“Try not to make me sick this time,” I grumble, drawing his crooked grin.
But there’s no need for his trepidation. The officers are focused elsewhere, on a cracked video screen, likely the only one in the Red market. Used for official broadcasts, but there isn’t anything official about what they’re watching.
“Forgot Queenstrial was today,” one of them says, leaning forward to squint at the picture. It blurs occasionally. “Couldn’t get a better set for us, eh, Marcos?”
Marcos flushes gray, annoyed. “This is Red sector, what did you expect? You’re welcome to go back to rounds if this doesn’t satisfy!”
Queenstrial. I remember something about the word. In the briefing on Norta, the packet of cobbled-together information the Colonel made me read before I was sent here. Something about princes—choosing brides, maybe. I wrinkle my nose at the idea, but somehow I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen as we get closer and closer.
On it, a girl in black leather demonstrates her storied abilities. Magnetron, I realize as she manipulates the metal of whatever arena she’s been dropped into.
Then a flash of red drops across the screen, landing hard against the electric shield separating the magnetron girl from the rest of the Silver elite watching her display.
The officers gasp in unison. One of them even turns away. “I don’t want to see this,” he groans, as if he’s about to be sick.
Shade is rooted to the spot, his eyes hard on the screen, watching the red blotch. His grip tightens on me, forcing me to look. The blotch has a face. His sister.
Mare Barrow.
He goes cold against me as the lightning swallows her whole.
“It should have killed her.”
Shade’s hands are shaking and he has to crouch in the alley to keep the rest from following suit. I drop to my knees next to him, one hand on his shivering arm.
“It should have killed her,” he says again, his eyes wide and hollow.
I don’t need to ask to know he’s replaying the scene in his head, over and over again. His young sister falling into the Queenstrial arena. To her death under all circumstances. But Mare didn’t die. She was electrocuted on camera, but she didn’t die.
“She’s alive, Shade,” I tell him, turning his face to mine. “You saw yourself, she got up and ran.”
“How is that possible?”
Now is not the time to appreciate the joke. “I asked you the same thing once.”
“Then she’s different too.” His eyes darken, sliding away from my face. “And she’s with them. I have to help her.”
He tries to scramble to his feet, but the shock has not worn off. I help him back down as gently as I can, letting him lean on me.
“They’ll kill her, Diana,” he whispers. His voice breaks my heart. “They could be doing it right now.”
“Somehow, I don’t think they will. They can’t. Not after everyone saw her, a Red girl surviving lightning.” They’ll need to explain first. Come up with a story. Just like the stories they used to cover us until we made sure they couldn’t anymore. “She planted a flag of her own today.”
Suddenly the alley feels too small. Shade levels a glare, one only a soldier could muster. “I won’t leave my sister there alone.”
“She won’t be. I will make sure of it.”
His eyes harden, mirroring the resolve I feel inside.
“So will I.”
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE HAS BEEN DECODED
CONFIDENTIAL, COMMAND CLEARANCE REQUIRED
Day 2 of Operation LIGHTNING.
Operative: Captain REDACTED.
Designation: LAMB.
Origin: Summerton, LL.
Destination: COMMAND at REDACTED.
-Op under way. MARE BARROW made contact with WHISTLE WILL and BONES in ALBANUS, oathed to SG. SHADOW leverage successful.
-Operative MAIDEN will act as her contact within HALL OF THE SUN.
-Operative STEWARD made contact regarding new asset for recruitment inside HALL OF THE SUN, will explore further.
RISE, RED AS THE DAWN.
* * *
From the archives at Delphie, a map of the continent before the Nortan Civil War.
—JJ
* * *
* * *
Using sources from Delphie, Horn Mountain, and my own collection, I’ve done what I can to reconstruct a map of the old world beneath our own. This is only a first attempt and more research must be done to accurately include borders and cities long since lost to us.
—JJ
* * *
* * *
CONTINENTAL GOVERNMENTS OVERVIEW
* * *
Compiled and assessed by JULIAN JACOS
NOTES:
* * *
Collection of the continental governments, sourced from both the Nortan historical archives in Delphie and the Republic’s vaults in Horn Mountain. Recent information on the governments of Ciron, parts of Prairie, and Tiraxes can only be verified to early 321 NE, before the Secession of the Rift. Therefore I have summarized this overview for all nations up to said year.—J. Jacos
* * *
THE KINGDOM OF NORTA is an absolute monarchy, wherein supreme authority is retained by a single ruler. The Silver burners of House Calore have controlled the crown for more than three hundred years. Theirs is the only dynasty to have ruled Norta since her formation as a modern state.
At present, KING MAVEN CALORE is the eighteen-year-old ruler of Norta, having inherited his throne when his father, KING TIBERIAS VI, was murdered. His older brother, TIBERIAS VII, was framed for the killing and fled Norta after escaping execution. In some circles of Norta, Tiberias VII is seen as the legitimate king, adding to the instability of King Maven’s young reign.
* * *
To put it lightly.
* * *
King Maven signed a peace treaty with the Lakelands, ending the decades-long war that raged between the neighbor countries. He will marry Princess Iris Cygnet, the second daughter of Queen Cenra and King Orrec of the Lakelands.
Participation in national government is restricted to members of the High Houses, the nobility of Norta. Regional governances are inherited within families, and it is very rare for a region to change hands from one house to another. Governors from the eight regions of the kingdom regularly convene with the monarch, and are given great control over their territories. However, greater command is given to the superior Lords and Ladies of each High House, currently numbering twenty-three individuals. All advise the king in council, with certain houses holding greater sway dependent on the strength of their families, territories, and resources.
* * *
Only House Jacos has accomplished such a magnificent feat in the last fifty years.
* * *
Society is structured and subsequently organized along the blood divide, separating Silvers from Reds. Silvers are further separated into the nobility and common class, though this stratification can become blurred, as intermarriage between noble and common Silvers is not outlawed. Upward mobility is possible for common Silvers, either through skill, accrual of wealth, or marriage.
* * *
Possible but not advised.
* * *
Red society is entirely restricted, with no representation in government. Red citizens of Norta are subject to conscription laws that require all Reds over the age of eighteen to be employed or drafted into the Nortan military. Job scarcity is an issue in most Red communities outside tech towns, where techie Reds are forbidden to be conscripted, leave their city of birth, or change their profession. Conscription lasts several decades, with intervals of leave before discharge, or until a Red is no longer physically able to serve due to injury.
Education is usually poor among Reds, who tend to focus on their professions or on preparing for conscription. Red travel in Norta is outwardly restricted, but impossible to fully enforce. It is not unheard of for Reds along the southern border to make their way into the Disputed Lands, t
he only bordering country without a Silver-dominated government.
* * *
Or any government at all.
* * *
Black markets, crime syndicates, and underground trade thrive in Red-majority communities. In cities such as Harbor Bay, Red communities organize themselves, maintaining their own laws and enforcement where Silvers will not.
Blood intermarriages are outlawed, and intermingling is frowned upon on both sides of the blood divide. Upon birth, Reds are subject to blood registration. Their blood samples are given to the Nortan government for the stated purpose of tracking and control. However, it has been suggested that the blood registration began several decades ago when it became clear to Nortan officials that a shift had begun in the Red population, giving rise to the newblood phenomenon.
* * *
THE KINGDOM OF THE LAKELANDS is an absolute monarchy, wherein supreme authority is retained by a single ruler. The Silver nymphs of House Cygnet currently hold the throne of the Lakelands. The dynasty is quite large, with both QUEEN CENRA and KING ORREC hailing from different branches of the Cygnet tree. Queen Cenra is the ruling monarch, and, as is custom in the Lakelands, her heir, PRINCESS TIORA, is not permitted to leave the borders of the Lakelands, to ensure the survival of the bloodline. Queen Cenra herself is also confined within her country except in times of great need.
The Silvers of the Lakelands are deeply religious, with their faith based in a pantheon of dozens of faceless, nameless, all-powerful gods. People worship in shrines, often built around water or fountains. The Lakelander religion is strongly rooted in balance, as well as the afterlife. Silver Lakelanders bury their dead in their abilities, and those who live evil lives are said to meet punishment in the afterlife. Red Lakelanders do not follow this faith, and very little is known about their religion. Not because they do not believe, but because their faiths are numerous and carefully guarded within their communities.
The long-lasting war between the Lakelands and Norta was ended by a peace treaty proposed by King Maven. He then married Princess Iris Cygnet to cement a new bond between nations in alliance against the Red rebellion that was brewing across both countries. The Scarlet Guard, a Red rebel organization, had begun in the Lakelands and trickled across the Nortan border to fight both nations.
* * *
by their definition
* * *
Despite their tumultuous history, Norta and the Lakelands have similar societies, with noble Silvers serving in government, common Silvers possessing little but still-existent upward mobility, and severely restricted Red citizens. The Lakelands have fewer tech towns than Norta, and mostly keep their Red workers in agricultural work. There is food in abundance in the Lakelands, though electricity is scarce in Red communities.
* * *
THE PRINCIPALITY OF PIEDMONT is an oligarchic aristocracy. The government of the nation is shared by ruling princes and princesses, each with their own territories, families, and resources at their disposal.
Ultimately, rule of Piedmont is ceded to the most powerful prince or princess in the country. The oligarchy can elect this position through popular vote, though sometimes it is taken through military strength. At present, that title belongs to PRINCE BRACKEN of the Lowcountry, the largest holding in Piedmont, with valuable access to the coast and fertile farmland. Other ranking Silver nobles within Piedmont include PRINCE DENNIARDE, PRINCESS ANA, and PRINCESS MARRION. One of Bracken’s strongest supporters, PRINCE ALEXANDRET, was killed while visiting the court of Norta, putting undue strain on the once-strong alliance between Norta and Piedmont.
Unbeknownst to the monarchs of the north, Prince Bracken is currently under the control of the Scarlet Guard, aided by the Republic of Montfort. His extensive resources are at the disposal of the Scarlet Guard and Montfort. His military base in the Lowcountry is the first solid foothold for either in the east.
As in Norta and the Lakelands, the lives of Reds in Piedmont are severely restricted, and the population largely works in agriculture or industrial production. Piedmont also utilizes conscription, both to bolster its armies and to control the size of the Red population.
* * *
THE PRAIRIE LANDS are strange in comparison to their neighbors to the east, due in large part to their sprawling geography and lack of centralized population. Their government can only be described as a feudal kraterocracy. The will of the strong rules across the endless plains. Warlords and warladies control their varying fiefdoms through power and cunning, and land often passes between Silver bloodlines from generation to generation. The son of a warlord is just as likely to lose rule of his father’s territory as he is to gain it. For this reason, bloodlines and dynasties are not so important to the Silvers of the Prairie lands. Sometimes the Prairie rulers will even adopt or choose successors from outside their own bloodline.
There are four major territories within Prairie, controlled by their respective rulers. Warlady HENGE, a windweaver, rules from the Ark River to the plains north of the Crane River, known as the SANDHILLS. Her fiefdom regularly contends with the Silver raiders driven out of Montfort, both in conflict and peace. She maintains a small city at LIGHTNING ROD, a rock formation in the midst of the plain.
* * *
Based on Montfort intelligence.
* * *
Farther north, the stoneskin Warlord CARHDON rules the vast territory known as FOURSKULLS, centered upon a sacred and strange mountain into which are carved the gigantic heads of four men. Erosion has weathered them into cracked and disintegrating specters, their names and faces lost to time.
* * *
Still unclear
Is that a challenge?
* * *
The swift Warlord RIONO controls some of the most valuable farmland in Prairie, and rules from the city of Mizoura. His territory, THE HEART, shares a tumultuous border with the Disputed Lands, and he is known to execute Reds who attempt to flee his fiefdom. The Heart sits at the convergence of the Prairie lands, Tiraxes, Piedmont, the Lakelands, and the Disputed Lands, making it a chaotic place.
Finally, Warlady NEEDA, a nymph, rules the territory THE MIRRORS from the city Geminas, sharing a thin border along the Great River with the Disputed Lands and the Lakelands. Needa is rumored to be a distant cousin of House Cygnet, the rulers of the Lakelands, and she openly encourages Reds to flee across the border and work her fiefdom.
Reds in the Prairie lands are generally bound to the land they are born on, and belong to the Silvers who rule that piece of field or plain. The Silvers then in turn owe fealty to their lords, up to the Warlords and Warladies in feudal hierarchy. Therefore, most Reds in Prairie are bound in servitude, with little education. Their life spans are shorter than their counterparts in neighboring nations, and most of the Reds in the Disputed Lands are refugees from Prairie.
* * *
THE FREE REPUBLIC OF MONTFORT was formed from the collapse of several smaller mountain kingdoms ruled by Silver overlords and monarchs. The new government relies on people’s representation, from both sides of the blood divide. Representatives are elected from communities within the Republic to serve in the People’s Assembly, where an even split of Red and Silvers is maintained. The head of state is known as a premier, and while the first premier was elected directly by the People’s Assembly, the system has expanded to utilize a national vote.
Currently, PREMIER DANE DAVIDSON is several years into his term as leader of the Free Republic. He is a newblood shield who was born in Norta and fled to Montfort after escaping the Nortan military, which was attempting to exterminate newbloods.
Montfort is uniquely situated as the only nation on the continent with blood equality, which was only achieved after total civil war. Following the collapse of the mountain kingdoms and the formation of Montfort, the Silvers who chose to remain in the Republic swore an oath to uphold the new status quo. They were granted amnesty for any crimes committed before or during the wars. This approach was championed by LEONIDE RADIS, a Silver p
rince of the former kingdom of TETONIA, who abdicated his throne in favor of the Republic. He now serves as a representative in the Assembly.
* * *
And will be running for premier in the future if my instincts are correct.
* * *
Due to still-chaotic volcanic activity in the northwest, as well as the barren Grand Desert on the Cironian border, the majority of Montfort’s population is clustered in the east. The capital of ASCENDANT is the largest city, followed by CROWNWATER, BRONCO, and THE PAINTED GATES. The port city of CASCADE is the only Montfortan holding on the Western Ocean.
Because of both geography and national borders, the crossing to Montfort is very difficult for any hoping to reach the Free Republic. However, large migrant populations exist, mostly from neighboring Prairie. Montfort maintains a policy of open borders to any willing to accept a blood-equal society. Migrating Silvers are subject to greater scrutiny than Reds, but welcome in the Free Republic. They must swear to uphold the blood laws, dictating the equality of all humans, as well as restricting speech or actions seeking to diminish the value of redblooded humans. Punishments for Silvers attempting to undermine blood equality are harsh deterrents, ranging from exile to execution.
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