Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Six – An Unworthy Son of Gilderalz

The headquarters of the Order of the Ruby Heart was up on the Third Circle.

At one time, he'd been told, it had stood on the Second. But as the power of the Aruan Church had waned, its greatest knightly Order's standing had fallen with it.

Part of this was due to the increasing stratification of wealth in the city. Aru wasn't really a chosen god of the nobles of the city. His power was rooted in the middle-class, of farmers, crafters, merchants, traders, ranchers, and the like, deeply embedded into many of the crafting guilds and working men and women alike. He had the broadest number of followers, and his priests were fiercely protective of their flocks, strong in their communities.

But that root of power was more outside the city, among the people, and not in the hearts of nobles and the greatly wealthy, who were more concerned about grasping after power then bringing prosperity to all.

Marginalizing the Aruan Church enough to silence its constant pointing out of their own moral faults had been quite a success, and it was largely unwelcome by the mighty in the halls of power... unless there were undead to be fought, in which case they were happy to send the incensed servants of Aru out to eagerly die against their dark foes, yes, indeed.

The Order of the Ruby Heart had a long and glorious history of defending the people of the Empire from threats from within and without, and its knights were known inside the Empire and without for their no-nonsense dedication and service to the people, righteous behavior, and willingness to die for their god and the people behind them.

Being demoted from the sight of the Empire and Court hadn't really hurt the manpower of the Order much, since it drew most of its recruits from outside the city, anyways. However, in the halls of power, they were largely ignored and with few friends, other Orders crowding in to take on the tasks and rewards of the Court, and the glories that went with it.

Not much of the Order's official business actually got done in the ornate, lovingly made hall up on the Third Circle. It was mostly there to attend court, keep track of who was playing whom, and receive proclamations from the Emperor and the Court. There were still people willing to deal with the Order, as it did command power and influence outside the city, and many lands and holdings of noble knights retired to estates and temples to manage them for the good of the people and the Order.

Given his unique status and abilities, the Inquisitor agent gave him a token and sent Errant right up to the Third Level to speak with the Grand Maester of the Order, a lauded Ten and powerful knight of the Empire, Knight-Baron Daemo Lawvin.

It was a bit of a long walk, for all that the road was arrow straight and free of obstructions. Traffic was restricted between Circles, after all, consisting mostly of unceasing deliveries of food and some processed materials going up, and high-end crafted goods going out... along with endless messengers and clerks moving this way and that on endless errands needed for running an Empire.

Clothing was increasingly expensive as Circle increased, he noted, as the wealthy moved further and further upwards to be among more of their own kind, and the powerful gathered to power. The Ninth Circle would see minor business magnates or successful merchants, while the Eighth would start to see the truly wealthy, minor nobles, landowners, and caravan owners, highly skilled craftsmen, and lower-level governmental officials.

The Seventh would be fleet owners, multi-city trading organizations, wealthy nobles of at least Baronial rank, and elite craftsmen. The Sixth was for rare specialized craftsmen, major landowners, fleet owners, Counts, mid-level governmental officials, and business magnates known across the Empire.

The Fifth was dominated by organizations. Here were the highest mundane Guild officials and halls, labor unions, the highest tier of non-Court officials, most embassies, and the largest military offices.

The Fourth was dominated by lesser Court functionaries, the greatest craftsmen in the country, generals and admirals of the Empire, many smaller knightly Orders, and lesser temples.

On the Third were those just outside the halls of true power. Powerful Churches out of favor, great knightly Orders, the families of powerful Dukes, the Guild Arcane and many powerful Casters and Champions of the Empire.

The Second was the heart of the Court, where most of the high-end business was done. The most powerful ministers, favored Churches, and powerful servants of the Empire resided there, and no one else.

The First was restricted to the Imperial Family and its branches and guardians. The Emperor actually descended to the Second if they wanted to hear the business of Court, otherwise whiling away their time at the top of the world in luxury.

He really didn't have any desire to visit the top of the Circles, as the Emperor was widely known to be living in debauched luxury while the Empire rotted underneath him. The Prime Minister effectively ran the Empire, jockeying and manipulating all the many factions of nobles, generals, merchant lords, and guild leaders with callous skill and ease.

After all, that was why he was there, right? To start hunting for problems.

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His silver eyes got many startled looks, some even hostile, from guards that he passed on the way. He recognized the signs of Imprus and Huul worship on them, men haughty over their station in life, and very defensive against someone who transcended the stratified society they depended on.

Still, the token gained him easy passage as he made his way up the ramps to the higher levels, amused and impressed at the way they altered gravity so that the wagons moving up and down were always at a right angle to them, allowing traffic to move up and down the fairly steep slopes without slowing down or taking great effort. It was certainly easier and faster then using portage or elevators, he observed.

It wasn't a high magic society, but magic was quietly pervasive. Permanent Spirit Servants swept the roads clean. Eternal Flames lit up the streets. Temperature regulation moderated extremes, leaving the air comfortable even in the depths of winter or hottest summer. Powerful Wards strengthened the Veil, stopped overflying, and restricted the use of magic by outsiders. Trees bloomed here and there in small parks, and if the flowers were out of season, it was no big surprise. There were public fountains with cool, clear water, easily fit to drink; public restrooms that were Cantrip'd clean on a regular basis, and the omnipresent nature of the city guards kept unrest to a minimum.

As expected of a millennia-old Empire, there were statues every, honoring this or that hero, past Emperor, great artist, wizard, or the like. Some were animated, some had illusions playing around them to tell of the glorious history of the one so honored, some were gilt in wealth to show the power of one's ancestors.

The statues were also changed on a regular basis, with new statues being thrown up, and older ones quietly relegated to other, less ideal locations in the city... or perhaps chopped up and recycled, if the descendants and followers of those depicted weren't vociferous enough in its defense. A decade or two in the sun, and then bumped off by a later, greater hero with an ego to be tended to...

The architectural style was a mélange of the Four Marches coming together, plus the unique ringed and rising style of the capital itself, where layers of buildings built towards a higher and more prestigious level, looking down upon those lower then they even within a level. Whether it was the onion domes and triangles of the south, the steepled buildings and wood-framed stone of the North, the columns and spires of the West, or the gentle curves and tiled roofs of the East, they all tried to nod to the rising idea of Zynozure, and pay tribute to the Empire as they did so.

Mmmm. And as each level rose, the amount of stone beneath them, and the secrets that could be held within it, increased. The great water pumps of the city existed up on Eight, great columns of water brought up from the Crowned below, filtered, and sent down miles and miles of pipes in all directions to supply the city. Even the areas of the Tenth close to the city profited from the water supply and excellent sewage system, a marvel of city planning that had endured for centuries, and highlighted how forward-thinking the Empire had once been.

Things to be proud, then jaded about, then arrogant about. Thinking others primitive for not having such things, not paying heed to just how much effort from a community went into developing something like that...

Key point, he saw very few non-humans around... and most of those were in servant or slave status.

Dragons with Thrall collars to keep them tamed, flying through the skies. Anthros and feral laborers or personal bodyguards, all wearing Slaver Brands or Bracers, basically under Geas to serve. Various forms of monsters visible as pets or guards here and there, the more ostentatious the better.

Beautiful members from multiple races, with elves and halvyr prominent, at places of pleasure, there for the amusement of the human wealthy. Artisans bound to shops and factories, unable to leave and only labor for their owners, probably prisoners of war, or similar excuses for such behavior, more likely simply hunted and captured by slavers seeking a good payday.

He was pretty sure there were bound demons or other fiends being used as power sources, and knew exactly how that would end. Nobody would speak up for such creatures of evil, but what was going to happen to them if and when they got free was totally predictable.

There was certainly magic. There were certainly fantastic races. But this was a city of humans, built by humans, and very clearly non-humans did not have anything resembling equal status. Arrogance and pride had gone to the heads of those who structured the society here, and they had fallen from heights of glory and progress to arrogance and sloth.

He could see the trace of other races in what had been done here. Jotuns had worked on the walls, Rockborn had brought stonework, elves had touched the wood and the designs of gardens and parks he passed.

He saw no hyn that were not of servant status past the Ninth Circle, as there were no noble hyn clans in the Empire, and hyn could not be Arcane Casters, only Clerics. Gnomes had individual status as master Alchemists, Artificers, and Illusionists, and would certainly protect their own, but again only the most powerful of their kind would have respect here, so few would reside here and suffer constant human domination and exploitation.

Humanity, a force that could bring many nations and forces together into a greater purpose, falling to a power that would oppress and dominate them all instead.

He knew the stories, because his family had participated in many of those conquests and wars, with great fervor and glee.

The constant battles and conflicts with the feral tribes and anthros to the east. The naval battles and land wars with the ageless empires to the south. Continuous conflicts with the rising kingdoms to the west. Endless skirmishing and hunts back and forth with the fey and elves of the Sidhete to the north. The resentment and distrust of the Gnome and Rockborn Clans of the Kahlete Mountains that separated the West March from the Central Empire, starting when the Seventeenth Emperor, Lukos the Rock Breaker, cracked open the Dwarfhold of Grim-Garan, and slaughtered every Rockborn man, woman, and child for daring to not pay fealty to him, creating a grudge that bedeviled the Empire to this day.

And now he was here, at the Hall of the Ruby Heart, to see about being Knighted into this Empire, and see how he could use such a status to further the work of Heaven.

He smiled slightly. It would be interesting, at least...