Fable - Ask Welcome to Sovereignty Castle

[Dauner]

Half a year. That was how long it took to build a thousand strong military power in the Allir Reach. Although many will consider this time too short for such an organisation to have gained stability, Dauner had put in all the knowledge accumulated over the course of his several millennia of life into this. From the organisational planning, to the training method. The combat techniques made available to the members. And even the method of winning over his new subordinates, and consolidating the strength of the growing organisation, so that it doesn't crumble due to internal or external influence. He had put himself to test, with what would be the toughest task he'd undertaken in a very long time.

In the early days of the order, it had used the Reaper's Den, a mercenary guild owned by Dauner, as its staging ground. Then it moved onto creating a small village in the Allir Reach, which served as its temporary headquarters. And Finally, it moved over to an abandoned castle in the Allir Reach, just on the border of the Kingdom of Koda. A small nation in the central region of the Allir Reach.

Based on the records they could find, the castle seemed to date right back to the age of expansion, when King Grichen's religious campaign led to the construction of several such castles. However, abandoned in time, this castle had found itself reclaimed by the jungle that surrounded it. It remained a mystery to most why no one had thought of reclaiming this castle in all this time.

Barely a week had passed since the order officially occupied the castle. Aside from the old and weak infrastructure, the overgrown flora, and the dried up moat, there wasn't much of a problem with the location of the order's new headquarters. It was located on a hill, which allowed a perfect view of the surrounding from atop its battlements. There were two walls protecting it. An outer and an inner wall, with a moat between the two. The inner wall towered at twice the height of the outer walls, and the observation towers on the castle stood at double this height too. Behind the castle was a river, serving as natural protection from sieges. From the looks of it, it would prove difficult for any army to successfully break this castle's defence once it had been completely renovated.

Restoration began almost immediately after the order's 500 members of the order, who weren't out on missions like the other half, settled in, under the supervision of the apostle of pride, Ayana Alys Elleran. One of the order's seven council members.

​

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

"Lady Ayana? Lady Ayana!" a voice snapped her back to reality, as she remembered what she was just doing.

"Sorry. What did you say?" she asked as soon as she regained her bearing.

"A new shipment of materials from Sir Wallace just came in" the man said as he handed her a book. She looked through it for a minute before breaking the silence.

"How's the progress on the east wall?"

"The architects report that the lower section of the wall has been completely repaired. They move up to the next section just this morning"

"That's good progress" she said, finally taking her eyes off the book. She handed it back to the man, turning back to the other documents on her table. "Get those documents to the department of resource management. I imagine they must have finished settling into their new offices by now. Have them decide how to properly distribute the resources between the different sites" she finished, not even sparing him a glance.

"At once, my lady" the man said with a bow, as he took a step back, and then left the office.

It had been a week since the order moved into the castle, and thus far the restoration progress had been going well. This had, however, left her swarmed with a ton of work. On top of that, there was this eery feeling she'd been having ever since arriving in the castle. Something just didn't feel right. Like she was always being watched. She didn't know what to make of it, but she couldn't stop working just because of unfounded suspicions. Dauner was soon to arrive, and it wouldn't be good to let herself be seen as not competent enough.

Just as she was having these thoughts, she noticed a silhouette stop at her door. She was expecting a report like always, but nothing came. So she raised her head, only to find out, it wasn't one of her aides, but Dauner.

 

[Dauner]

One week! That was how much time that had passed since the order's occupation of the castle, and Dauner's arrival. One would think he was busy handling the order's affairs this whole time, but he was just being lazy. After finishing the appointment of the new Reaper's Guild master, he was left with quite a bit of free time on his hand. Time he spent seeking a bit of thrill as he made his way to the order. This was what prolonged his travel time by this much.

After his relatively unfulfilling journey, he finally arrived. He didn't need to take a step into the castle to realise something was wrong. From a distance, when the castle was still a distance away, he could feel it. A pervasive energy had encroached on the castle. He'd been wondering why such a good defensive structure had not been fully exploited by the powers that ruled these lands till now. Little did he expect, the answer would present itself to him so readily.

From all indication, the energy he was sensing was that of a spectral demon. They were a very difficult foe for the ordinary warrior. Physical force was counterproductive, at best, in dealing with them. They were like ghosts, feeding off of the life forces of those who entered their territory. To them, the current castle must have looked like a banquet, delivering itself to their doorstep. However, the fact that they had not yet taken action must have meant that they were waiting for something. But what? There was only one way to find out now. Either way, since Dauner had claimed this territory as his, they would soon come to know the price for bearing ill will against their betters.

"You seem pretty busy" he'd say as soon as Ayana looked at him. "But you really gotta learn to keep an eye on your surroundings at all time." he said, looking at the bookshelf at the corner of the office. Soon enough, a scared ghost-like entity zoomed out of the bookshelf, passing through the wall as it escaped. Dauner, however, did not give chase, or try to stop it, simply just watching it run.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

Ayana had been rather concerned with a number of issues concerning the order. As the councillor in charge of the administration of the order, she had been met with several issues from the various departments. The order's rapid growth wasn't as good a thing as it would appear at first glance. These thoughts had distracted her from the eery feeling she'd been having since they occupied the castle. Dauner, however, was free of such worry. His shadow clones knew of what he'd want done, and how he'd want them done, so he saw it fit to have a shadow clone attain to all the documents he needed to attend to.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Ayana exclaimed. "Since you've got so much time to spare, why don't you go handle them yourself, and leave those with actual work to attend to them" she'd snap. After a second's pause, she'd sigh. "Apologies, my lord. I've spoken out of turn"

Back when Dauner had just saved Ayana, she had an untamed tongue, sharper than a blade. Although she had acknowledged him as her liege, she didn't speak to him in a manner that would make it look so. However, half a year has passed since then. After being schooled countless times by Dauner, she finally learned when and how to speak to him in a given way. Although he was ok with her speaking informally when they were alone, it would prove troublesome if the world grew to know him as a monarch who lacked the respect of his own underlings.

"I will immediately begin a thorough investigation of this matter" she said getting off her seat.

 

[Dauner]

"You would have your liege run petty errands when he has hundreds of men awaiting but a command?" he joked. He understood how being stuck in an office for too long could put one on edge. Following her apology, Dauner laughed. "You're way too uptight nowadays" he'd state. "I told you, it's ok to speak freely when we're alone"

Dauner paused for a bit after saying this, until Ayana tried to leave, only to be stopped by him. "Tell you what. Why don't you take a break? Join me in finding the source of this... demonic infestation and getting rid of it. And don't say you have a lot of work. You could always have your aides handle that" he'd add, before turning and walking out. "Let's go."

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

Ayana was a little taken aback by his proposal, but it came as no surprise to her. Dauner, or at least the most dominant side of himself he'd shown till now, was a playful and adventurous person. She knew he was someone who would rather run around, slashing at beasts and solving mysteries, than tending to documents in an office. So she somehow expected him to ditch his work again to go ghost hunting. At least he had a clone handle most of his work. That would do for now.

"I know you like playing around, obviously 'cause you can just ditch your work on a clone, but I can't" she replied, giving him a straight look. "So, I'm sorry, but can't go ghost hunting with you!" she added.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner wanted to get rid of the spectral demons for two reasons. The first was that he thought it'd be more fun than sitting in his office, or throne room. And the second being, Aside from him, the council, the celestial knights and the golden knights, the remaining members of the order lacked the strength to do it without having casualties mount. They were barely better than the averagely trained soldiers in any army out there. Even the few dozen silver knights whose training he'd personally overseen lacked the experience to handle these. Given the period they were in, the celestial knights and the council were all busy handling the affairs of the order, and the golden knights were busy overseeing the training of the new initiates. Sending either the squires or the silver knights would only lead to casualties, meaning there was only one choice. He had to do it himself.

However, Dauner felt like it'd be too boring to do it by himself, so he needed someone he could get along with. The silver knights and squires would probably be too tense around him, so that was a no. And among the rest, Ayana was his first choice. She was, after all, the one who had helped him the most in making the order what it was today.

"I'm afraid 'no', is not an answer I can accept" he said. "The affairs of the department of internal administration are for its knight commander to handle. Honestly, you are the only councillor that bothers yourself to do this" he continued.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

Ayana is, by nature, a perfectionist. She always tries to make sure things are done right, which causes her to take on more than what her position requires of her. This time is no different. However, she refuses to admit to what Dauner pointed out, turning back to refute him.

"Would you rather see me as lazy as them, or see the order flourish?" she asked sternly.

 

[Dauner]

"I would rather see you understand that the order will continue to run, even without you" Dauner replied immediately. "That was why the current structure was created to begin with. The order will keep running even if you decide to take a break"

Dauner put in a great deal of care when designing the order's structure. There was no part of the order that solely relied on a single person, not even him. In his absence, the council would continue to make sure things run smoothly. The knight commanders ran the departments, under the supervision of a councillor, and with a team of aides. This ensured the smooth running of operations, even in the absence of a member. The sovereign order ensured a proper division of labor, while covering as many holes, that such a structure could have, as possible.

"At this rate, you'll only overwork yourself, and then be made unable to even attend to your own duties" Dauner sighed. "Ok. That it, leave everything. You're working with me for today" he'd continue. "That's an order", he'd add before Ayana would be able to say anything else.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

To say the way he told her off didn't irritate her would be a gross lie. Although he said it so annoyingly, he had a point. For a while now, Ayana had been doing more than just supervise the department of internal administration. She had been doing the job of the head of department as well. Dauner was well aware of her motives. But he was also aware of how the knight commander under her felt. Within the sovereign order, merit is earned through work done. But since Ayana was depriving him of this, it was obvious he'd get agitated by it. Make no mistake, Dauner couldn't care less. If the knight commander of internal administration couldn't make a stand on his own, then that just meant he wasn't competent enough for the position. Dauner merely used the situation to get what he wanted, and Ayana knew this all too well.

"What do I need to do to get you off my back?" she asked as she let out a sigh, now relaxing a little.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner's lips tilted, giving way to a grin. "Is that even a question at this point?" he asked rhetorically, before turning around to leave the room. At this point, he'd given her little choice but to go along with him. Or he'd just keep bugging her till she accepted. "And, by the way. We're not hunting ghosts. We're hunting demons. Or, more accurately, a demon. Their threat levels are on completely different scales, so don't let your guard down so easily"

Dauner wasn't sure if his knowledge about spectral demons applied to those on Arethil, but he knew there was only one way to find out. And thinking on it again, he realized there might be a bigger gain yet waiting for him at the end of this adventure.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

"Same thing" Ayana responded to Dauner, nonchalantly. At the end of the day, the fact that ghosts and spectral demons both only had spiritual bodies, and no physical bodies was a common. That and she didn't know anything about spectral demons. Anyway, she'd be learning about soon enough anyway.

"So, is there anything special about these creatures that you couldn't just order the squires and silver knights to handle them, and had to do it yourself?" she'd ask as they made their way through the hallway. Of course, she didn't expect any serious answer from him. He'd probably give a lame answer like 'for fun'. Well, as long as it was a good learning experience for her, it wasn't that big of a deal to just go along.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner grinned at Ayana's question. "Yes. There is" he responded. Although Dauner wasn't one to act seriously most of the time, he still had times when he needed to, and this was one of those.

"Do you know what's special about astral demons?" he'd ask rhetorically, before continuing. "It is their intrinsic trait of existing both in the physical and spiritual worlds at the same time. If hunted, their essence can be used by a really skilled blacksmith as a bridge between the two worlds. Though it doesn't have much use on its own, it could act as a double layers sealing catalyst in the refining of artifacts" he'd finish. He didn't elaborate more because he knew Ayana was smart enough to deduce what meaning lay behind his words.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

It took Ayana a second to realize what Dauner had just said. The words, sealing, refining, and artifacts had her immediately thinking about the Reaper's bane. The sword Dauner had been carrying with him forever, without ever actually unsheathing it.

"Wait a minute. This is about your sword, isn't it?" she asked, although she was already certain of it. It would be a lie if she said she'd never felt threatened by that sword, despite the fact that it was wrapped so much it's shape was almost all but obscured. However, even so, Ayana could instinctively feel, and believed that it was still dangerous.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner said nothing, giving her only a smile of acknowledgment, and simply walked ahead. It took the pair a short while to get to the stairway leading to the dungeon beneath the castle. Without hesitation, Dauner proceeded, entering a dimly lit room. There wasn't much to it. Unlike most dungeons, it was quite clean, and very empty. This was obviously because they had just moved into the castle and renovated everything.

"What we're looking for is in here. Help me search for anything suspicious, such as a lever, button, engraving", he'd say as he began to search.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

Ayana had only ever read of the dungeons of Sovereignty Castle in the renovation reports. When the Order occupied the castle, they renovated it from the ground up, literally. As such, the dungeons were one of the first places they worked on. The place looked clean and neat, and that was it. There wasn't really any difference from it and other conventional dungeons. So she wondered what they could possibly find in there. But she knew Dauner wasn't one to do anything without reason. And if he said there was something in there, then there definitely was.

The two got down to searching, but after an hour of searching, they still had nothing. Ayana began to worry they were on a wild goose chase.

"Are you sure there's something here?" she asked skeptically. "And what are we even looking for?"

 

[Dauner]

Dauner had almost immediately after entering the dungeon performed a probe on the room. He discovered a mechanism beneath it, seemingly one that opened a path. However, he had no idea how to activate the mechanism, and he had no desire to force the mechanism's activation. So he had them search.

"Have you ever wondered why this castle, as strategic as it was to the Kodan western border, was left unoccupied for several years?" he asked, giving his search a pause.

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

The question was indeed one that poked her inquisitive mind. No country would abandon a fortress that sits at their border without proper reason. To Koda, this fortress was vital to the defence of its western border. Holding it would give the two countries bordering them to the west pause, should they decide to invade the kingdom. However, they still choose to leave it unoccupied. What could the reason behind this be? She wondered.

"Well then, my lord. Why is that? I suppose you're going to tell me even if I don't want to know, aren't you?" she spoke, sarcastically. She sounded much more disrespectful now, more than ever before, from the tone of her voice and mannerism.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner wasn't having this. He usually let her act as she would towards him, sometimes with disrespect in the absence of prying eyes and ears. However, he was still her liege, and he was owed her respect.

"I may have let you address me as you will, but do remember who your liege is, and do not take the disrespect too far" he said. The cold tone of his voice indicating more than enough the displeasure he felt. Carefree though he may be, Dauner was still a man of immense pride and power, and with them came a matching arrogance. One that wouldn't see himself be looked down on by his own subordinates.

"Ahem, so where was I?" he continued. "From the records I've gathered from the libraries I've... 'visited' thus far, this castle predates the age of expansion. Built by kings of old, occupied and transformed by King Grichen, and then abandoned ever since." he said as he returned to searching. This time, however, while probing specific sections of the mechanism beneath and studying the structure and nature of the end node.

"Many have tried to occupy the castle in the hundreds of years since it was abandoned. However, they soon abandoned it in turn, as they died inexplicably one after the other. Koda tried to occupy it once before, too. They soon abandoned it for the same reason" he finished, his hands finally finding their way around the mechanism's activation device. He drew a pattern along the wall, causing the wall to part, which revealed a set of stairs leading deeper below the castle.

Dauner grinned, satisfied with the progress. "Let's go"

 

[Ayana Alys Elleran]

A short awkward silence fell over the room as soon as Dauner snapped at her. Ayana tended to act out of line every so often due to her upbringing. Fallen though they were, Ayana was once a part of a noble elf family. This pedigree came with its own degree of pride. One that would clash with Dauner's every once in a while. But Ayana knew to back down whenever, this happened. On the flip side, though, she was a lot more respectful now than a few months prior.

"My apologies" she said as she realized she'd let herself overstep her bounds.

What came next was a story, which was preceded by Dauner finding the activation mechanism and revealing the stairs.

"Impressive. I'd never have imagined there'd be more to this castle than I already knew of" she said. Ayana had studied the entirety of the castle when they first settled there. She was confident no one knew the castle better than her. But it seemed she had more to learn to reach Dauner's level. She followed him in as he walked down the stairs.