Of Politics, Squabbles and Drama?

Codex: The City of Gods as the Holy City of the Holy Arcadia Empire

Anor Londo, the City of Gods, is ruled by The Holy Imperator personally and the Imperial House. The City of Gods was built by Lord of Cinder and Sunlight, Lord Gwyn, in the first Age of Lordran; till this day, it remains the most important place within the Lordran and is the symbol of power and majesties of the Imperial House and Holy Imperator.

***

I literarily spent several hours studying the case of the conflict between the Wildhammer Dwarves of the Aerial Peak and the Longbeard Clan of the Erebor, the Lonely Mountain.

And naturally, as it was almost a tradition when it came to the dwarves, there was a lot of cursing and alcohol involved in everything. Basically, the entire premise was that, not really far from the Lonely Mountain Erebor, there were small hills named Iron Hills.

It was a distance of around 300km, so it was rather close to the Erebor, but at the same time, it was also on the borders of the territory belonging to the Aerial Peak under the Wildhammer Clan. 

Within the Iron Hills, there were evidently huge lodges of special Iron Ore that was stronger than the average Iron Ore, and the dwarves attributed it to the Great Resurgence of the Magic.

Now, the deal was Erebor pressed its claim on the Iron Hills, and the Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan even sent part of their army and countless dwarves to make their stand and outôost.

But the same thing was done by the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak, who said that the Iron Hills are part of the mountain range that falls under the jurisdiction of the Aerial Peak; even technically speaking, it were not the mountains, just the hills.

This showed the political division between the dwarves, as it was clear that the Longbeard Clan was aiming for the position on the Council of Three Hammers during the Conclave of the Forge.

As the Bronzebeard Clan was still untouchable, there were only two suitable targets for the Longbeard Clan to compete with. One of them was the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge and the second was the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak.

It seemed that the Longbeards have, in the end, chosen the Wildhammer Clan, though that sounded logical because the Dark Iron Clan has rather a close relationship with the Sorcderes of the Sylvania and some of the Magic Orders of the Byrgenwerth.

And back to the topic...

When the dwarves started squabbling about who was right and who was wrong, it grew to a series of duels and competitions between them, but the tension were rising to the point where Magni Bronzebeard, leader of the Council of Three Hammers and Elector Count of Khaz-Modan tried to mediate the situation.

Unfortunately, it was futile because even he, due to their traditions, couldn't really force them to back down, so the sole thing he could do was ask the Landsraad to solve the situation. 

My head was hurting just as I was thinking about this, but in the end, I was leaning more toward the Longbeard Clan. Just for political reasons, it would be a good opportunity to bring the three Clans on the edge because, among all of the dwarven clans, their position was almost unshakable.

Be it the Bronzebeard Clan, Dark Iron Clan or Wildhammer Clan, their position within the dwarven Clan was getting too strong, so it would be most productive to undermine their growing position subtly.

If not, it would become a serious problem for the Imperium because the dwarves are often the sole suppliers of the wargear and it would be a bad thing to let them be controlled by just three of them. 

Naturally, there was also a Gnomeregan, but the Gnomes had rather a unique position within the Imperium because they were technically speaking a City State, something like the Free Cities in Essos.

With their High Thinker having the position of City Lord that was equivalent to the Viceroy.

It reminded me of cartel agreements on the Earth or some merchants getting together to squeeze as many benefits as possible.

Naturally, I wasn't a single one who was aware of this fact because, with the case, there was also an analysis of the case attached and a written recommendation for my decision by the High Chancellor, where he suggested favoring the Longbeard Clan.

However, at the same time, it needed to be done subtly so as not to create any suspicion from the disputed parties.

The other two cases that would be presented at the Landsraad were not as problematic as the first one, at least to a certain degree. The personal feud between some chambers of commerce would be solved rather quickly because I would just give it to one of mine and be done with it if they couldn't behave. 

And the last one was another pain in the ass that I wanted to have nothing to do with because I had my share of squabbles and conflicts between the various magic organizations and it was always a nightmare.

Those fanatical researchers of Magic and pursuers of the depths of Arcane were sometimes even more zealous than the most fanatical priests and worshippers of the Healing Church.

The meeting of the Landsraad about these topics would be tomorrow and unfortunately, once again such a thing would take up probably the entire day if it went without a hitch and complications.

So I was already counting on the next two days or so, maybe even more sitting within the Landsraad and listening to the arguments, insults, curses and gods know what more...

Thought a certain part of me was eager for the new form of entertainment that it would provide me because sometimes it was funny to see them fighting for the things. Sometimes, they were literarily fighting for things, as most conflicts within the Holy Arcadia Empire were resolved through duels and fights.

"Now this is done... I can finally have some time of peace and move on convincing Maria to take the position of Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals..."

I muttered, but before that, I would go tend a Deathclaw for some time and take him on a flight. My most loyal companion, the Griffon Deathclaw, must be a bit bored because it has been some time since we have been flying over the Reikland. 

***

3rd POV

Landsraad, Anor Londo, Holy Arcadia Empire, Lands of Ancient Lordran

The administrative building where the Landsraad was located was bustling once again with people, but this time, most of the attendees were not the Imperial Nobles themselves but rather the representatives of the Noble Houses and other members of the Landsraad. 

Because this wasn't one of the more important meetings of the Landsraad but rather one that was more or like the standard ones, not many of the Imperial Nobles attended personally. 

The personal attendance was as usual, mostly from the Reikland, some from the Klandor, Fenris, Bretonnia, and Faelor. The ones that came personally were from the Khaz-Modan as all of the Dwarven Clans were in full attendance and also all of the Noble Houses of the Sylvania were also present.

However, that was natural because there were cases presented before the Landsraad, so their attendance was necessary. The dwarves were already arguing because, among their forty Dwarven Clans that were part of the Conclave of Forge, there were already factions.

Some supported the Longbeard Clan, some supported the Wildhammer Clan and some were neutral and didn't care about the situation that was present and just came to enjoy the show. 

"Order!" 

"Order!"

The High Chancellor Luca Brewster shouted when the members of the Landsraad were chattering with each other, as the entire place was getting noisy with how many people were already present.

"Now that we have all calmed down, we can start with the program and first voting. The program shall be as follows. 1st point of the program is the territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan over the territory known as Iron Hills within the Grand Province of Khaz-Modan."

The High Chancellor Luca Brewster started reading the point of the program of the Landsraad meeting. The very moment he read the 1st point on the program, the Dwarves started screaming at each other because some were supporting one side and others were supporting the other side.

"Order!" 

"Order!" 

"Order!" 

After he said the word "Order" thrice, the entire Landsraad slowly quieted down as the High Chancellor of the Imperium proceeded to read the other two points on the program. Karl Franz sat on his throne with a bored look as he oversaw the meeting from the highest place within the Landsraad.

"The 2nd point of the meeting is to decide the ownership of the legacy of great necromancer Dracheis that was found within the ruins of the castle during the expedition into the World Edge Mountains. This dispute is between the Viceroy House Necrarch of the Sylvania and the Amethyst Order of the Eight Order of Magic of the Byrgenwerth. On the down note, both Byrgenwerth and Elector Count House Draculya-Tepes have backed up their subjects."

Viceroy of the House Necrarch looked at the representative of the Amethyst Order with a daring look as his pale white skin almost reflected light and his red eyes shone dangerously.

Dracheis was a legendary necromancer who terrorized the areas that are today known as Sylvania and Klandor and even often wandered into the Dark Lands. He was one of the very few necromancers that had raised several Level 7 Undead a long time ago, but as it goes, he was too defeated and killed.

Most shockingly, the one who killed one of the greatest necromancers was a rather ordinary man of faith who took the opportunity when the Dracheis were terrorizing some of the settlements with a smaller contingent of the Undead.

"And the last point, the 3rd in the row, is the dispute over the right to conduct the voyages into the Westeros."

This was another lucrative topic for countless merchants that wanted to do business, as the continent of Westeros was opening an entirely new market and if the Westeros were making them salvitate over it, then Essos was making them go mad.

Essos was big as several Grand Provinces together and the market there was enormous, as it was potential for the business. So, nobody was surprised that the merchants and other business organizations wanted to obtain their share there.

Naturally, nobody could compete with CHOAM because everyone knew that CHOAM would be the first one to obtain market share and several other companies were under the most important figures within the wider Imperium.

No, what was important for them, was the fact that they wanted to fight for the scraps that won't be taken by CHOAM or other import high-profile figures within the Imperium.

At the same time, some were already deeply distraught about the Golden Circle Company that was established by the Holy Imperiator's newest fianceé, who would be dealing with the beauty products.

"Let us proceed to the voting on the program of today's meeting of the Landsraad."

After a lengthy reading of the entire program and everything around that, the reading was done as the High Chancellor, Luca Brewster opened the voting about today's proceedings, which passed with 1,000:0 in favor of today's program.

"Now that the program for today's meeting of the Landsraad has passed with the 1,000:0 we can proceed to the first topic of today's meeting. The territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan over the territory known as Iron Hills within the Grand Province of Khaz-Modan. Now I will ask for the representatives of the Longbeard Clan and Wildhammer Clan to step forward. I will ask for the representative of the Bronzebeard Clan to pass the analysis of the conflict to the High Council of the Landsraad."

When the High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked for the representatives, three dwarves stepped forward, with two were going to the podiums, where they would be presenting their case, while another one was heading before the High Council with a stack of papers and one Lacrima.

For the next ten minutes, there was silence within the Landsraad as the members of the High Council, under the leadership of the High Chancellor were, reviewed the documentation that was passed to them, and they also watched the content on Lacrima crystal.

"The High Council of the Landsraad can say, it had reviewed the documentation presented by the Bronzebeard Clan and Dark Iron Clan that was collected as a third observer in regard to the territorial dispute."

The High Chancellor said as he put down his glasses and looked at the two dwarves that were standing in front of the podium, facing the members of the High Council and the Holy Imperator himself.

"Representative of the Longbeard Clan, Patriarch Durin Longbeard, step forward."

After he said that, the dwarf with greyish-black hair stepped forward to present his case before the Landsraad.

"Honorable High Council of the Landsraad and Honorable Members of the Landraad. A grave harm and injustice has happened to the Longbeard Clan by those bastards of Wildhmamer yar telling you!"

When it came to the dwarves, everyone already gotten used to their language and thus, people tended to ignore the crass language, members of the High Council included.

"Wer were the first at the Iron Hills and then those fucker's came and took the Iron Hills and we even had there our fortress built at that place."

Everyone was listening attentively before the representative of the Wildhammer Clan, who was also the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak Falstad Wildmamer, was about to burst in anger.

Falstad Wildhammer was a typical dwarf with a bald head with, sole hair tied to a ponytail and a long ginger beard. He also had several blue tribal tattoos over his face and arms and also under his entire body.

"What did ya said, yu fricking goat fucker! Iron Hills are under the jurisdiction of the Aerial Peak and if yar have a problem with that say it to my axe!"

High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan Falstad Wildhammer shouted at the Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan During Longbeard.

"Shut up ya shamanistic fool! Yor axe will either shatter in my hammer as everything that trash like you forge."

It seemed that the drama in this place was beginning faster than everyone could anticipate because it had been only a few minutes and they already started shouting at one another and trading insults. 

Some members of the Landsraad who came here just for the drama were already enjoying the show greatly because it was a good show. Naturally, it seemed that right now, Falstad Wilhammer was about to attack outright because the worst of the worst insults one can say to a dwarf was an insult to his craft.

Such insults were often met with swift retaliation in the form of life-and-death duels.

But to the expectations of the many present here, there was nothing, but that was also understandable because attacking anyone within the premises of the Landsraad would be a grave offense. 

Perhaps only Elector Counts would be fined with some fine, that would still hurt their pockets a bit, but for them, who were maximally on the standing of the Viceroy in the case of the Wildhammer Clan and Baron in the case of Longbeard Clan, the consequences were something that they couldn't really bear lightly.

"High Thane Falstad Wildhammer, according to the investigations conducted by the Conclave of Forge, Bronzebeard Clan and Dark Iron Clan it is indeed true that the Longbeard Clan built the fortress before the Wildhammer Clan arrived at the Iron Hills... according to the territorial division between the Clans of Khaz-Modan, area of the Iron Hills belong to the unclaimed territories of the Khaz-Modan."

High Chancellor then turned his sight at the High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan as he stated these, things. In fact, most of the higher-ups within the Imperium knew that this was rather a grey area, and neither the Wildhammer Clan nor the Longbeard Clan were right in their statements.

In truth, even though the area of the Iron Hills was the so-called terra nullius, they were as close to the jurisdiction of the Wildhammer Clan as they were to the Longbeard Clan.

Terrae nullius were territories that were unclaimed and nobody ruled them; it essentially meant no state or power had sovereignty over the territory and nobody applied their jurisdiction to rule it.

Even within the Lordran, there were not many of such places and they could be counted on one hand, if we are not including the World Edge Mountains, Orklands, Badlands of Stormwind and Dark Lands that were beyond the World Edge Mountains.

Some were like this only from the perspective of the Holy Arcadia Empire because some were already occupied by Orks, Barbarians, Daemons, Heretics and so on, but the Imperials saw not as legitimate rulers and just as empty territories taken from them by hostile force.

Technically speaking, both of the Clans had an almost equal claim on it, with the Wildhammer Clan maybe a bit higher, as they were much older and were living there for longer than the Longbeard Clan.

Erebor was created only two hundred years ago and it was finished around fifty years ago, so the Wildhammer of the Aerial Peak had the better claim on the Iron Hills to a certain degree.

But everyone could see that it was a sham because there was no way that the Iron Hills would be left to the Wildhammer Clan because the Imperium didn't like the prospects of the cartel agreements on the business with weapons and armor between the three strongest dwarven clans.

While it wasn't that much touching the Imperial House and the Imperium itself, another problem were the ordinary citizens and Lesser Noble Houses that would suffer greatly from such things, as they would need to pay more for the crucial war equipment.

Even the Elector Counts, depending on the Grand Province they ruled and their personal strength, would may be in a disadvantageous position when it came to the negotiation with the Council of Three Hammers in regard to bigger shipments of wargear.

The proceedings in this case went on for some time and after another hour of curses, insults, and presenting evidence and arguments, the High Chancellor said that the High Council needed to discuss the things among themselves to make the final decision. 

After ten minutes of discussion over that matter, the High Chancellor Luca Brewster stepped forward to read the Imperial Decree that was signed by the Holy Imperator himself, giving the situation an entirely new level of legitimacy.

"In the case of a territorial dispute between the Longbeard Clan of Erebor and Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak over the disputed territory of the Iron Hills and surrounding areas, the High Council has decided as follows under the approval of the authority of Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. The High Council acknowledges the situation as pressing and serious and the claims of both Clans. At the same time, due to the first occupation by the Longbeard Clan, the Iron Hills themselves would belong to the Longbeard Clan of dwarves. At the same time, to not offense and harm to the Wildhammer Clan of the Aerial Peak, the Longbeard Clan is forbidden to expand outside of the border of the Iron Hills and the High Council of the Landsraad affirms the jurisdiction over the surrounding areas of the Iron Hills eastwards. By the Will of his Holy Imperial Majesty, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor and High Council of the Landsraad of the Holy Arcadia Empire."

The High Chancellor Luca Brewster read the lengthy announcement of the High Council of the Landsaar that was also given form of the Imperial Decree, as both Patriarch of the Longbeard Clan and High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan were rather satisfied with the outcome.

At least to the extent they could be, because some more politically apt, could see the balance was greatly leaning toward the Longbeard Clan of Erebor. They obtained the Iron Hills, something they wanted from the start.

While they lost the surrounding areas and were forbidden to expand from the Iron Hills, that was a small price to pay for the greater one.

The surrounding areas of the Iron Hills didn't hold much value, aside from some security purposes and expansion wasn't in the plan because with the addition of the Iron Hills the dwarves of Erebor had more than enough space for now and near or far future.

"Now, I call forward Melkihor Necrarch Viceroy of the House Necrarch of the Sylvania and Viggo Hexensohn Magister of the Amethyst Order of the Eight Orders of Magic of the Byrgenwerth."

Now the time for the next case was coming; another two people exacted their places with the dwarves at the podium. One of them was a typical gloomy-looking necromancer whose black hood was covering his entire face, while another one was a vampire aristocrat in fancy clothes, pale bluish skin, and a bald head.

"The case present, according to all available information that was presented to the Landsraad, House Necrarch financed and conducted the expedition into the World Edge Mountain for the excavation and archeological works. During this concrete expedition, they managed to find the old headquarters of the Cult of Rot which was headed by ancient necromancer Dracheis, and obtained the legacy. On the contrary, the Amethyst Order is accusing the House Necrarch that they stole the information from the Amethyst Order and are demanding the Legacy of Dracheis and Cult of Rot."

Excavations and archeological expeditions were very common across the Lands of Ancients, some of the braver ones were venturing to the World Edge Mountains and there was also a good deal of people that dwelled in the Dark Lands of Ruin... 

There were many legacies and powerful artifacts hidden across the Lands of Ancients, as these lands hid many things; some deepest secrets and mysteries are yet to be discovered and thus many were searching for them.

"Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order, as you have brought the case before the Landsraad, you have the first word."

High Chancellor then looked at the Magister of the Amethyst Order who then stepped forward to present his case.

"Your Excellency, the Amethyst Order has been serving the Imperium for centuries and dealing with the Undead and has been the loyal subject of the Imperium. The information about the Legacy of the Cult of Rot has been within our archives for decades and just one year before the expedition into the World Edge Mountains by the House Necrarch it went missing together with the maps and also the penetrator of the incident, one of the librarians that were working in the secret Archive. The Amethyst Order has also presented the proof of this fact to the High Council of Landsraad and we are asking for nothing more than that, what is rightfully belonging to the Amethyst Order. If it was not for our research and efforts, then the Necrarchs would have never found the hidden headquarters of the Cult of Rot within the World Edge Mountains on their first try."

With that being said, the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order stepped down from the speech desk and returned to the podium, as his every movement was observed by everyone within the Landsraad.

Especially the Supreme Patriarch of the Eight Magic Orders and Headmaster of the Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt and Elector Count of the Sylvania Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes.

Both of these men were being here as support for their respective subjects, though this was also the real reason why this situation was brought in front of the Landsraad. Without the support of the Supreme Patriarch and Elector Count, they would be forced to solve it somehow by themselves, but this changed the situation entirely.

"We have heard the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order, now I call for the Viceroy of the House Necrarch, Melkihor Necrarch to make his case."

The next person to step in front of the speech desk was the Viceroy Necrarch who was holding his cane while he adjusted his suit a bit. 

"Honorable members of the Landsraad. I thank you for the opportunity to clean the suspicion about this matter and the lies that are being told about the Expedition and slander toward the House Necrarch by the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order. On the first note, I want to say that the information about the headquarters of the Cult of Rot originated from the ancestral records of the House Necrarch from approximately two thousand years ago and most importantly... Amethyst Order couldn't present the solid evidence that their map and information about the Cult of Rot disappeared from the library and neither could they prove that they were stolen and that the stolen records were passed to the House Necrarch."

Viceroy Melkihor Necrarch explained the situation as the High Chancellor and several members of the High Council of the Landsraad raised their brows hearing that because that was indeed a possibility.

In the end, the Amethyst Order didn't have solid proof that the records about the Cult of Rot that according to their words led to the Legacy of the Cult of Rot were indeed stolen by one of their traitors and were then passed to the House Necrarch.

The burden of proof to prove this lay within the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order and he didn't do so. At the same time, many could see the Magister Viggo Hexensohn of the Amethyst Order shift in his place uncomfortably.

Simultaneously, Melkihor Necrarch shot a challenging look toward the Magister Viggo Hexensohn who was right now pretty much unsure of what to say. They had crafted some solid accusations toward the House Necrarch, but they lacked some solid proof.

They had some indirect proofs and statements that created some image about the situation, and with a great deal of luck, they could win, but at the same time, if the High Council of the Landsraad was strict on this matter, without solid proof, it would be hard.

"Magister Viggo Hexensohn is the statement of the Viceroy House Necrarch truth?"

High Chancellor then looked at the Magister of the Amethyst Order.

"Your Excellency, the records of the Cult of Rot were missing approximately one year before the start of the Expedition, something that never happened before and neither the House Necrarch deny the accusations entirely because to our knowledge they also don't have proof of origin of their so-called records of the Cult of Rot."

Hearing the answer, several members of the High Council whispered something between each other before one of them started writing something. He then subsequently took out a piece of parchment paper.

"But this is not entirely true, Magister, because before the proceedings started, the House Necrarch presented to the Landsraad their own written records of the Cult of Rot by Norgul Necrarch from 2,122 years ago, and the authenticity of the documents have been proved."

One of the members of the High Council said as Magister's expression visibly shifted, while Melkihor Necrarch revealed a victorious expression because this went well with their statements that the Amethyst Order was making use of their incompetence to obtain the legacy of Cult of Rot and necromancer Dracheis.

"Honorable members of the Landsraad and High Council, Your Holy Majesty Imperator, the situation is clearly as follows. Some 'expert' from the Amethyst Order lost the records of the Cult of Rot and when they found out about it and found about our expedition into the World Edge Mountains, the Amethyst Order decided to make use of the situation to get their hands on the Legacy."

Indeed, as many of the members of the Landsraad heard about this, it made sense to them because it was a plausible theory.

Magister Viggo Hexensoh of the Amethyst Order grits his teeth because he suspected that this might be lost cause and that the Amethyst Order would lose access to the Legacy. Time has passed, and soon enough the members of the High Council have reached the decision.

"Due to the inability of the Amethyst Order to present solid proof to the High Council of the Landsraad about the situation and due to the fact that the House Necrarch presented the solid proof of their origin, the Legacy of the Cult of Rot and Necromancer Dracheis by default falls to the House Necrarch."

If there was one thing that the Amethyst Order didn't count with it were the records of the House Necrarch.

Without them, they predicted that the case would end in favor of neither and that the House Necrarch would be forced to share at least part of the Legacy with the Amethyst Order because they wouldn't be able to prove the origin of their own research and information about the locations of the headquarters of the Cult of Rot.

In the background, Karl Franz was already tired because he had been sitting here for more than five hours, listening to the issues, boring things and some useless things in his opinion.

"Now on the last point of the meeting of the Landsraad... petition signed by several chambers of commerce about opening the public voyages to the Westeros and at the later date to the Essos. I now call for the representative Bertram Honigmann."

Bertram Honigmann was a middle-aged man with rather an average appearance, clothed in a luxurious outfit as he stepped forward and went to the speech desk to make his case in front of the Landsraad.

"Honorable members of the Landsraad, continents of Westeros and Essos represented unprecedented and enormous business opportunities for the various chambers of commerce to make money and enrich the whole Holy Arcadia Empthe time span that reason, I beseech the honorable members of the Landraad to lift the ban on traveling and allow for private corporations to operate within the Westeros and Essos without the interference of the CHOAM."

Bertram Honigmann presented his case with the elegance and eloquence of the merchants and businessmen.

In the end, this one was relatively simple because the Landsraad decided to lift the ban in timepsan of one year, which was more than enough for the petitioners of the merchants and chambers of commerce.