Author's Note: This chapter will be introducing some new characters and in fact an entire nation. Expect it to be a good deal different from the main four, in ways that will become readily apparent very soon. Enjoy!
Chapter 23: The Steel Empire
Even now he could not believe his luck.
Marcus had long aspired to attain success in the Steel Empire's proud military, but rarely if ever had he conceived of attaining the rank of general and getting a seat at the Warlord's Table. It was the absolute highest honor a member of the Steel Empire military could ever hope to attain. And now Marcus had done it, acquiring a title to go with his rank, as was the case of all generals. He was now General Marcus the Proud.
It was a fitting title. Marcus was proud, and in his mind with total justification. He had achieved much in a comparatively short span of time, and had both strength of hand and a handsome face besides. Why shouldn't he be proud? Had he not earned his accomplishments? Marcus for one was convinced that he had.
Even his chosen dress reflected his high opinion of himself. The armor was one of the finest silvers available, and with a golden trim throughout. Over his shoulders and armor he wore a massive sea-blue cape which like his silver armor bore a golden trim. Slung across his back was his weapon of choice; a massive warhammer the color of his armor, it too featuring the same gold trim.
Marcus' eyes surveyed the room with satisfaction, before at last taking the seat that had been reserved for him. Each seat was evenly spaced and the table almost completely round throughout save for one part where it curved almost like a small bite had been taken in it. That spot on the far end was reserved for the greatest and mightiest of all of the Steel Empire's generals, the legendary Octavius the Immortal, so named for his having served for an untold length of time with no sign of ever slowing down.
And then, as if merely thinking of the great Octavius summoned him he appeared, as always his impressive golden helmet with white plumage covering almost his entire face. Over both arms he wore heavy golden armor and pauldrons, and covered his body with rich blue robes worn over what all knew to be more of the same fine golden armor. Draped over his shoulders was a violet cape, and in a scabbard at his side was a mighty longsword. A claymore was slung over his back in a second scabbard. It was said that Octavius' strength was such that he could dual-wield these impressive blades, if only for a short period of time. But when he did there was not a foe alive who could stand before him.
Following Octavius were the other generals, each a legend throughout the Steel Empire. The first after Octavius was another long-standing member and Marcus' mentor General Augustus the Noble, so named for his showing enemies fair treatment in defeat and holding himself to a high moral standard. He had long since made clear his preference for taking prisoners over lives, but was perfectly capable of doing both. His skill with a rapier was unmatched and he could also wield a broadsword with near equal skill. Though his age showed a bit, he still bore himself with pride, a majestic crimson cape draped over pauldrons of the same color. The rest of his armor was a dull gray, and his golden hair had lost some of it's color. Nevertheless, General Augustus commanded the same respect as all of the Generals, and strode into the Warlord's Council with total confidence.
Next to come through was General Caius the Grim, a dark-skinned man dressed in gold and silver and armed with a sword of the same colors. He bore a stern expression on his face and hard green eyes that none dared stare into for too long, and on his head he wore a mostly silver helmet with majestic red plumage. Like Octavius and Augustus his sword skills were legendary, to the point that it was said that the former was his only superior.
Following General Caius came the aptly named Lady Joan the Fair, the sole woman on the Warlord's Council. Her skin was paler than the moon itself and her hair was white as snow. She, like General Caius typically had a stoic expression and a severe gaze, but where Caius' eyes were green Lady Joan's were like two chips of ice. Her frosty beauty was almost as legendary as her skills in battle, which all admitted were fearsome indeed. She armed herself with a blue circular shield and a massive broadsword with a tip the color of the summer sky. To compensate for her less muscular body Lady Joan clad herself in heavy silver armor decorated with blue, and on the front of her breastplate was the symbol of the Father of the Blade and Spear, the supreme deity. For yet another thing Lady Joan was known for was her strong devotion to the Steel Empire's central religion, also knowing that when the Great End War came, women would be expected to prove themselves worthy soldiers for the Creators just as much as any man, even if they were seen as inferiors to the men in nearly all other respects.
And finally, last but not least was the beast himself, the dreaded General Anthony the Ram, whose deadly skills in battle and ferocious persona were both equally infamous. Having a much more unkempt appearance, his red hair was long and flowing wildly out of the back of his signature horned helmet that had earned him his title. His armor was a cobbled together mess of various suits taken from slain enemies and allies both. On the front of his breastplate was a grim, pitiless, silver-colored face that many said was a perfect representation of what General Anthony looked like behind his helmet. In a scabbard on his back he had a longsword and in his hands he bore a large, heavy battle-axe. It was said that both weapons had each killed more of the Steel Empire's enemies in one battle, than most soldiers did in their entire lifetimes, a claim General Anthony never bothered to confirm or deny.
In all they were a most impressive bunch, and as General Marcus saw them file in one by one, he was truly humbled to stand beside them as an equal. Now at last he could claim to be among the very best his nation had to offer.
As the various members of the Steel Empire took their respective seats, Octavius began the meeting the same way every meeting was begun. Taking out his longsword, he placed it on the table. All of the other generals followed suit, including Marcus himself. As they each laid their weapon on the round table, Octavius said in his booming, echoing voice: "May the Father of the Blade and Spear watch over us in battle and in counsel, and judge us to be righteous and just."
"Praise the father." Was the response General Octavius received, as was custom. With the introduction concluded, General Octavius began the meeting: "My brothers and sister: today is a momentous day. Today we welcome a new member of our council; General Marcus the Proud. He has earned his seat at our table, and shall be welcomed and treated with reverence."
"Here here." all said in agreement.
"Now then..." General Octavius said continuing. "...our next order of business is to discuss the recent discovery made by our scouts; of how the borders of the world are not where we always believed them to be, and that in fact there are other lands beyond our own. And these lands are inhabited by their own people and cultures."
"Cultures? Bah. Barbarians more like it. Our scouts report that these people live in huts in the snow and wear the skins of animals on their backs. Nothing at all like the proud, majestic might of our skycrapers and suits of armor."
"I would not be so quick to dismiss them." General Augustus said to his former protégé. "My scouts have also been observing these people, and it has been reported that not only is theres a thriving people, but there are those among them that can manipulate water and ice much the same way those in our culture manipulate metal."
"A mockery of our own abilities then." Marcus said with contempt. "I still seriously doubt that they have anything to recommend themselves."
"If nothing else, their manipulation of water might serve us well if they came to join and become part of the empire." General Augustus pointed out. "If they were to be assimilated successfully, they would be a valuable asset."
"Do you believe it can be done, General Augustus?" Lady Joan asked. Augustus nodded. "With the proper motivation and persuasion yes, I believe that the inhabitants of these snowy lands beyond our borders would readily join us and our righteous empire."
"And if they are reluctant?" General Caius questioned. "What of those who would hesitate or refuse to join?"
"They will be put to the sword as all infidels and heretics are." General Anthony said bluntly.
"General Anthony is correct." Marcus said. "There are only two paths in this world: the path of the righteous and the path of heresy."
"It would be a mistake to annihilate them." General Augustus warned. "We would be throwing away valuable allies. General Octavius, I implore you to give me permission to lead the first contact forces. Under my leadership, I guarantee successful assimilation with minimal casualties."
"I would ask to accompany General Augustus." Marcus said quickly, recognizing this as a valuable opportunity for more glory that he could not afford to pass up. "Allow me to go as well if your wisdom would permit it."
General Octavius seemed to consider this for a moment, relaxing more in his chair as he said nothing. Due to his helmet it was impossible to tell what the legendary general was thinking, but after a time he at last nodded and said: "I grant you permission to lead the first wave, General Augustus. And I grant General Marcus permission to accompany you."
"Thank you, General" Marcus and Augustus both said.
"May the Father of the Blade and Spear watch over you and your journey."
-X-
No sooner had General Anthony been given permission to lead the first wave did he set about assembling his forces. Because he did not want to scare the natives too much, he made sure to only bring as many men as would be needed to adequately protect themselves should things end in bloodshed.
But General Augustus for his part was quite confident that the first contact would be a complete success, and that given enough time the natives would be completely and wholly assimilated, as most of the Steel Empire's other enemies had been. After all, was servitude not preferable to extinction?
Standing on the deck of his ship, General Augustus surveyed the majestic grandeur of the Steel Empire's capital. Augustus for one felt that the city looked it's best when observed from the outside. To see the full scope and contents of the city in a way that could never be accomplished from within. To see the glorious buildings of stone, brick, iron, mortar, glass, and of course, steel that in some cases very near touched the sky and clouds. The gargantuan bridges, cathedrals, and monuments all vying to be the biggest attention-grabber of all but in the end all being equally magnificent. And finally, the mess of cars that clogged the bridges and streets both. To some the sight might seem unseemly, perhaps akin to a swarm of insects or vermin filling a drain, but to General Augustus nothing could be further from the truth. To his gray eyes they represented the technological might of the Steel Empire, and how advanced they were on all fronts, not just the battlefield.
And of course, working tirelessly every day and on General Augustus' very ship were the lifeblood of the Steel Empire: the Metalbenders. Men and women who could manipulate any metal of any kind with but a flick of the wrist. General Augustus possessed no such ability, but he always had the highest respect for it. As he was reminded just watching his men use their metalbending to get various parts of the ship ready in half the time it took for a non-bender to do it, without these individuals the Steel Empire would likely not even be an empire at all, but still just a modest collection of tribes not much more advanced than the natives General Augustus and his men were sailing off to convert.
And then as if General Augustus' merely thinking of the word summoned it's practitioners, a small group of men clad in indigo robes filed onto the boat via a metal ramp. Their leader was a man with incredibly hawkish features, serious gray eyes, and neatly trimmed hair the color of fire. He was the first one on, followed by several others. General Augustus bowed to the men in respect and they returned the gesture.
"Deacon Maximus." General Augustus greeted. "I take it that you're accompanying me on this sojourn?"
"Absolutely. If you insist on assimilating these natives then myself and my cadre must ensure that proper conversion occurs. Any who join the Steel Empire must recognize their duty and role to prepare themselves for battle and service to the Gods in the Great End War."
"Of course. I hope you all enjoy the ride. I'll be sure my men treat you with the utmost respect."
"Where is your protégé, Marcus?" Deacon Maximus asked. "Is he not to accompany you on this voyage?"
"Ex-protégé." General Augustus corrected. "The boy has finally become a general in his own right. And yes, he will indeed be accompanying me. But on his own ship, The Endeavour."
"Ah. Well then, to my next question: when do we set sail?"
"Soon. I just want to make sure everything's in order before we sail off. But that should be in just a few hours."
It was then that one of the other deacons spoke up: "I cannot help but notice that your armada is a tad light. Why not bring in more men?"
"Because I don't want to resort to warfare here unless necessary. My goal is to convince the natives to join us, not wipe them out. If battle comes, I have more than enough men to ensure we do not get slaughtered. But no more than that."
"You have a great deal of faith that these natives will convert successfully." the deacon said. "Perhaps a little too much."
"Nonsense. Is faith not what fuels our empire? Faith in the Gods? Faith in the justness of our wars in their name? The way I see it you can never have too much faith, least of all in matters such as this."
"Very well, General. Let us see if you are correct."
"You'll see soon enough." General Augustus said with a smile. "I guarantee that within weeks those natives will be lining up to convert by your own hand."
Author's Note: And there you have it. The first of my two new nations, the Steel Empire, has been introduced. And yes, they are metalbenders, the main difference being that unlike other earthbenders, where metalbending is an advanced form, with these guys it's natural and also all they can do. They cannot bend other earth. Only metal. On the plus side, they can bend ALL metals, even the "pure" metals of say, the Equalist's mecha-tanks.
Regarding their culture, aesthetic, and the like, I kind of liked a juxtaposition of 1920s America meets Medieval Europe, but also with a religion that is as Ancient Norse as it is Roman Catholic, and a caste system akin to what's been in India for centuries. There's also a lot of Ancient Rome thrown in as well. So really it's it's own unique culture with elements and inspirations taken from all over. It is also, by the way, why they have the names that they do; they are meant to be to the Avatar world what Europeans are to Asians in ours. I understand that the Avatar world is predominantly Chinese oriented, but this is meant to be something different. They're the Avatar world's equivalent to White Europeans.
And that's all for now. I hope you enjoy the Steel Empire and the role they'll play in my version of Book 2.