Rainer had never once been in Château Ego before - he had been invited to Château Argent upon promotion to Grand-General, though. - and it was definitely an experience; regardless of who inhabited it. There were several books printed on the subject. One was "Château Ego through Earl's and Countesses ' eigns." Which was perhaps not the most creative title in Empyrea, but it told any interested reader that the book contained exactly what it said on the tin.
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Rainer had devoured books when he was younger in a hopeless ambition of attending the academy of the Adept, and was disappointed to find they saw him as above average but not Adept to become a Novice Scholars. The book about how Château Ego had changed under each ruler had given me a lot of information on the subject. Under Earl Ego the Great Unifier, the Château had been built to look grandiose and to house all the future rulers of Narciss - which it had done until Countess Icaria built Château Argent in Valerium due to her love of the peaceful and very idyllic farming subregion, however it was only a holiday home and traditionally was the home of the High-Exarch of Valerium when not in use by the sovereign.
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Earl Emeric the Egotistical (Often called Emeric the Cruel posthumously due to his infamous sadism) had remodelled the place to have a darker, more intimidating look with weapons handing from the walls and other somewhat threatening decor. His daughter, the honoured Countess Seraphina the Wise had cast away the threatening things but left some of the weapons as a nod to her father and Dowager Countess Cosminè (Who had smothered Emeric with a pillow after getting fed up with him)
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The tradition had carried forward to the weak Earl Aurum, who was never given an Epithet until his death. He was posthumously mocked as Aurum the Assine. He had not changed anything. Countess Icaria the Fair (5th ruler of Narciss, 180 YBP - 140 YBP) had added maps of Empyrea and of the five Narcissian subregions to showcase her interests, and her desire to add a sixth subregion called Egonault which would be given responsibility over Energy Production (Currently split between Luxequinox and Xyrolith ), Commerce (Worcestershire is tasked with this), and Transportation (Is a responsibly of every subregion. However, her idea was never implemented due to difficulties in getting land from the East that wasn't mountains or just taking some from the North that was anything but tundra or dense forests.
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The next ruler, Earl Magnus the Mighty, was...mentally ill - most of the time - and was not interested in changing the decor, while Countess Nyctra (Who had died for a rare disease before she was given a byname.) had painted all the corridors the same shade of cream - Northeastern white - as it had been under Earl Ego.
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Earl Ignatius the Undready had added statues of great Narcissian heroes and legends while Earl Maximillian-Bigot the Magnificent had put up portraits of previous rulers.
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And that was where the book had stopped. It had been written in 19 YBP under Bigot's reign and , therefore, id not include Preen and Malum.
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Sadly, any half-formed plans Iinvolvingan impromptu self-led tour to see what the last two Earl's (Tenth and Eleventh Earl of Narciss , espectively) had added were killed dead by two people rounding a corner.
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Two people that caused Grand-General Rainer's smirking resting face contort into a scowling mug. These two people were Lord Admiral Blackwing and Grand Vizier Victorine. Who else would Malum send in his stead?
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The naval officer did everything to one up the army to get hog all the resources like the oily swine that he was while the sister would do anything for her older brother despite his indifferent and sometimes viscous treatment of her.
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"Congratulations, Lord General!" Malum's 3rd youngest sister exclaimed joyfully.
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Much like the rest of her personality, it was false. Of the five siblings, Victorine was by far the most obedient. The previous Earl (Preen) had used his daughters popularity with the populace to improve his standing among the older generations who still remembered his own father, Earl Bigot the Magnificent, for his stern personality in addition to his well- known obsession with legacy.
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Malum had been the heir, but as Rainer's beloved late mother had told him, he ated the spotlight. The sisters, on the other hand, adored the attention they received, so Celeste, Lyra, Victorine, and Valerie had frequently appeared in public as a result.
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Rainer struggled to make out the sweet but shy woman that the papers had been particularly fond of. Perhap she aught to see an optician.
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Nevertheless, he would have to clench his teeth and bear through it despite the discomfort eating away at his insides.
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"I must say that this is a surprise, but it would be rude to decline a promotion from His Eminence, right Grand Vizier?" He said politely, his eyes locked to the lesser of two evils so that he would not attempt to strangle Blackwing.
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The woman smiled at him slightly before replying, "Of course. With such a diligent officer in command of our Aarmies Earl Malum, shalt be able to rest peacefully."
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This woman was the most delusional person he had ever met; did she really think that Malum's regime had improved anyway at all?
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Blackwing turned to face him so abruptly that it took all the willpower Rainer could possibly muster to refrain from breaking the Lord Admiral's nose.
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"Finally, the boots on the ground have someone competent in charge of them. With my own forces hunting from the air and now thy own scouring the ground...Viscountess Valerie runs around on borrowed time." Blackwing said in something part sneer and part confident boast.
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Rainer took a deep breath and tried to formulate a reply without coming across as uneasy.
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"Of course... Lord Admiral....We shalt catch that traitorous sister of our dear Grand Vizier soon if we work together."
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Rainer left Château Ego clutching a uniform of a design that had previously not existed - White with black shoulder pauldrons and the unique insignia of a golden hammer - titled with a rank he had not entered with nor wanted. And with conflicting thoughts battling for dominance over his mind.
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The thought that came out on top was: Who would succeed Malum if Valerie was successful in killing him? There wawerehree potential claimants: Celeste, Victorine, and Valerie. Celeste was on Estrin Islsnd and would most likely not raise any objections. Victorine was a problem, though. Rainer swore to himself that she would dudo so that Narciss could have Countess Valerie the Second and a brighter future.
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And if his own plan was successful?
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Earl Rainer by her side.
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