Grand Vizier Victorine Elizabeth Ego, Viscountess of Valerium, was the second youngest of the five siblings. She was the only one truly loyal to the oldest – Earl Malum Ego, eleventh ruler of Narciss, High Inquisitor of the Covenant, and the second of the Council of Ætharchs – unlike her other siblings.
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Despite the trust between brother and sister... Victorine was slightly frightened of him, and Château Ego at night did not help all.
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Nevertheless, she still had to report her failure to catch Valerie. She reached the Chamber of Ego – a grand chamber that all rulers of the region had used as personal quarters since 300 YBP - as this thought echoed through her mind.
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The oak door was slightly ajar, hinting that Malum was waiting for her.
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Victorine entered the chamber, where Malum sat in a comfortable red chair that faced away from the door. The hearth next to him roared, having been recently stoked with fuel.
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Malum did not turn around. The meaning was clear: come no closer.
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Victorine spoke first, her hands tremble and voice cracks as she does so in her regal voice – a mezzo-soprano to the musically inclined.
“Y-your Eminence...” she began. One quirk of the High Empyrean dialect when used by Narcissians was that “Thy” was never used when addressing the ruler by the correct form of address – The sole way to refer to them directly - only “Your” No one knew the reason, though.
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The Earl of Narciss slowly raised his hand, seeming to either relish the act or have great difficulty performing it. The hand was not organic, and she could not help but notice the unnatural, mechanical glint it had. The wearer’s fingers appear stiff and rigid as he slowly puts the hand down.
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“Sister...Thou hast still not caught Valerie Reine Ego.” Earl Malum snarled at her while barely raising his voice above that of a whisper.
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Victorine knew that he would want an explanation for this and tried desperately to think of one. Finally, she thought of one, “My Earl, I sincerely apologise for my failure to catch our traitorous sibling, but I have done all that I can. Please forgive me.” The Grand Vizier begged to her sovereign tearfully. However, the second Ætharch seemed more amused than anything else.
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The Earl's voice was soft, and he had trouble speaking judging by the pain in his voice that emanated from every word.
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“My dear Victorine, thou were always my favourite, but thou do lack imagination when it comes to things like this.” He said in a slightly mocking tone. When he spoke again, the amusement had been replaced with a cold rage that made her freeze in place. “Deploying the first through fifth Armies into the subregions was an excellent move, but thou could do so much more!” He finally rose above the whisper.
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Grand Vizier Victorine knew he was right: she did lack imagination when It came to this sort of thing. “Such as what...brother?”
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Malum thought for a moment before he gave her his orders. “Thou shalt deploy the Valkyrie units into the cities of Worcester, Gloucestershire, Narcester, Cogitare, Agriculturia, Scytheruim, Crystalia, Amethyine, Aurea Urbis, and Alphendora immediately! Thou will appoint the commanding officer of the GNA Dreadnought Firestorm, Grand Commodore Blackwing as Lord Admiral of Grand Narcissian Fleet to replace the current Aeroadmiral. Understood?” He told her coldly.
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“Er..yes, Your Eminence. But we do not have a rank of that na-“ Victorine began.
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Malum boomed this time, his voice straining and sounding less human. His eyes glowed purple as he shouted at her. “Of course we do not! The current head of my aerial forces is too cautious and is unwilling to do what is necessary. The ranks of Aeroadmiral of the Grand Fleet and Marshal of the Grand Army are to be replaced by Lord Admiral and General, respectively. They will have powers to do anything and will be physically present, unlike Rector Cleo and his bloody faux flagship, the Large Mahogany Desk! Do I make myself clear?!” He screamed before breaking into a coughing fit.
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“Y-y-yes, sir. I will have B-Blackwing made Lord Admiral as soon as possible.” Victorine stammered at her master.
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Malum had returned to a raspy whisper, holding his throat in pain like it was being pricked by invisible needles.
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“Blackwing...will be sent to Chalcrystis. I want to turn the populace completely against the rebels. If they do not respect me, then I will have their fear. Thou will recall the Night of the Ashes? Have Blackwing uee Thermobaric ordnance on anything suspected to be a rebel stronghold and on any dwellings nearby. Inform High-Priest Aesop that the Covenant must double the number of Inquisitors on the streets and have al of them be plain clothed. Lastly, I want... I want those blasted unions out of Narciss!” He finished with a self-important vocal flourish that did not sit well with Viscountess Victorine.
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“Burn rebel strongholds, more Inquisitors, and..what unions?” Victorine did not know about any unions being present in the Northeast of Empyrea.
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“Its Limos's fault! The Vorantine Brotherhood of Unionised Steamworkers has all the airship construction companies like Caeli Sovereign and Xyber Aeronautical Engineering whipped up into a frenzy of strikes! And they have new branches and sister unions! The Alliance of Unionised Craftsmen, the Ætherical Excellence Academy Union, the Mining Syndicate... even the regional orchestra is getting involved! Stop the strikes, dismantle the unions, and tell Rodney Limos that he had better get that problem under control.” He snapped at her.
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“I understand and obey, Your Eminence.” Victorine told him respectfully.
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“Victorine...I know that this is difficult, but the alternative is worse.” Malum began.
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Victorine was not having it. “In what way exactly?” She said the respectful tone had vanished, and it had taken the Grand Vizier's moral shield with it.
“Look at our ancestors. Each and every one of them was flawed in one way or another. If we examine our family then we find none of them were perfect in the slightest: Earl Ego the Great Unifier was vain enough that he failed to notice the metaphorical dagger at his throat until it had become an actual blade that sliced his throat open.”
Victorine chose to listen to what he had to say.
“Earl Emeric the Bold had downright sadistic tendencies, and if he had been capable of suppressing them, then Countess Cosminè may not have strangled him to protect her daughter. Meanwhile, Countess Seraphina the Wise failed to adequately prepare her son because she was under the impression that she still had another twenty-five years to rule at a minimum, but she did not.”
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Malum knew that this was not an argument that could be shot down and therefore pressed on. “Earl Aurum had dreams that were to lofty for him to achieve when paired with a shocking ignorance to how weak his authority actually was. Countess Icaria the Fair always feared that she would meet the same fate as her father after she helped to plot his death so much that she went from paranoia to full-blown hysteria.”
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Victorine opened her mouth to interject but thought better of rousing her brothers wrath.
“Earl Magnus the Mighty was famous for being quite erratic and unpredictable, marked by violent outbursts, paranoid rages, and sudden mood swings that would shift from grandiosity to despair in the blink of an eye. He lashed out at others without warning or became catatonic and withdrawn. He saw bizarre things and heard voices that were not there. A troubled man indeed, despite his benevolent intentions and strong leadership when he was in a sound state of mind.” Malum said.
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Victorine knew all too well about the madness of Earl Magnus. The Academy of the Adept had taken an awful lot of flack for publishing the analysis undertaken by the Adeptus Psychological shortly after his death. Despite this, the report was still was an interesting read : it identified him as having Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and Schizophrenia – this was what annoyed a lot of people as it was seen as a political comment by the supposedly neutral scholars.
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“Countess Nyctra was an excellent ruler but happened to have a rare disease and did not last long. Next was Earl Ignatius the Unready, a ruler mocked for his inability to make his own choices in addition to his inaction.” Malum was gathering momentum now that he was nearly done.
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“Our grandfather, Earl Bigot the Magnificent, was noted as a strong ruler, but his pride led to his downfall at the hands of his son. Lastly, Earl Preen the Reformer – our late father – greatly angered the older generations at every turn by dismantling traditions while also appeasing the ÆDF!
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“My brother is, of course, correct, bu-“
“– We must be better than them all. Now leave me so that thou may write down thy tasks and rest so that they can be carried out.” Malum has a note of finality in his voice.
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Once she was halfway down a different wing of Château Ego, Viscountess Victorine Elizabeth Ego of Valerium – Grand Vizier of the Conclave – let out a sigh of relief that she had not been punished for her failure.
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She would have to do better to continue to avoid that.
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