My blood burns brightly for all to see
It is the flame of a revolution that you cannot ever hope to quell
My memory can be erased
But my ideals will never die!
My mistake was believing I could change a world infected by hate and corruption
You've taken the freedom of an innocent troll and turned his blessings into a curse
The pity you have taken on my Disciple will wound her
She's known true love and you've forced her into a life of Solitude
You've forced a mother to watch her son die!

Gospels of the Signless, Executions III, Verse four.


The Imperial palace was a truly magnificent construction of gold and fuchsia, marble and coral. Imposing and Grand. The pinnacle of ancient Alternian architecture.

How she detested it.

The Palace steps, where they rose from the sea, were ingrained with a beautiful rainbow patina that suddenly lost it's luster when she learned it was the cumulative stain of the blood of thousands.
The Vaulted halls brought a lump to her throat as she recalled that the amber-coloured mortar between the huge stones contained the ground up horns of the convicts the last empress had killed herself.
The throne of coral and ivory, the royal scepter of lusus bone, the rare stones set into the walls and the exotic foods that were served to her at breakfast, just this evening. All had undoubtedly gotten several trolls killed in their acquisition.

And when she had asked at what cost these luxury items had come, her advisers spoke only of money.

It wasn't even like she could talk to anyone about it. Half her friends had to make an appointment to see her, the rest couldn't even do that due to their low Haemo-sociatal status. She was empress now, powerful beyond measure and kept in a bejeweled cage. An Exotic Fish in a Stained Glass Bowl.

But she would show them... She would make Alternia a beacon of hope.

No matter what the cost.


"So, Vriska... Why did your Crew abandon you? If you were as great as you claim, why would they mutiny?"

The Blueblood looked up from her meal. Speaking around a mouthful of food, she mumbled a half-hearted "I dunno...", before returning her attention to the sandwich in her hands.


Dewyyd reflected that this just wasn't his night.

Escaping prison his with Moirail after she interrupted a perfectly nice dream (a rather titillating fantasy about a cute olive blood girl) to demand he get arrested to help. Getting dragged of to find the sacred texts of some long forgotten loony-cult. Finding out said loony-cult was back in business and his Moirail was with them.

And Now? Now he was watching as the ground opened up and, in a flailing mess of tentacles and mouths, swallowed her whole.

Time to call in the cavalry.

"Yuehan? Yeah, she's done it again. Look, don't take that tone with me, all I did was get her out of Prison." There was a shrill scream on the other end. Dewyyd winced. In fairness, he probably should have left out that detail.

"Look, Yue, Buddy... I kinda need your help... Ok, yes, fine. My Moiral, my problem... But you can kiss any chance of getting you Red on with her goodbye."

The young troll on the other end sounded frantic.

"Well then, what'll it be then? Uhuh? Hmmm? Oh, alright then...Pleasure doing business with you, mister Dangao. Be sure to bring a bloody big hammer for this one... you're gonna need it."


Somewhere on a mountain side, a blue blood sighs and ends the call.

Standing, he tosses the core of his half eaten apple over his shoulder and walks down the path to a cliff.

He pushes up his glasses and sighs once more, before taking a running jump over precipice.


And Far below the Carnival, a serpentine creature writhes against the cold metal of it's shackles. Ah yes, Calmasis awakens. And many shall fall to their wrath. And My Dear Handmaid believes I Am Unaware of the Gold blood she has brought down here. I cannot say for certain what her plan is, the fabric of spacetime is distorted by my Masters waking from their slumber and I stand atop a peak of probability. From here, all timelines are visible and no outcome has anymore weight than the next. But a man can make an educated guess. I would speculate she intends to use young mister Captor's psionic abilities to free the second head of Calmasis before I can stop her. Well... Let her try... this whole thing looks set to get a whole lot more interesting. Now, please excuse me for a moment but I need to resume the narrative presently. There is only so long these trolls will buy that I am still communing with my Lord.