An Ekruti Village, Ebreichlandung Archepelago
[center] Some time ago[/center]
The air was brisk, the wind fierce, and a chill that had encompassed much of the south. These were all tell-tale signs that end of the year was approaching and with it a new winter. Itigia did not mind so much in some ways she may have even admitted to having a fondness for the cold months once. Now though, things were different. She would be all alone this winter, and though many in the village would be more than welcoming to her it wouldn’t change the fact that she would be… alone. Her husband had since past succumbed to his addictive habit of smoking and while it was hard to overcome with at first, but she had always found comfort in her son and in turn comforted her husband’s child. For many years it was them against the world. But now? Now her son had grown into a man and while still young, he non the less was capable of looking after himself now and forging his own path in the Welt.
Like many Ekruti* youths Itigia’s son had loathed at the idea of staying in the village another winter and summer embellishing in the idea of leaving the isles and heading to the mainland. To see and experience an entirely foreign world and way of life with all the excitement only the youth seem capable of conjuring. So it was that through a heartfelt and emotional goodbye Itigia saw her only child leave the isles for the mainland, clinging on to the promise of regular phone calls and the occasional visit. Though it was not an affair of tragedy, in many ways it felt like one to Itigia for now she was all alone, and no one would be able to comfort her in the long nights like before.
It was perhaps because of this that Itigia had now found a companion in the Village’s elder woman Yurak. Taking time to make weekly visits to elder and always making sure to bring gifts. This time Itigia had gathered a dish she had prepared the night before, Auja. Something of a delegacy among the Ekruti made from local nuts, plants, and hunted game. Though mainlanders and foreigners tend to recognize it more as a porridge or meat stew. For shame, Itigia thought. From what she gathered porridge was deemed something of a poor man’s food on the mainland. Oh well more Auja for her. With the native dish she also managed to purchase pouched tea from one of the Gemischt* towns not too far from the village, supposedly it was a hot commodity on the mainland imported from a foreign country.
Such things were generally rare of among the Ekruti. Not that they were hostile to foreigners simply that the Ekruti way of life, the “old ways” as some would call it, was more focused on living off the land making the concept of such “convince items” something of an exotic and alien concept. It had also been one of the reasons Itigia’s son had longed for the mainland. The curiosity of youth and the settled society’s almost mystical status to the sheltered Ekruti youths something that could not be dissuaded.
Following a brief and chilled trek to Yurak’s dwelling, with both tea and dish in tow, Itigia was greeted by elder women a warm and welcoming smile spreading across her wrinkled aged face at the sight of her weekly visitor.
“Itigia, please come in! Mmmm… is that the scent of Auja I smell?”
“Oh, I couldn’t help myself. When we got talking about it last time I remember how fondly my son enjoyed it. I’m just glad I have a reason to cook it again. Oh, and I also brought you some tea!”
Once Itigia got settled and Yurak prepared a fresh brew with her younger friend’s gift, the two would talk and laugh with each other for hours. Exchanging stories of their youths and lamenting about times past. It wasn’t until the topic of dreams came up that the mood seemingly changed. Itigia mentioned how she’d had trouble falling asleep now that she was all alone while Yurak listened and warmly emphasized with her younger friend. It was then Yurak’s turn to discuss what had been bothering her. Her own dreams as of recent, a jumbled mixture of scenes that made no sense to her, yet she insisted were both important and connected.
“It’s always the same thing over and over; First, a mist that spreads around making people sick and saddened. Second, a storm erupts over the sea and never seems to stop. Finally, I’m standing upon the shore and out in the ocean I see what looks like an island gradually drifting away until a fog makes it unable to see. I don’t know what it could mean, but I feel it is important.”
The Elderldy has always been looked up to as advisors in many facets of life. Be it spiritual, physical, or psychological and in turn the Ekruti respected them upmost. Even the most difficult of the elderly were cared for, though begrudgingly. Yurak was, fortunately, not such a person. While the years may have been harsh on her she had not allowed this to affect her, simply accepting it as a fact of life. The Ekruti had a saying “Cherish youth, but trust in age” and many among the village would agree Yurak was a living embodiment of this age-old wisdom. So these dreams she was talking about were certainly interesting. The two women would continue to discuss the dreams wondering as to what they could be. A sign perhaps?
A mist of sickness and sorrow.
An endless storm over the sea.
Islands drifting away.
What could it mean?
(OOC:)
*Ekruti- the native people of Sudmark predating Derusmic presences. They are believed to have once dominated all of Sudmark but have since been delegated to small pockets of nomadic groups across the Federation.
*Gemischt- Literally meaning, Mixed, this term has been adopted as an official ethnic label by the Federation to denote those of both Derusmic and Ekruti origin. Today the Gemischt are the dominant ethnic group of the country making up and estimated 70-90% of the total population.
[hr]
Brascroen-Mainland Sudmark, Royal Motorcade
Alfried Strossner, of the Royal House of Strossner, was the brother of the current King of Sudmark and thusly a Prince of House Strossner. Alfried himself had no children nor was he married and seeing as how his brother had two heirs, he saw no real reason to have children. In a way his niece and nephew, through their very births, was something of a relief to Alfired because it meant that his brother’s line was secure. More importantly it meant his own importance dwindled and now instead of being his brother’s right hand and the proverbial future of the country Aflried could enjoy being relatively well… irrelevant. With the exception of the occasional duty of being present at some event or another in absence of his brother, Alfried was now free. Free from the burden of royal duties, free from the constant boredom of politics that was required of the crown, and free from his brother’s incessant nagging about maintaining the image of the crown. Even the media had changed their focus from Alfried two his niece and nephew the two darlings of Sudmark.
Of course, the question then became, what was a Prince of House Strossner, with all that the position entailed, supposed to do? He could, act as a diplomatic agent on behalf of the Federation and the crown itself but that seemed awfully tiresome besides the media and electorate council seemed awfully pleased with his generosity of allowing that privilege to the seasoned diplomats who clearly had more experience and fresh-faced junior diplomats who needed to make a name for themselves. In the end Alfried took it upon himself to observe the progress being made in the Federations expansion into the Ebreichlandung Archepelago. After all as proper members of the Federation surely the isles deserved all the benefits that came with being apart of this great country and Alfired would be more than pleased to look after projects needed to modernize the isles. Of course, Brascroen as the gem of the south, and the Federations second largest economic center, also need attention too and Alfried was more than willing to give it all the attention it needed. Especially the booming casino industry, and in particular the adult clubs in said casinos.
There were occasions when Alfried's otherwise, important administrative duties, need to take a back seat much to his own regret but duty would occasionally call for the Prince, and in this particular instance he couldn’t refuse when that duty was specifically family related. Today family meant looking after his niece and nephew, and while he adored his brother’s children as any good uncle should, Alfried was not particularly pleased when he was interrupted from an important “audition” with one of the casinos showgirls. Even more tiresome was that it was the specifically His Majesty who interrupted him via a phone call; but who was a prince to deny the king?
So here he was spending a good half of his day in an escort car first accompanied by his young eccentric nephew who lambasted him with praise about some foreigner and how “totally awesome”, “unmatched” and “best of the best” of a rugby player he was. Some Morelander by the name of McCalister? Or was it MacAllister? The name escaped him. But his nephews constant praise of the man seemingly never did, and while Alfried could appreciate his nephew’s passion for the sport he would be lying if he didn’t find his nephew’s newfound obsession a bit tiring. Still he smiled and tried to best he could to follow the boy’s conversation and endure video after video of “Best Tries” compilations. Though to little avail.
Alfried didn’t know much of anything about rugby after all. Fortunately, he would find some respite in his niece. The focus of this venture in the first place. Supposedly his niece, Odelia, had been studying abroad via some sort of exchange program -the Network of Crowns- if he remembered correctly and so he was to accompany his nephew to the International Airport where they would then pick up Odelia before taking the journey back to Baden, the Federation Capitol. Why the King himself, or even the Queen for that matter, could not do this themselves escaped him. Still, he found Odelia recounting her adventures abroad far easier to follow than his nephew's Rugby obsession. Even more so that Odelia was closer in age to himself and thusly more capable of “adult” conversation so to say. Much to the annoyance of their young companion.
The First leg of the journey was to stop at the families holding in Brascroen proper where they would spend the night before departing for the capital the following day. Thus far the trip had gone smoothly however now it seemed there was some sort of stall. Curious the Prince glanced out the window. His nephew seemingly had the same idea what he said next would conjure a sudden realization in Alfried the likes he’d never felt before.
“Onkel, is it usually this foggy in Brascroen?” His naïve, innocent, young voice asked with genuine curiosity. Then many things happened at once.
[hr]
[center] Earlier That Day [/center]
“Are we really about to do this? Like, really?”
“Don’t you puss out on me! Were too deep in to bail now.”
“I Know, I Know. It’s just…high treason? Of this caliber? Not exactly what I had in mind.”
“I hear you, but hey if everything goes according to plan… well let’s just stay focused. Ja?”
The two had been waiting here nearly all morning. Two nearly empty cups of tea sitting idly in the middle terminals cup holsters were indicative of the fact. They were not the only ones either. Indeed, any one observant enough would notice the peculiarity of various cars having been parked at the curbside around the plaza. Even more so that these cars hadn’t moved since 6 A.M. Still most would not notice this strange scene as the Plaza would slowly become more and more crowded until around midday when the area would be packed.
The reason was the same as always. Demonstrations and protests. Against the Federal Government and its supposed overreach, the economic situation around the country which seemed only to worsen, accusations of abuse and corruption by the authorities many claimed but had no proof of, hell even the damn weather was probably being protested. It seemed like anything, and everything was fair game to the disgruntled masses. While it was a mess for local authorities who now called in Federal authorities for back up as the masses became more unruly with each passing day, their misery was opportunity for the inconspicuous cohort of cars and their two per vehicle teams.
Today was even more hectic than usual though, news of the Royals motorcade planning to stroll through the city had attracted even more visitors to the plaza and in turn more Federal Authorities. It was the perfect brew of chaos and all it needed was a spark. That is precisely what the two individuals in this care had been waiting for. Why they had suffered mindless waiting of hour upon hour. A spark. The handheld transceiver carried by one of the individuals crackled to life brining the mind-numbing waiting to an end finally.
“Target spotted, approaching the plaza now”
“Copy, all teams are green. Wait for the signal and strike. Good hunting and remember, Freiheit.”
With that a series of events would take motion unnoticed by the masses and the distracted authorities. The first would be a coordinated group of individuals making their way through the crowds each carrying a backpack and wearing a filtration mask. Meanwhile chaos would erupt as excited tourist and bystander struggled with protester and demonstrator alike each to get a glimpse at the royal motorcade. In the chaos fights would seemingly break out among the crowd as the masses in realizing their conflicting reasons to be there bickered amongst each other. Now was the time they were wating for. A few moments passed and the chaos grew while the Authorities forming parallel lines struggled to both keep the peace and the masses from breaking their lines.
“Down with the Feds! End Federal Tyranny!” Someone shouted, and this quickly became a rallying cry as seemingly dozens of voices echoed the words causing confusion amongst both the masses and the authorities. Next an object was thrown at the police lines, one single glossy object twirled unpredictably towards an unsuspecting line of police and before they could even react, even notice the object erupted into flames engulfing an unlucky few in its fiery embrace. Then came the screams as panic infested the masses. Lastly backpacks were placed on the ground and all at once a gas would slowly seep out soon engulfing the area leading to a cacophony of screams and uncontrollable coughing.
"Their Gassing us!” And with that, the spark was lit. All hell broke loose. Just on cue the alarms of security vehicles blared loudly. The signal.
[Center] The Present [/center]
The Motorcade swiftly moved into action breaking ceremonial formation and allowing the Royal’s vehicles to slip through the chaos accompanied by only two escorts. Their drivers professionally steered throughout the crowded streets carful not hit anyone while also maintaining their speed so as to escape. For a brief moment they looked to be clear of the chaos and Prince Alfried gasped in relief. Instinctively he had pulled his nephew and down below the window while motioning for his niece to do the same. This was not happening he screamed to himself in his mind.
“Are we in the clear?!” He practically screamed at the driver unable to control himself. Garnering an ever so slightly annoyed glance by the driver
“Please stay calm and keep down your Highnesses.” Was all the driver responded with. Meanwhile Alfried frantically looked out the window trying to make sense of the situation but in his own panic barley making sense of where they were at or what was even going on; all the while trying and failing to reassure his confused niece and nephew. They too were now growing more panicked by the minute only exacerbated by their uncle’s own panic. In an attempt to focus on something anything Alfried strained to hear what the driver and his partner were saying only able to make out: “two, shit no three,” Two! Three?! Two three what?! What was going on, why did their security detail seem puzzled. Where were the other vehicles of the Motorcade. What was going on? These questions and more raced through his mind and as they did Aflried only grew more and more panicked. Subconsciously he began muttering to himself over and over again like a madman, “Can’t be happening, no, no, it can’t! Not happening” The last thing he saw was his nephew and niece bewildered hugging each other and seemingly pushing themselves away from him.
“Can’t be. No, not happening!” A sudden and violent vibration erupted throughout the car as if they had crashed, “cant be…” Then Everything went black.
Odelia, Brascroen
Everything was blurry. That’s the only way she could describe it. What is that sound? Its familiar...
“O…del…a…Od…lia” It sounds like...
“deli…Od…ia…ODELIA!”
“Wha..” Flying. Car. Family. City. Family. That’s right she was returning home and meeting her..
“Brother...” Brother. Fog. Brother. Panic. Brother. Crash. It all came rushing back to her now ever agonizing second of it. The crash. The panic. The last thing she remembered was holding her younger brother, tightly, trying to protect him if nothing else, and then… the crash.
"Crash...” Now having regained her senses, her vision clear as crystal now, Odelia frantically looked around for her brother. Instead, what greeted her was a nearly destroyed car the roof having caved in and just barley stopping enough to not have crushed her. As she looked around more she felt her hand drenched in something wet. Something sticky. She wanted nothing more than to ignore the sensation, but she knew she couldn’t. Wide eyed she glanced down only to see her hand surrounded by a pool of crimson liquid. She screamed recoiling her hand. Fortunately, it wasn’t her own, but if not hers...
“BRUNO!” She shrieked over and over uncontrollably, frantically looking all round her for any signs of her brother.
“Odelia!” To her utter relief she heard her brother call out to her, but something was wrong it sounded distant, but she heard something else footsteps and grunts. Then a voice unfamiliar.
“Oy shut him up already and help me, Ja?! The girl survived too…” Odelia was met with a masked individual who for a brief moment just stared at her his face hidden behind the mask.
“Hello, princess. I see you aren’t dead! That’s good. Shame about your uncle though... Ah well that’s life I suppose. Can't save them all right?!” The figure said jovially as if talking to a long-missed friend.
[center] *** [/center]
And so it was, a second attack would be carried out against the Strossner family hundreds of miles away from Baden and the first. An act that would go unnoticed. Overshadowed by the chaos that now engulfed Brascroen and its subsequent events. A King and his wife are dead, his heirs missing. A spark is lit.