Altariel Mal-Zindal the Callous Blade of Imperial Order, Bloodoathed of the Empire

Role

Chapter 15

I cannot begin to describe what I have just witnessed over the several days
of what was a long and brutal campaign. This campaign took place in the
Hells themselves.

Xeneth the new Emperor, Drevzuhl the High Priest, Szeven the War Master,
Nerif, Nhasheli, Forvengweth, myself, and the sacrificial orc Trekberg
descended into the Inferno. Forvengweth effectively led us for the first
five Circles, until the gates of Dis, whereupon the High Priest took over
with his precise instructions. I had embarked on this trip with some
resignation, believing it to be my certain death, but it has not turned out
to be the case. Drevzuhl, and to a lesser extent Forvengweth, were
remarkably well-versed in the pitfalls of the Inferno.

I was not at all pleased with the orc Trekberg, because he is a chaotic
savage. I tolerated his presence because the Emperor allowed the orc, and
because the orc was to be our sacrifice for entrance to Caina, the Ninth
Circle, where the Prince of Darkness Satan lurks. On the way we lost
Szeven the War Master to the Malebolge, but otherwise everything went with
nary a hitch.

I was impressed with the order I found within the Hells themselves, and
certainly this gave me a very favourable impression of the Prince of
Darkness. When we reached him, he offered us power if we would serve him.
His goals are somewhat aligned with the Empire's goals, but I refused to
do so, rejecting every blessing he offered. I am a Destuvian to the last
drop of my blood, and Satan, powerful and wise as he may be, is not my
Lord. I am certain that the time will soon come when I will be marked as a
favoured member of the Destuvian order.

Role

Chapter 14

Indeed, issues of politics have proven to be my bane. The Empress, in her
paranoia, seized upon the lies fed to her by Sindrir, the duergar, and saw
fit to remove me from my post. Only the intervention of the Lord Destuvius
prevented my becoming an Anathema.

Sindrir claimed to me to oppose the Empress' policy of permitting strikes
in the city. I informed him that he had best stick to his conviction, if he
believes that. But I told him also that the Empress' order is absolute, and
that it would retain full authority within the Empire and the Blades. For
himself, however, I told him that I expect him to stick to his own policy.
Privately, of course, my reasoning was that the policy was misplaced in the
first place, and that if Sindrir has his own convictions due to his
dedication to Order, then he had best live by it. For myself, I have
refrained from exercising the option recently afforded by the Empress' new
interpretation of Imperial Law.

The duergar, for his part, swears to me that he did not feed the Empress
any such lies. It is hard to disentangle truths from lies, but Sindrir will
not fare well when I am War Master again.

Regardless, after my demotion, Xeneth has leapfrogged his place as War
Master and assumed the position of Emperor. He has placed Szeven as War
Master, an insult which shows that he does not know how to appoint his
Council based on merit. Were Szeven a better soldier than myself, I would
accept my lower position, but he is not - a fact which has been emphasised
by even my foes, who declare me the more dangerous warrior.

Unfortunately, Reegun retains her position within the Divine Sect. I do not
trust her, but I will bide my time until such time when her arrogance leads
her to become Anathema.

Role

Chapter 13

At last, I have met the glorious Lord Destuvius. That I should commune with
a dark-elven Lord in the surface world itself is testament to how far I
have come from my parochial origins.

I have two tasks I must perform to serve the Grand Design. The first task
is to contribute to his great Library of writings. I have a topic, that of
Order and the Civilizations of the Underdark. For that, I have most of the
facts in my mind, except that I would need also to visit the aboleths' city
of Nizarrsh Datul and the duergar city of Aran'gird. I must note their
major political structures and use them in my study. If this is not
possible, Lyceum research or the Hamsah library can serve as substitutes.

The second task is to plan and design the construction of the Imperial
Academy. I have seen a painting by Ashmon Valaise, past High Priest of the
Empire and devotee of the Design. It is a conceptual plan of the purpose
and appearance of the Imperial Academy. I am to further these plans by
putting the plans into concrete terms. To that end, the Lord Destuvius has
given me a thousand gold coins - enough, at my rough estimate, to build a
small-sized Academy of good quality. Though the upkeep of such will
continue to cost more coin, which I think we can procure through further
domination of more fertile and productive lands, or the improvement of the
productivity of our own lands and peoples. The upkeep means, however, that
it would also be wise to make sure the Academy is not overly large.

For the second task, I will first survey the Imperial Lands for a suitable
location. I think it will be perhaps twice as large as the Warriors' guild
in the Lands (including the entrance of the guild). It should cover the
following topics at the very least: Government, Imperial Philosophy,
Theran Geography, Warcraft, and the Scholarly Subjects. The latter should
include subjects of scholarly inquiry such as Geometry, Logic, History,
Physical Study, Arithmetic, and Argumentation. Next I must procure the
following: raw crafting material (stone, metal and wood), tutors,
architects, books, and builders.

Role

Chapter 12

Recently, the Empress Reegun published a decree that Imperials may now
chase foes who have struck them into the Protected Cities, and strike them
down, within the period for which the heat of combat lasts.

I have not exercised this option, because I believe that it does not set a
strong example of harmony and discipline to the wider world. Unlike the
Empress, I believe dominance comes both through the destruction of those
who oppose us, as well as setting a strong and respectable example to
others. The latter is indeed the reason for the Destuvian teaching of
Etiquette in battle, which I have followed for all my life, perhaps partly
because of my cool, phlegmatic temperament.

The Lord Destuvius summoned myself and the Dread Lady to discuss the issue,
whilst Reegun and Piktazu were absent from the Prime - probably in the
Hells. He chastised us both harshly, for not discussing the possibility of
a Vote, when we so opposed the new policy.

To this day, I have served as a War Master and paid little attention to
matters of high politics. Yet I realise, now, that politics has a curious
way of finding you. I have risen to the rank of War Master with my sheer
prowess in combat and strategy, not with political cunning, and it has
cost me somewhat. An error I shall be quick to rectify. Because the
strength of the Empire is determined not only by War, but by ensuring that
the right rulers rule.

I believe a Vote may soon be called, once a new High Priest is appointed. I
have good reason to suspect that Piktazu will support Reegun. So
Khalmarnasa and myself are insufficient to remove Reegun, because one
cannot vote for oneself.

Khalmarnasa promises an exchange of Votes, and I will promise such to her
as well. However I am highly suspicious of her. She may not necessarily
vote for me, even though she promises her vote. Certainly she will attempt
to make the High Priest vote for her. But I am fairly confident that she
does not favour Reegun herself. Therefore I will make her a clear, logical
argument she cannot deny. It goes thus:

For the sake of brevity I abbreviate our positions to the initials. If DL
votes for WM, and WM votes for DL, and the HP votes either for WM or DL,
then Emp loses and is deposed. If the DL wishes to win the Throne herself,
she will persuade HP to vote for her. But if WM anticipates this, she might
vote HP to dilute the number of votes the DL can get. And this may lead to
1 vote each for HP, DL, and WM, leaving Emp with 1 vote from the SL. And
that would lead to Emp retaining the Throne. Unacceptable.

Therefore the strategy must be that WM and DL vote for each other. HP is a
newcomer and is the pivotal voter. If HP votes for either WM or DL, then
Reegun is deposed. Reegun will try her best to get HP's vote. If she
succeeds in doing so, then all is lost for WM and DL.

Role

Chapter 11

When I am not adventuring, I often dedicate myself to the daily
administrative tasks and policies of the Empire. Not long after achieving
my position as War Master, I promulgated two policies to the Blades, with
great success.

Herbalists report much higher sales of contraceptives, especially after
examples were made of a few who disobeyed. Repeat offenders were thrown
into prison and heavily punished. This was highly effective in reducing
the number of unwanted births. I made it a point to visit the Imperial
Census Keeper the other day. I do not approve of the visiting of these
prostitutes, but one who leads an army has to get used to men who do. As
one who would follow the Destuvian path, this lack of self-control seems
pathetic to me. Still, the best policy must be to rein in the worst effects
of this activity.

I must have been a sight, in my polished armament, legendary blades
swinging at my belt. I may have been the first War Master ever to visit
his office. The Census Keeper, a frail, bookish male with half-drowish
blood, showed me the numbers. With the assistance of his calculators -
persons trained to perform calculations rapidly - I surmised that the
policy did indeed have the desired effect.

Another visit was also somewhat intriguing. Again, the sight of a War Master
taking an interest in his affairs somewhat disarmed the Imperial Financial
Bookkeeper. Unemployment is unheard of in Imperial territory, because all
are put to work. But low productivity is indeed a problem. Many of our
serfs, farmers, and artisans do not produce as much as they should. They
do not delight in their duty, and even their monthly salary cannot motivate
them enough. I will think of a solution to this.

Role

Chapter 10

Vhelicia disappeared suddenly, and neither I nor my informants know what
has befallen her. However, the Empire must go on, and therefore a new War
Master was appointed.

Altariel Mal-Zindal, Imperial War Master. I now take my place amongst one
of the foremost leaders of the Empire, and one of the most influential
persons in Thera. A position of great honour, and one I intend to use in
furtherance of the goals of our Civilization.

The Empire is truly the exception to all civilizations. Previous
civilizations could not prevent internal dissent, and had malcontents
rotting them from within. The Empire suffers no such problem, because of
the Blood Oath. I believe the Empire can herald a new age of prosperity and
glory. So onward and higher we build, this monument and edifice to the
power of civilized society.

Immortal Comments

Role

Chapter 9

A civilisation comprises its citizens. If the citizens are weak of mind,
body and spirit, then the civilisation will not prosper. Now I think back
to a time when I managed the financial accounts of Zindal Tegahn, and I
recall poring through written records of the produce of our farms - cave
fish, fungus, and rothe. Particularly, rothe must be bred with specific
blood-lines in order to ensure that the farms have the best rothe - strong,
healthy, fast-growing, and yielding much meat.

It has occurred to me that far too long have societies allowed simply any
and all to breed. Most often, in the surface, it is poverty-stricken
labourers and drug-addled prostitutes that breed. They crowd the streets
with their inferior offspring, and then they clamour and whimper to their
overlords that they are poor. And on the other hand, successful merchants,
warriors, leaders, bureaucrats, priests, and mages are often too caught up
in their professions to breed in large numbers. This situation seems to me
quite simply absurd.

Should I attain a position of power - say, as the War Master - I will
proceed to instruct our bureaucrats to monitor the births of the
populations and lands we administer. Only then can we breed future Citizens
of high quality, and increase the average productivity of our people.

elven styles and language in her writing - mentions of rothe, and the use
of the preposition 'in' to refer to the surface world.]

Role

Chapter 8

...

Of particular concern I would say is the shapeshifter Hoysepis. I have
fought many, and I know quickly enough how much of a survivor's instinct or
a killer's instinct a foe has. And Hoysepis has plenty of both. He will be
exceptionally difficult to slay, but I will still try. Even the very best
can make mistakes.

Role

Chapter 7

I have now been an Elite Blade for a while, and have watched the comings
and goings about the Palace.

The Empress Reegun is capable, but quite domineering. I could see it in
the tone of her voice, the way she carries herself. She speaks, and she
expects us all to jump. For now, I have not attracted particular ill will
from her, and in fact, I might even say she favours me a little, what with
those few times I dispatched a foe skillfully before her eyes.

Vhelicia the War Master is clearly a highly skilled swordswoman. But I
sense a sort of weakness in her, a fondness for getting powerful artifacts
and holding on to them. As Lord Destuvius can bear witness, the enemies I
face often come in hordes, and it does no good to imagine I could always
hold on to my possessions, treasured as they may be. Still, the War Master
knows my value and thus treats me well, and seldom orders me around like
some Imperials are wont to do with lower-ranking Citizens.

Auudreyz the High Priestess I might say is one of my preferred companions.
Excellent instincts in a fight, and keeps me alive against ridiculous odds.
An entwining whip and her presence seals the doom of many a foe. She seems
dedicated to furthering the goals of the Empire, and often lends competent
and timely aid to other Imperials in support of those goals.

Piktazu the Shadow Lord I have little respect for. Hiding in the shadows,
afraid of a head-on fight. I see the devastating power of some of his
traps, but he practically turns into a pile of blood and guts if an enemy
so much as stumbles in his general direction. I suppose it is one of the
inherent weaknesses of Imperial Shadows. Stealthy but no use in a fight.

Khalmarnasa is another weakling. Day after day I hear her mewling about the
enemy being too strong, too favoured by divine or supernatural forces, or
in possession of overly-mighty armament. A fight comes, and she slinks away
to summon her zombies, bitterly complaining about failing to animate one
corpse or other. I have learnt to simply charge into battle without her. My
blades and my wits are far more reliable than her tenuous grasp on the dark
arts of necromancy.

Of my enemies I will note only those who are strong enough to give me
trouble. Magner, with her knives and hammers, simply overcomes me once I am
sufficiently wounded. I know that with better equipment I shall be able to
keep myself standing against her, and sometimes if the tide of battle goes
my way I prevail. I have slain her once together with the priest Behmurra,
and I look forward to slaying her with only my two friends, right-sword and
left-sword.

Liantae, the Nightreaver, is another cunning fighter. Sometimes she loses
the dance of blades with me, but she is slippery in getting away, and able
to quickly capitalise when I am vulnerable. I look forward to slaying her
as well.

(continued)

Role

Chapter 6

Matron Mother Mal-Zindal,

I report my present accomplishments and condition. On the surface world I
have joined a glorious Government, known as the Empire. It is efficient,
orderly, and it spans mighty swathes of land and great throngs of people.
Harmony and order reign supreme in the lands administered by the Empire,
and all the malcontents who seek to ruin the perfect running of the system
are systematically crushed.

This place calls to my heart as home, much as the glorious city of Zindal
Tegahn you have built does. I have achieved the position of Elite Imperial
Blade, and all has been well so far. I have achieved a degree of mastery
over the martial arts that could put even your House Weaponsmaster to
shame. Remind me to give Secondboy Zoltan a proper demonstration of the
swords, when I do visit. I know you do not approve so much of my taking to
swinging a sword, but I can assure you that this ability has served me very
well on the surface. I have attained the pinnacle of fighting ability
amongst Theran adventurers. Only very few techniques still remain to be
mastered. And when they are, only those favoured by the Divine or empowered
by some rare magic will exceed my power.

One minor issue, though, gnaws at me like one of the carrion-beetles that
infest the Underdark. The leadership of the Empire seem to have a
fascination for the Inferno which I do not share. I can see the usefulness
of some of the artifacts therein, but each trip seems to be a death
sentence. I don't see the point of throwing our lives away, unless we can
be sure of returning with mighty weapons to conquer our foes. Regardless,
in the well-functioning Imperial system the lower-ranked obey the senior.
Until I am the War Master I shall keep my peace, and let them plumb the
depths of the Inferno. I may even join them, if they seem outfitted and
prepared to gain much. But it is with some disconcert that I view this
strange fascination which has taken over the Empire.

The messenger who carries this missive is a minor servant of the Imperial
Shadows. I trust he managed to get past at least the outer House Guards
without being noticed. At any rate, should he be captured, let this missive
also exonerate him of wrongdoing. He will not do anything to harm your
city, because he is in my employ.

I write to you also to inform you that the surfacers know much of a Lord
who would truly be a suitable Patron to our glorious city. This Lord is
the Lord Destuvius, who champions Order just as you always have, in your
heart. I know that the Spider Queen is paid perfunctory attention in Zindal
Tegahn - her teachings of chaos and betrayal are not suitable to such a
harmonious Government that we have created deep beneath the earth. I seek
to be one of his mortal champions, myself, and I would highly recommend
that the citizens of my home do the same.

Aluve,
Altariel

Role

Chapter 5

Any Imperial these days often hears of the great Lord Destuvius, and his
Grand Design. Out of curiosity, I travelled to the Divine Asylum, where
the Lord speaks to his favoured. Within, I found writings and works of
art which spoke to my beliefs.

Just as I believe in Order, so do the Destuvians uphold it. Each person
has its place in a society. Obedience, dominance, discipline. These are
the hallmarks of a strong society, and the Lord Destuvius and his
followers seem to have these beliefs that I hold as well. I will seek out
this Lord, and follow him.

I came across a curious book about attire. The author, a favoured of
Destuvius, spoke of the need to maintain a clean and orderly appearance in
addition to having order in one's heart. After reading it, I have changed
my habits in order to ensure that my armaments, though diverse, are kept
in excellent order.

Role

Chapter 4

I met Xeneth, the Iron Fist of Dominion, Elite Imperial Blade. I swore the
Bloodoath, and in the intervening years I have gained some maturity and the
higher title of Sheathed Blade.

The surface is unlike what I had expected. Mother herself had never been
there, so when she sent me to the central parts of Thera where adventurers
roam, she must not have been aware of what lay there.

Across Thera, I saw great wealth and treasure, spanning lands far beyond the
tiny confines of Zindal Tegahn. Should I come to gain just the position of
War Master, I would wield more power and influence than even Mother herself.

We begin our lives with strange motivations. Motivations which, in
hindsight, do not make sense. Would Matron Summayah Mal-Zindal have sent me
to the surface, had she known that what she wanted me to achieve would give
me more power than her? Probably not.

Therefore my objectives have changed somewhat. I no longer wish to confine
myself to becoming Zindal Tegahn's next Matron. My first objective is to
become the War Master of the Empire. And one day in the distant future, I
shall seize the position of Empress.

Should I achieve such power, I can always return to Zindal Tegahn to claim
my birthright - not with my blood, but with might. Then I can lead Zindal's
people to greater glories. But for now, I will not be content with becoming
Zindal's Matron.

From hereon, every effort I make shall be a step towards Emperorhood.

Role

Chapter 3

Altariel is a strict believer in her mother's grand plan. She believes that
this is the imperative of any who would rule Zindal. To that end, she
would perform any deed she believes is necessary for the greater good. To
her, the stability of the collective is the only true objective. All other
objectives are instruments meant to achieve that true objective. As such,
she is not concerned for the welfare of people, when it does not contribute
to the grand objective.

Aside from that, Altariel believes herself to be the most talented of her
sisters. Therefore she will prove herself to the Matron, in order to attain
ultimate leadership over Zindal. She harbours suspicions that some of her
sisters are in it for the glory or the power. In order to ensure that
Zindal is eventually ruled by the best woman, she will be that woman.

Altariel is disciplined and almost emotionless. She has never lost her
temper or raised her voice in anger, even though she has executed many in
cold blood for the greater good.

Altariel did not have a talent for the priestly arts. As such, she feels a
need to overcompensate by making herself exceedingly good in the martial
arts.

Growing up in a matriarchal society, Altariel is instinctively dismissive
of men. However, she recognises that men tend to rule in Thera, and she
suppresses her disdain for such a mode of governing society. Should she be
in a position of power, her disdain may start to show. She tends to
stereotype males as ill-disciplined, and therefore inferior. This disdain
does not extend to Gods, demi-gods, or extraplanar creatures which portray
a masculine image on the Prime Material Plane.

Altariel is evil because she believes, without restriction, that the ends
justify the means. She has no compassion, and her desire for a stable state
is not borne of a goodly instinct to see people prosper.

Altariel cares very little for boasting or posturing. If an enemy boasts to
her, she may well allow the enemy to boast, instead of engaging in a loud
and pointless argument.

Role

Chapter 2

The cornerstone of Zindal's political philosophy is Order. Order gives
strength, both to the individual and to the collective. Discipline and
Order will lead to the dominance and prosperity of the collective.

Order must be achieved through Strength and Reason. Zindal will select its
bureaucrats and leaders from the ranks of those who are strong and
intelligent. Strength, because strength is needed to preserve order against
the people - both without and within - who may tear Zindal apart. Reason,
because only reason can lead to the correct decisions on the part of the
leadership.

Order must be achieved through the safety of individuals in the collective.
Citizens must enjoy Protection, for the sake of ensuring the power and
stability of the ruling State. Thus, the well-being of citizens is an
instrument used to achieve the true goal - the strength and stability of
the whole.

Order can only be achieved through the dominance of those who would
undermine the State. Be they external barbarians, such as the roaming
svirfnebli who refuse to serve the interests of Zindal, or internal
malcontents - all threats to the State must be crushed. Only then can true
Order be achieved. Zindal is agnostic about the methods of dominance -
sometimes it can be done without bloodshed, but often it must be
delivered at the end of a sharp blade, or a wrathful spell. Thus all must
obey those who rule, or suffer the consequences.

The proponents of Good believe that their Goodly people can form a safe and
prosperous society. Perhaps they can. But they will never be strong enough
to resist those who would prey on them. For that reason, only those who
have the steadfast will to carry out all necessary actions for the
collective whole can build a truly stable society. The world is full of
people who struggle to gain dominance over one another. Only a true, mighty
Leviathan of a State which dominates all people can deliver those people
towards the greater good.

Role

Chapter 1

Southeast and Deeper from Teth Azeleth lies the dark-elven city of Zindal
Tegahn. It is not large, famous, or in possession of exceptional power. But
it is remarkable amongst dark-elven cities for the absence of inter-House
wars in the city.

Ruled by the house Zindal since two centuries ago, Zindal Tegahn is a young
city by dark-elven standards. Matron Mother Summayah Mal-Zindal was a
brilliant Matron who out-maneuvered all of her opponents, and became the
foremost leader of the city. She did not stop there. Further consolidating
her power, she put into place guardians and rules which brought in an era
of repression - and prosperity. Under her visionary leadership, Zindal
Tegahn grew powerful in trade, magic, and military power. With her firm
leadership, she coerced opponents into cooperation, and brought a brutal
but effective order to a previously fragmented dark-elven society.

Summayah Mal-Zindal had curious ideas (for a dark-elf) of politics and
leadership. One might even say she had her citizens' interests at heart.
She believed in strong, effective leadership which would lead to the
strength and prosperity of the collective. political philosophy will be detailed in a separate chapter.]

One cornerstone of her rule was merit. Her seven daughters were to perform
specific tasks for the House, and the strength of their performance would
determine if they would rule House Zindal eventually. None of the daughters
were told of the other daughters' tasks, but Altariel's was to go to Thera,
and gain a leadership position over a society and prove her ability to
manage.

To that end, Altariel was sent to Galadon to enroll in the Academy, to
begin her adventuring life.

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