Darkar Chronicles: Song of the Eastern isles: a sequel to Empire's End
Prelude
Beauty and harmony, all governed by one eternal law. Those were the words inscribed upon the largest of shrines in the Isles of Wakoku. However the Isles of Wakoku were anything but harmonious, for centuries they were divided into twenty-two separate kingdoms each with their own distinct life styles, existing in times of peace and war and for the longest time over five centuries even though wars occurred not one of the ambitious kings chose to seek to unify the isles, not since the failure of King Tetsoru Ishida to do so. However things change and on the world of Eden war is a part of the way of life for the people of the planet and Wakoku couldn't stay divided forever as there would always be ambitious men and women that would seek to rise to power.
Such in the second year of the reign of Emperor Makoto I IC 1581 that a certain king rose to power; his name was Zuou and he was a man with grand ambitions and a monarch who had been favored by providence with the means to do so: in customs of all new rulers who need to cement their authority with a test of their abilities Zuou did the unexpected, he first dismissed the old nobility generals and established a group of ten loyal military masterminds armed with weapons that the Wakokuans referred to as Meihou but were better known by their Imperial name as Teigus, these mighty weapons gave their users unrivaled abilities and were bonded to their wielder until death. These ten generals became known as the Ten Stars, these men and women were selected based on established skillsets and their relationship with Zuou who had fought alongside each of them during the rule of his father Ozu and with these new generals, he raised large armies for each, in addition to this he imported a new weapon to the isles which had yet to arrive but thru his adventuring days, he had acquired trade agreement to import what was called Teppou or firearms.
With these new weapons, veteran troops and prodigious generals King Zuou set about conquering the neighboring isles, these islands were the age-old rivals of his kingdom of Tenrou; however they had assumed that the new king would not be a threat and they were wrong as the new military doctrine of Zuou and his generals allowed them to decisively defeat these enemies in the field, he then told his generals to give ultimatums, every settlement was given the option to surrender those that did so were sparred but those that choose to resist were sacked and ransacked with all manner of looting, raping and slaughtering done by Zuou's soldiers to send a clear message. After the first of these examples other fortifications, some with centuries of history for holding out against tides of invaders surrendered. Three rival kingdoms fell and were conquered in the first year of his rule, two more that year choose to bend the knee with the kings marrying a princess each to King Zuou who claimed a new title Grand Shogun. The next year saw more kingdoms fall, wealth flowed into the capital of Murasame beneath Mt. Hojo and the realm of Tenrou grew as the wolf banner of the royal house flew proudly.
This continued for two more years without issue until the third year of his reign when a great invasion happened that delayed further conquest: Wakoku was invaded by a great incursion of demons that had chosen to strike the realm of Tenrou, during this time Zuou's armies were distracted from conquest to fight forth the legions of demons which were great in number: the fight continued for three long months during this time pacts were made amongst the other island kingdoms to for mutual security and to grow their armies further. Then suddenly one day the invasion ceased the demons vanished, ruins that had been scattered throughout the isles made of black stone for centuries vanished too and an uneasy peace came to the isles; with it came news from afar: the Great Empire on the mainland of Adonai had recovered from two year civil war and had taken the brunt of the invasion, according to merchants a new empire lead by the hero that had defeated the Demon leader and saved the world in doing so had risen under the banner of the Golden Dragon.
All this news however met little to Zuou who after taking a few months to recover from the invasion resumed warfare with the kingdoms of the Isles chiefly the kingdoms of Soukai and Saryuu who now were joined in a coalition against the Shogun with three other islands. This war proved to be one that found Soukai on the losing end; two of the other island kingdoms in the pact fell after protracted conflicts in addition to armies having been decimated sent by Soukai and Saryuu.
It was then during this time of military disasters that the King of Soukai made a crucial decision, he had been blessed with a daughter his only child named Rinzu a princess longed for as a wife by men all over the islands, renowned for her beauty and singing voice Rinzu counseled her father to attempt diplomacy not with Zuou however but with the Golden Dragon Empire that had risen to power on Adonai and stretched over more land than any other nation they knew of. It was with great solemnity and personal sorrow that he decided that it would be best to sacrifice their independence to the Empire to avoid sharing the fate of the other isles that had fallen.
The King sent an envoy along with a group of his best soldiers to the mainland and the Empire itself: their journey took two months but they arrived in the Imperial capital of Melitine and that is where our story begins.
Chapter 1: The Hero of the World
IC 1585, year 2 of the rule of Tatsumi Gildenstrom VII
Emperor Tatsumi sat upon the Imperial throne he had been informed by his herald and one of his wives Pais that a diplomatic delegation had arrived from distant Wakoku and had asked to speak with him personally; it really was something not out of the ordinary as diplomats arrived to speak with him almost every month as more pacts were sealed with the Empire and its neighbors but also within the Empire as well. Tatsumi looked to his sides as he gave the order "Send them in" he told Pais and the young woman nodded and left the room to fetch them. To either side of Tatsumi were two thrones each of which was occupied by a stunningly beautiful woman, while he was an Emperor and had many wives and concubines whom he loved and treasured dearly his two most beloved and prized were Aria Grundel and Esdeath Patras, the Angel Empress and the Ice Empress and both of him now bore the surname of the royal house of Gildenstrom.
The deeds of his Empresses were as great as his own and each was a beauty of the kind which stories were told to great jubilation. Esdeath was a beautiful goddess that could be best described as the queen of winter; her deep light blue hair was her greatest feature in his opinion and her eyes were equally blue, while sitting down her height was shorter then it actually was at a towering 6'8 she dwarfed a good number of men, her body was extremely fit, her breasts were massive f-cups and she had an ample rump that only a foolish man would dare to lust after if he were not the Emperor, she wielded great Teigus and sat on a throne made of silver and studded with pearls and diamonds. Her loyalty to Tatsumi was undying she loved him more than life and he had earned her love a thousand times over, she was the last of her tribe the Patrassi but the first of the new Patras and had born since that day twins they named Icy and Sayo two daughters they treasured dearly and Esdeath and Tatsumi desired more children to fulfill her dream of restoring her people that had been nearly destroyed by Northern barbarians that she eventually conquered and destroyed as Esdeath was the Empire's finest military general of the kind it had never seen the like of, it was said of Esdeath she could take a mob of rabble and conquer any empire: her renown as a leader was so we known that she was beloved by her friends and subjects while being both respected and feared by her enemies.
But Esdeath was not first in Tatsumi's heart that belonged to Aria Layael Grundel first among them all; Tatsumi's relationship with Aria would be best described as soulbound as that was and is what they are, not to say that the other women he loved weren't no they were bound to him, but Aria held a place in his heart, think of their love as that of a tree with Tatsumi being the tree and Aria the roots that kept it alive, if one were to die the other would die soon after: their love was that deep. Aria had been the same age as Tatsumi when they married and they married about a month after they had met, when they had she was a different woman then she was as Empress; she had been just a noble then albeit one of a powerful and respected family but still just a girl; since then she had become a woman who had proven worthy of the title Angel Empress. Aria had long flowing blonde locks that reached the small of her back and that she claimed were corse and rough, Tatsumi told her that to him they felt as soft as silk, her eyes were blue as a midsummer sky, her beauty of the kind that would make the goddesses of the Empire look plain but fortunately not the other members of her husband's harem. Her soft hands were well cared for with nails polished and tended to by a dedicated group of handmaids, her gown was sky blue much like Esdeath's and was decorated with golden and silver thread with gems woven into the cleavage of her corset, her girdle was made of mithril and Mooncandles studded it her feet were clad in white boots, on her brow was a crown of mithril festooned with diamond and pearl, her body was well-endowed, her breasts which had been modest d-cups when she had first met and loved Tatsumi had gone thru a final growth spurt and now were the same size as Esdeath's; she was truly a beauty without rival, her most distinguishing feature though was a curious headband with a blue ball hanging off the side that headband was the Teigu Noctis Wave, the ancestral Teigu of house Grundel and Aria's most prized and iconic possession.
"So what do you two think about the newcomers?" Tatsumi asked.
"I'll not make any judgments until they've spoken their keep" Esdeath replied.
"I'm hoping they come with peaceful intentions and not to make war on the Empire, heaven help me I'm a bit saddened whenever a nation does, that kind of stupidity is pitiable" Aria replied, the diplomats arrived in the throne room accompanied by a well-armed escort clad in armor Tatsumi recognized as being from Wakoku, those soldiers were lead by a stand out: a tall young woman in her late twenties with blue eyes and light red hair, which she tied up. Her clothes were black and white in color and left her midriff bare. She wore some armor on her arms and knees. She also wore a light blue headband, another light blue piece of cloth around her waist, and two circular earrings. The diplomat, by contrast, was male and shorter than average to a point where Tatsumi thought that he looked like a Dwarf he was a middle-aged man with dark hair. He had a small mustache and a goatee. He also wore expensive clothes and a hat.
"Presenting to his Imperial majesty a delegation from the Isle of Soukai in islands of Wakoku, according to them their king seeks to make a pact with the Empire that would be mutually benificial" Pais introduced. "Diplomats I present to you his Imperial Majesty Golden Dragon Emperor Tatsumi VII Gildenstrom, Last Emperor of the Golden Empire first of the New Golden Dragon Empire: Ruler of all Adonai from the Western Isles to the Eastern seas and from the coldest North to Southern lands, savior of all Eden, slayer of the Arch-Demon Volgoth Ugor, Dwarf-Kin by marriage and adoption, and rightful ruler of all under the skies" Pais introduced.
"Thank you, Pais, let my guests introduce myself, speak your intentions, I hope that you come before me with good intentions and warn you to choose your next words carefully lest you speak poorly" Tatsumi greeted, the diplomat and his warriors stepped forward and knelt before him in custom with Imperial diplomacy, Tatsumi signaled for them to rise. "Which of you speaks for your delegation?" Tatsumi asked.
"I do: Lord Haruge of Soukai, humble diplomat for his majesty King Sotetsu: he offers unto a most generous deal and pact in exchange for your majesty's aid; our nation is at war with an ambitious King who styles himself as ruler of all Wakoku, not even the demon invasion could sate his lust for war: he attempted first to parlay but we refused having seen what he has wrought but the war dragged on and we suffered defeat after defeat thanks to new weapons imported from far off lands and the skill of his generals, things grew worse too as the Pirates became bolder, two of our allies fell to conquest and such it was that his majesty wonders if there is any hope for independence that remains. His majesty came to a conclusion that there was no way of remaining independent in this day of age and has with the council of his sole child and heir Princess Rinzu decided that if Soukai is to survive it must join with a power that is greater than Tenrou: to that end, he offers his sword in vassalage to the Golden Dragon Empire and to seal the pact for generations to come his daughter's hand in marriage in addition to the tribute of several of his highness's finest soldiers to serve in your royal army. Know this an offer made out of desperation, know too that his highness's daughter is beautiful beyond others in the isles and happens to be pursued by many suitors all of which have failed to earn her affection due to many different factors, he'd not offer her hand to anyone that he deemed unworthy and who would be more worthy than the Emperor of the Golden Dragon Emperor, the savior of Eden, to wed Princess Rinzu" The short man replied and brought Tatsumi two scrolls, both which were taken by one of his fifteen bodyguards The Black Rose Empress Akame who was married to the Emperor and sworn to protect and serve him.
Akame handed Tatsumi the scrolls, the first one was a diplomatic treaty and the second was- a picture expertly painted of one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, it wasn't just in black and white it was had been lovingly painted in a beautiful fashion. Tatsumi was taken aback; such treaties weren't something he'd easily walk into as he did spend time thinking about them but few of those treaties had involved an outright willing annexation in combination with a marriage contract, those two tended to be separate and those marriages tended to be for securing pacts that protected nations from enemies and secure the Empire as an ally rather than as a sovereign power. "Esdeath what do you think?" Tatsumi asked presently.
"I'll go with whatever choice you decide though I'd advise caution this could drag us into a war" Esdeath replied.
"Aria?" Tatsumi asked.
"I'd accept the deal, the Empire is always willing to welcome those who wish to join willingly" Aria commented, Tatsumi then turned to his other councilors many of whom were his wives who had a variety of skillsets and earned their positions thru merit and each gave their arguments for and against however it was eventually Tatsumi's decision, the Empire was stable and powerful in addition to being rich and had fast recovered from the most devastating war in Eden's history and the Imperial Military was at its best and- well he noted restless by the lack of truly interesting enemies as the military had spent most of its time after the war cleaning up leftover warlords, clearing out bandits and outlaws along with Danger Beasts. If Tatsumi was going to make a choice that may result in war but also had the chance not to Tatsumi was willing to take it now when it was the best time for such decisions and not when Tatsumi felt clear that the Princess would be in danger of having harm come to her as she would definitely be a spoil of war for the Grand Shogun whom Tatsumi had heard of but hadn't considered an external threat due to the distant and the fact the islands were likely hit hard by the demon incursion, however that appeared not to have been the case: the islanders successfully repelled demon invasions and were still capable of beating the crap out of each other and one leader was doing so with reckless abandon it meant he'd soon threaten the Empire's allies and this warlord had dark ambitions for Rinzu and so Tatsumi decided that for the sake of the princess and to prevent a potential rival power rising up to trouble the eastern seas and his eastern vassals he'd accept the deal.
"After great debate with my council I've decided to accept the offer: I will be traveling to meet your king in person because of the diplomatic nature know that we will journey with a diplomatic fleet, should the need to involve military forces arise know that I'll be prepared to do so" Tatsumi explained, Haruge was shocked, that the Emperor had accepted so quickly was surprising news in itself but that he'd actually travel overseas to visit the island of Soukai in person was amazing and beyond anything they could have hoped for at this the diplomat fell the ground and kissed the floor at Tatsumi's feet before rising again to full attention with a smile on his face.
"Thank you your Imperial Highness, oh this joyous news of the kind only dreamt of in the most pleasant of dreams and beyond any hope our king could have had; your actions with save Soukai and possibly all Wakoku, know though that your choice will go down in our history for centuries to come and perhaps you will be the one to unite the isles and be the first man to rule over all Wakoku but I hope that this choice will bring an end to the war and the tyrant Zuou will cease his attacks on our homeland lest he invoke the ire of the Empire" Haruge thanked.
"Your welcome, now I'll be honest, I'll be arriving first with a diplomatic delegation, three ships, a military expeditionary force will be sent too with the role of acting as a deterrence to King Zuou, I'll send emisarries to inform him of the same news: he'll have the option to seek peace if he wishes if he choose war then may the gods have mercy on his soul" Tatsumi explained then turned to a silver haired woman. "Empress Grand Marshal Najenda send word my generals to ready an expeditionary force, select only our most veteran troops, likewise I want you to inform Empress Saryana to ready our fleet, I want three of our best ships ready for a diplomatic mission, likewise send word to my eastern vassals to make ready for war if needs be and send word too to the Eastern Dwarf lords to ready throngs for conflict: I hope these military preparations are unnecessary but I don't want the worse to happen and not be prepared for it" Tatsumi ordered.
"I'll take care of it my husband: I'll lead the troops myself" Najenda replied and took aside another woman with dark skin and blue hair to explain the new orders to "HELL YEAH!" from the other woman which surprised the foreigners.
"Don't mind her Saryana gets excited when there is the possibility of conflict, she's actually got a history with Wakoku, she's the Empire's finest naval mind and greatest privateer" Tatsumi explained. "I wish to speak to your highest ranking military officer that came with this delegation I need to know the state of your island's military if war becomes unavoidable" Tatsumi explained, at this woman that stood out from the other soldiers due to her bearing approached him she then knelt and rose.
"Your Imperial Highness: I'm Captain Hinowa Sakai of his majesty's navy, captain of Waverunner and hero of the battle of Riiku Bay, I was once the daughter of a humble fisherman but after my military efforts had become knowledge of the king and after a great loss of nobility in war I and my sole daughter Hinata were granted nobility and the family name Sakai, I'm a rising star in his majesty's navy and seek to become known world round and to be respected and beloved by the people of my homeland and to see an end to the wars that have plagued it for centuries" The woman introduced.
"I welcome you Captain Hinowa to my palace and my military I'd like to hear more of your exploits and about yourself soon but I'd like to know how the military of your home stands" Tatsumi asked.
"Not as well as it did when I first took up the sword, once Soukai was one of the mightiest of the kingdoms of Wakoku but those times have fallen behind us: our armies have taken grievous losses defending our allies and we have lost over a hundred ships to the sea in this war; our fleet numbers less then 50 ships of war and the rest are fishing ships including my own ship it was converted from a large fishing ship to a warship by me when the war first came; too much has been lost and our foes number in the hundreds of thousands where we can muster only tens of thousands most of them the children of farmers and fishermen who've lost their fathers and mothers to this war" Hinowa explained.
"I see, in that case Esdeath I think I'll need to double the expedition's size if war comes I don't want to strain the manpower of our new subjects more then they wish to; I'm loathe to send any man or woman off to war but if it comes to it I will and I will march with them and let every death that happens weigh on my soul by Asha's name" Tatsumi replied, Hinowa was taken aback, she'd expected the people of her isle to have to prove themselves but that he'd be willing to lay down the lives of his countrymen in addition to his own life for people he barely knew that was- selfless.
"My Emperor I'll strive to prove myself worthy of this kindness I and my soldier will follow you whatever end if you wish to count us amongst your royal retainers we'll gladly accept whatever duty and command you give us and if we have to lay down our lives for you" Hinowa replied and knelt as a knight would.
"I accept your oaths; Mez see to getting Hinowa and her troops equipped in our best armor, they are now part of my retinue and will be accompanying me on my journey also see to getting Lord Haruge a room to stay it will take some time to ready for journey" Tatsumi replied and ordered, Hinowa noted a dark-tan skinned blonde in fine armor approach her.
"Follow me I'll see to getting you and your soldiers outfitted; you'll be following my husband's orders whenever he gives them; if time comes that you need to sacrifice yourself to save him you will do so" Mez explained and led them off, the diplomat gave one last nod and left the room, Aria looked at him.
"So did you accept their offer out of practicality, the offer of Princess's hand or just because I was in favor of it" Aria asked him.
"All three, besides I've found sitting around the palace to be- dull, granted I'm not going to stop being Emperor because of the boring parts of the job, no what I need is to go out and see the world again Aria, there are so many places that we didn't visit on our quest to save the world and Eden has so much to offer" Tatsumi replied.
"I get it you want to go adventuring again don't you?" Aria replied, Tatsumi nodded.
"That and more; the Empire is the greatest nation on Eden and I think everyone should share in all the marvels we've made" Tatsumi replied.
"Even if they don't want to?" Aria replied, Tatsumi chuckled.
"I get it you're thinking I want to rule the world, please ruling the Empire is enough I just want anyone that wants to be part of it to do so and have opportunities they can't find elsewhere on Eden" Tatsumi replied. "Prime Minister Chouri I'm dismissing the council for today I must see to making my preparations for the journey, selecting those who will come with me and inform those that aren't of their jobs in my absence.
Tatsumi left the throne room and arrived at the quarters of your humble chronicler and his wife: I'm Erasiel Darkar, and my Wife Linzi and with myself have sworn an oath to chronicle his life-story and to stand by his side as friends and allies to the day of his death whatever danger Tatsumi chooses to plunge himself into. This is the story of Tatsumi's first war against other humans after the ascension of the Golden Dragon Empire and is a moment that will shape Eden's history to come with people shaped by it playing a crucial part. This too is the first war of one Eden's greatest heroes a woman who's actions would shape Eden's future to ends unknown at that time but who would have an impact on the entire galaxy that Eden but was one part of.