective, I shall ask for it,” Joachim said.

“Yes, my apologies, my lord,” the detective said. “Ah, anyway, the prince was killed instantly along with his wife. The car immediately in front of the prince’s car was blown-”

“Enough about the damage from the explosion,” Joachim interrupted. “Tell me about how the bomb got here in the first place.”

“Well, you see, my lord, that is the great question,” the detective said almost philosophically. “Even though there are numerous cameras along the avenue, not a single one was able to capture footage of the bomb being transported or placed. However, this particular spot was involved in some maintenance construction about three weeks before the incident. We believe that the bomb was installed then.”

Joachim thought silently to himself as he surveyed the scene. “Did the prince often travel along this route?” he asked.

“Yes, my lord, quite often. However, the Crown Prince’s new security chief was a bit more paranoid than the last, and often had him taking different routes throughout the city. Some of them were quite convoluted.”

“I thought the Old City was secure. Do they let just anyone come in to work?”

“No, my lord, security is quite high. Everyone who enters the Old City is thoroughly investigated,” the detective said.

“What kind of bomb was it? How was it detonated?”

“At first we thought it was remotely detonated by someone who was able to see when the prince’s car passed over the bomb, my lord. However, our investigation has ruled out this possibility.”

“How so?”

“Well, my lord, later examination of the remains of the bomb showed it to have several similar characteristics to time-delayed devices used commonly in the international black market. Also, the streets were completely empty and none of the buildings within line of sight were occupied at the time. For these reasons, we believe it was on a timer.”

“How, then, did it come to detonate right as the prince passed over it?” Joachim asked himself.

“I don’t know, my lord,” the detective replied to the rhetorical question. “Like I said, dumb luck.”

The duke ignored him.