Comm Coat of Arms Contest 5.14.08 - 5.31.08
Host: Anne Brunner
Submitted by: Zeth
Comm Battle of the Authors 7.7.08 - 8.2.08
Hosts: Zeth, Inuit Goddess, Avalon
Submitted by: Cataphrak
Appearances
The high vaulted ceilings of the imperial palace thrust skywards like hollow spears piercing the airy flesh of the heavens. From the great, gothic windows, the sky bled light down onto the smooth marble floor, tinted technocolour by each little pane of stained glass covering them. Each window made a mosaic of coloured pieces, representing an important event the history of the empire. Any attentive eye could see that the vast majority of these were battles. They told the story of the empires rise, right from the mists of the primordial; angels and daemons duelling each other in the skies, clad in light and darkness, wielding brilliant weapons recorded in gold and obsidian. They made the next set seem almost dull; two armies of men, clad in leathers, swinging clubs. From there, the panes passed from the mythical to the archaic, and finally into the confines of recorded memory, to ranks of great hosts clad in shining coat of plate battering each other to pieces.
The cloaked man shook his head and chuckled softly as he passed each window. They were such clean things, these windows; the artists who made them had obviously never been in a real battle. No sane person who had ever seen battle would agree to construct such a jingoistic travesty. The man moved forward through the great hall, and through history with the deliberate pace of time itself, striking a sideways glance at every one of the great windows. He took note of the history of the empire, one sanitized, cleaned up picture at a time, softly issuing his disapproval each time.
His escort must have caught on. As they passed the last set of windows into the narrow passage leading out of the great hall, the armoured and liveried man following him, wearing the full plate and single silver band of a noble officer-cadet tapped him on the shoulder. The guard quickly pulled his hand back in surprise when his plated gauntlet made the distinctive click of metal on metal. The cloaked man turned around to face his escort.
"Yes?"
The guard brought his hand up to his great steel full helm. It had been blackened during its manufacture, then polished to a high gloss, lined with gold and engraved in silver, a testament to the wealth and foolishness of an empire. With a practiced flip of his hand, the soldier brought his heavily engraved visor up, revealing an unlined and pale face warped by indignation.
"I couldn't help but notice you finding something funny when we were crossing the hall of light?"
The cloaked man studied his escort's expression, a vague combination of indignant arrogance and curiosity. This was not a battle hardened soldier, he had never crossed the line, he had never even thought of glancing at it, that much was obvious.
There's no harm in humouring him. He has too little influence to do much. More importantly, it proves what I have been suspecting. The empire is teetering, it does not seem that way from the outside, but looking outwards from the interior; it's almost obvious.
The cloaked visitor nodded slowly, taking care not to reveal his face. The guard nodded as well, as if his response was to be expected of him.
"Have you ever been to the palace before?"
Another quiet gesture, a shake of the head, was his answer.
"I figured as much. Well, keep this in mind. That is the history of the empire you are mocking, you may as well curse for the stones around you to fall down on our heads for all you have done. Don't do it again."
The cloaked man dipped his head respectfully, hiding a smirk under his hood. When his head came upright again, he asked a question of his own.
"Have you ever been in combat before?"
His question caught the young soldier off guard. It was more the voice than anything else. He had expected a coarse, perhaps worn type of speech. After all, travellers in dusty cloaks did not talk like court nobles right?
This one did. His voice was hard edged and carefully modulated, the sort that was made to give orders and make commands. The soldier digested the question and dredged deep into his memory, to find anything that could excuse him from such a question. There was nothing. This time, it was the guard's turn to shake his head.
"I figured as much. Well, keep this in mind."
The cloaked man turned to face the great sunbathed hall they had just passed through with a twirl of his cloak. He extended one gloved hand towards one side, guesturing at the bank of windows. As his arm rose, the grey cloak fell back along it, revealing the silver armour of a line officer of the Imperial Army. A pair of gold bands encircled the plate of his forearm, the mark of a senior colonel.
"Never take anything at face value, not unless you see it with your own eyes, any more than you would trust food not prepared in front of you. Nobility is a fragile thing boy, but it is also a very powerful thing. Nobility is a weapon, hard to harness, but well worth the price of control. If you have not learned this yet, your first battle, your first taste of command will teach you. If you do not learn quickly, then it will be the last lesson you ever learn."
Before the young officer could respond, the monolithic, vaulted doors on the other end of the passage cracked open. A small man in imperial livery scuttled up to the two. Bowing deeply, he turned to the cloaked man.
"Colonel, the emperor will see you now."
The cloaked man nodded and turned to his escort.
"Don't bother standing around. I'll be in there for quite some time. Don't loiter around looking useless for my account."
The young officer turned to leave, but as he did, the colonel called to him again.
"Oh, and remember when you said you'd never been in combat before?"
The cadet nodded.
"You will be soon."
With that, Colonel Cataphrak Stormraider, of the Imperial Hollorian Army turned and followed the herald into the throne room of the emperor of the known world, a clever smirk on his face. He strode into the light bathed audience chamber and threw his hood off, entering the shining heart of a hollow empire...
Comm Nonexistant Theme Art Contest 7.28.08 - 8.26.08
Host: Anne Brunner
Submitted by: Cataphrak
Comm Self Portrait Art Contest 9.20.08 - 11.11.08
Host: Cataphrak
Submitted by: Dinowoman
5:46 PM Jan 6