The Monthly Brief

Princess Mariella — Imperial Palace, Avimore

The imperial children were briefed once a month, in a stuffy room without windows. This wasn't where the decisions were made, but where they were explained as part of the imperial brood's training. Not all of them were present – they wouldn't all fit into the room – but all of the emperor's offspring who were deemed competent enough to inform about the workings of the empire were gathered to learn, under the critical eye of Emperor Osmund himself.

Osmund was prolific when it came to children. He had nine from the late empress and his two concubines, plus another eight from more "informal" arrangements. That was enough to turn the meeting room into a sea of paper fans, waving back and forth in a vain attempt to make the close air more bearable.

There were rumors of other offspring, children whose mothers opted never to let their children enter the palace for fear of what it might do to them. Those fears were slightly overblown. It wasn't like in the plays, where death lurked around every corner and only the most ruthless could survive. The hazards of the Imperial Palace were more subtle than that, but nonetheless real. And they became more apparent when they were all gathered together like this, for the monthly brief. Princes and princesses eyed each other, eager to stand out, eager to impress. For most of them, it was the only time they got to spend under their father's gaze. Generally, one either tried to hide or be so outstanding as to be worthy of a promotion into his government. The ultimate goal, for those who dared to pursue it, was the throne of the Gordian Empire.

Mariella had often observed that the greatest threats in the palace were moral ones. Having a position of total power dangled above them as both motivation and intimidation for all their lives bred pettiness and aggression. Tending to all their needs was supposed to give them time to train, but it often led to contempt for those beneath them. The whole lifestyle was an obscene test of character. More than one imperial son had been sent away for being too free with the help, against the help's wishes. Mariella pitied the pretty maids whose families sent them into the palace to make connections, only to find themselves bait in a morality trap.

Mariella, being one of the irregular children, had more contact with the outside world than the sons and daughters of queens and concubines. She was a Healer, and likely destined for the church, so it was natural for her to think in such terms.

In theory, any of them could become Emperor. It was tradition not to promote the oldest, but the best. Or sometimes, as in Father's case, whoever was most ready when the need arose. The previous emperor had fallen ill at a relatively young age and died after three years of wasting away. Had he lasted another ten years, maybe someone else would have taken the throne, but Prince Osmund was the most ready at the time and so became Emperor Osmund, Defender of the Five Races, Favored of Knexenk, Bearer of the Civilized Light, and other such titles.

Emperor Osmund was still young, barely forty, but his two oldest children had found their way into high official posts, though only as deputy ministers. Wolston was Deputy Minister of Industry, and Nathaniel was Deputy Minister of War. Despite their titles, they weren't here today because of their offices. They were here because they were imperial offspring. It wasn't only the direct descendants here, either. A smattering of the better cousins attended as well. Their presence was a constant reminder that Father could, and would, use anyone with imperial blood who was useful.

Osmund sat with them, not as a great and distant man on a distant throne, but at the center of the long table and on the same level. The only sign of his station was his slightly taller chair. He greeted them all briefly at these events, remembering every name but doling out praise in sips that left his children always thirsty for more. Mariella understood the trick, and yet she was not immune. That was part of the Emperor's power: his charisma was compelling even against people who were on guard against it.

The first brief was from the Marshal of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, about the ongoing attacks against Grisham's Wall. The empire had abandoned the area north of the wall less than a year ago, and the monster attacks kept getting worse. Recruitment was down, and veterans of the Restoration campaign were leaving the force. The IEF wasn't desperate to the point of compelling young men to serve, but they were making plans for it.

"There is one positive development this month. We have a new magic device from the church that purifies corrupted land. We only have the one, but it's been a major success. If we don't have to fight mana beasts on corrupted ground, we might win this thing without a nationwide draft."

During the question period, all anyone wanted to ask about was the new magic device, but the Marshal deferred those questions to Bishop Yaonoch.

The Church of the Giving Goddess didn't usually send officials to the monthly briefs: the church did a good job of running itself. They were self-funded most of the time, and they kept the faithful from antagonizing the Emperor on religious grounds. Occasionally, the High Bishop of Justicars would brief them when a particularly tawdry or large-scale scandal was brewing. But the Pontiff's right hand, High Bishop Yaonoch, usually attended this meeting once a year, for the annual church update.

That changed when the Silent Season began. The goddess Knexenk stopped speaking to people affiliated with the church. She still spoke to the faithful, the vast majority of those blessed with classes, and continued to guide them. But anyone who worked directly with the church was shut out from experience gains. Their classes were stalled until the Church of the Giving Goddess restored their Covenant, which was taking quite some time. It had been nearly six months.

"The class quotas will be raised by twelve percent this summer, and remain there indefinitely," said Yaonoch. "The new facilities for Oracles are nearly complete, and we've hired guards to allow them more access to the outside world. We are close to finishing the other tasks the gods set for us. The Silent Season should end as the new Selections take place. Questions?"

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Princess Rebecca raised her fan, indicating she wanted to ask a question, but didn't wait to be acknowledged by the High Bishop. She'd been growing presumptuous in recent months, which was disappointing. Mariella liked her better before she got her Noble class, back when she was a mild, gentle sister.

"We have to do all of this because a paladin attacked someone he shouldn't have? Wouldn't it be easier to replace everyone in his chain of command? Let the people who made the mistake clean up after themselves."

"If it were the military, we might. But we don't set the terms in this case; the gods do. And it's not often they make their wishes known so plainly. If you think you can bargain with them, come to church and try talking to them."

"Isn't that the pontiff's job?" Most of the faces in the room remained unmoved, but the mood tensed. Rebecca pretended to ignore the effect of her statement. "Isn't he the intercessor between the empire and the gods? Maybe someone else can get a more lenient arrangement. He's the one they're mad at."

"You want to bargain with the gods," Yaonoch deadpanned. "With what leverage? Do you think you can threaten to march an army into the divine realm? Or bribe them with gold?"

"Cut off their followers. Make the demi-humans stop praying to them. Knexenk is the only god that affects our lives. None of the others are involved in human affairs, so why cater to their whims?"

"First, because that isn't true. Second, because Knexenk will continue to withhold class gains from church personnel until we finish her tasks, regardless of what else we do. Third, if the empire interferes with the gods at this point, Knexenk is more likely to punish the imperial family than reward it for keeping arcaic people from praying. Don't presume to treat the gods like people. Continuing on…"

"Disband the church," Rebecca interrupted, "and make a new one."

Prince Wolstan answered for the bishop. "You want to avoid divine punishment with a reorganization and a name change? An imperial curator wouldn't buy it. What makes you think the gods will be fooled?"

Father's eyes moved from Rebecca to the High Bishop and nodded at him to continue. Everyone understood that a minus sign had been drawn next to Rebecca's name in whatever mental ledger he kept for measuring his children. Rebecca's fan returned to its primary job of cooling her face.

"We continue to watch the divine envoy as well as we can. He's easy to track when he's at home, but he's prone to disappearing for days at a time. We have confirmed the envoy has been closing mana rifts throughout the empire. We've identified eight corrupting rifts that he's closed. We think his latest excursion was in Temer, to destroy a dungeon there. The mana beasts weren't particularly strong, but the problem was long-standing."

One of the younger princesses asked, "Why didn't the governor of Temer close it himself?"

"Because the location was remote, and he didn't have enough men. It seems the envoy is able to travel quickly across the empire, summon an army of spirits, defeat monsters, and close a rift before we can verify he's missing from his hometown."

"Maybe we need better spies," added one of the older princes, which earned him an imperial frown for talking out of turn.

"Excuse me," asked one of the cousins after he was recognized correctly, "but is it not concerning that a civilian has their own personal army?"

"Under normal circumstances, we would be. But the provinces have asked us to let him continue. He saves lives, and the taxes he pays on monster parts benefit poor townships. So far, he has only helped the empire. But there's another reason we leave him alone.

"This is not for public dissemination, and the findings are preliminary, but they may be significant: the incidents of new vents are decreasing, and we think the envoy's activities are somehow connected. He doesn't just close vents. He purifies corruption and plants the area with mana-eating flora. He is single-handedly taking pressure off the IEF at a time when monster activity in Restoration is increasing. As you've probably guessed by now, the envoy is responsible for this new purification circle. Considering the benefit to the empire, His Imperial Majesty has decided to permit the divine envoy to continue his work unhindered, but keep a close eye on him."

Later, after the meeting broke up and most of the children had gone their various ways, Mariella and Rebecca escaped to a cool outdoor courtyard to meet with a palace magician who was their magic tutor. As imperial children of nearly the same age, they had been thrown together for lessons for most of their lives. This was especially true when it came to magic, where they both showed great talent, even above and beyond the high standards of the imperial brood.

Until recently, the main difference between them was their attributes. Mariella was strong in the life attribute, while Rebecca had fire. When they received their classes, Mariella was happy to receive Healer, while Rebecca took Noble. Now, even though they shared the same tutors, had similar quarters, and even had identical titles of Imperial Princess, their differences seemed to grow by the week. Rebecca had become obsessed with making a mark, any mark, to gain their father's attention.

Today's tutor was an arc who had served the imperial family for "only" a hundred years, but had seen several generations of humans come and go. The tiny woman dressed in night-purple robes and a proper pointed hat whose brim hid most of her face.

"We are practicing summoning today."

"That's not what's on the schedule," complained Rebecca. "I studied Fireball. And neither one of us has the summoning attribute."

"Too bad. Adjust." She showed the girls a pair of wands. "These are new, and we want to test their efficacy. They aren't praxes or devices. We are told they convert mana from one attribute to another, enabling the user to access magic outside their specialty at nearly full strength. Rebecca, this one is Fire to Summoning." She gave Rebecca a quartz rod topped with a rounded stone of sky blue celestine. "And Mariella's is Life to Summoning."

Mariella inspected the wand she was given. It was also topped with celestine, but the shaft was made of a wood she didn't recognize. "What is it made of?"

"We have no idea," admitted the wizard.

"And what are these symbols?"

"We think it's a new system of magic," imported the wizard. "It just arrived from a workshop in Bostkirk. Shall we find out if it can make a Healer into a Summoner?

"We'll start with the smallest spirits this week, to learn the basics. If it works, and if you do your homework properly, we'll attempt to contact more powerful summons next week."

"What's the most powerful thing anyone can summon?" Naturally, Rebecca would think in those terms.

"A greater spirit. They are lords over the other spirits. Only two have been summoned in recent times that we know of. Silvain is the primary companion of Reckless Reginar. The other is Nivermere, also known as the Deep Lady of Celosia. Her appearance was a one-time occurrence. As you may recall, Emperor Osmund has issued new directives for summoners because of her demands."

"The Divine Envoy strikes again," muttered Rebecca. "Someone should put a leash on that monster. Whoever managed that might be worthy of a reward."

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