Tin Universe Monthly #17 Read online

  DEEPER ROSES TO FALL

  The Original Sin 3

  The door was fading away but it was not burning away. The flames were for sure sending a message in their existance. They were making a point, the point being that he had better stand back.

  He backed off a little after shouting every profane thing he could think of to the shadow standing on the other side of the door.

  Could have just said, “Leave me alone” and not caused so much anger to build.

  He started to back away from the door before what was once a door dropped as ashes to the floor.

  Stepping through where the door had been mere moments ago walked a woman dressed in a long see through dress that seemed to bite into the floor as she walked up to him with a train that hovered in the air behind her wiping away her footprints which were burnt into the floor.

  ‘Noah, You can not fight.’

  ‘All I have done in my life is fight. I only have one more thing to do before you can take me.’

  ‘You can not barter on how this takes place. It happens. It is your time. It is as it has been since before the first life came into being.’

  Noah steps in the direction of the women and noticed right away that she had no eyeballs in her sockets but instead there were little swirls of different colored lights that seemed to be playing tag with each another. He had to shake his head to keep from falling under their spell.

  ‘You should not have wasted the chances you where given Noah Gallimore. Mortals should make the most of their lives because what awaits you afterwards has no chance of smiles if you do not. That is what I told Lord Byron before his time was up but he did not listen and he also tried to fight at the end.’

  ‘What happen?’

  ‘I showed him that he could not win. It’s a no win sitution, simple as that.’

  Noah moves right into the womens face with anger in his heart.

  ‘And what will you do to me, kill me? I think that brain spot I had did that fine enough.’

  ‘There are things in existance worst than death.’

  ‘yes…’

  The moments are silenced as Noah turns from the women, closes his eyes for a few seconds, and then suddendly jerks his head around again to face her, the silence is over.

  ‘Yes, there is your other worldly Tori Amos wannabe fashion statment. There are things like losing the chance to say I love you to someone you never got to say it to before they left your life.’

  The women sits down in the floor in front of Noah and he finds himself following her doing the same without really thinking about it.

  A life passes away on the Earth as the strange women reaches inside her chest and pulls out a goblet filled with a brown but sort of clear liquad.

  ‘Drink this and as long as you love her you will never die. No Angel in The Tomb or Demon in Hell can touch you. Faries of Quiot will be jeaulous of you and warriors from The Tin will fear you. Find her, tell her how you feel. But the moment you doubt your love, the moment you feel away from her spirit you will see me again. And when I come then I will come with all my fury.’

  He takes the glass and the instant it leaves the women’s hands she disapears. He does not hesitate and downs the liquad and yells in great pain as its effects move as fast as sin and spread throughout his body making his heart beat again, starting the raceing of blood once more.

  It seemed to Noah that the liquad stopped shifting its way around inside his body but when it finds itself near his hands it hurdles each beat of new life.

  He felt a itch, a small burning sensation, and then bubbles of skin began forming in lines around and around his forearms down to his hands. When the pain was over he looked to see that he now had a tattoo of barbied wire that ran around his arms starting at each elbow and twisting its way to the palms of his hands.

  What passes off as a make or brake moment in a ordinary life is by far more important in what it will lead to for many in the future than what it was really all about.

  Why did the Angel Of Death give back a life?

  There has to be a bigger reason than a hope of love?

  Doesn’t there??

  So if love can change the mind of Death itself, than what can it not do?

  She knew the answer when she gave him the goblet.

  He knew the answer before he went to the hospital that last night.

  He knows now but does not care.

  His life now is his love, as it may have always been.

  Noah is to walk out into this world in search of happy memories and a chance to ask a question.

  He does not care what answer will come.

  He does not care what he will find making her happy when he finds her.

  ‘I just need to know for sure.’

  The door is healed now. Back to wooden glory from ashes. Noah grabs his camo jacket and heads out the door truck keys in his hand.

  To the reaches of what only Death knows of as being all there is a smile is being seen.

  A young women is kissing her husband and watching her children play; while at that same time a young man named Noah Gallimore is beginning a quest we all do at one time or another in our lives. When you have loved, be it one time or a thousand, there is always questions that you wish you had asked when you find yourself at a point of never seeing that love again.

  Do you have a question? If so, ask it now before it is too late. Second chances are usually only in stories written by the broken hearted.

  QUOIT #1

  The Collected 6

  It is a time of peace all over Quoit

  And that’s just when things tend to get interesting isn’t it?

  How does that curse go about living in interesting times?

  Whenever you have any situation of quote unquote leadership which exists with unrestrained authority there will always be others behind him… or her… but not necessarily behind, maybe in a shadowy storage area somewhere under a smoke rifle factory, planning and talking outside the gaze of said unrestrained authority.

  Or at least they think it is outside the gaze.

  This assembly of dibley’s, minus one of their number, was gathered for the intention of discussing the failing mental health of their leader and his insistence on bringing in an outcast to take part in one of their most holy pilgrimages.

  It’s a group of powerful men in a room that smells heavy of sulfur, gun metal, and linden wood.

  And old powerful men. There is most defiantly the smell of old men.

  ‘We all know he is already deep within the insanity and with it we expect mass beheadings, suppression of views, and a religious purging here or there. That is normal for this time of a Holy Father’s life...’

  ‘People would be sad if a little madness didn’t creep in at this point.’

  ‘But he is tainting one of our most sacred pilgrimages by this strangers involvement.’

  ‘A man who doesn’t call any place home.’

  ‘And he is proud of it.’

  ‘A rogue.’

  ‘A nationless man who prays to no god or empire.’

  ‘In the past we have been hands off with the Holy Father’s dealings with this individual but information gathering, trade talks with barbarians- these are the things a recluse has a special skill for but whatever he is up to now with this man is tarnishing something important to all of The Rosary.’

  ‘But the tradition of the insanity…’

  ‘No matter how much he maybe into the insanity the Holy Father is still clear of thought for now. This isn’t insanity, this has meaning behind it.’

  ‘Otherwise he wouldn’t have even informed the Council.’

  ‘We are very good at waiting.

  ‘Then to the other side of this we shall wait. Vicar Swiss please have a meeting with this individual. Try to find out what you can’

  ‘I shall.’

  ‘But Vicar Swiss.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Don’t do anything to bring the attention of Vicar Noble pl
ease.’

  ‘As you wish, Vicar Rosary.’

  A person who does not belong to any land, a man that calls no kingdom or empire home is considered the saddest form of life on Quoit. With all the kingdoms, nations, tribes, and armies on this planet if you are not loyal to something you just can’t be trusted.

  And of all the lands of Quoit the worst place for an individual without a loyalty to walk into, The Rosary would be that place.

  Clatterford End is an individual. He calls no place home and bows to no king or queen or god. Some call him a mercenary, others just a nomad with no place in the world. A most unusual person for fact and he might not have a land he calls home but he does have a place in the world, a place in the course and tides of Quoit.

  What that course might be he doesn’t even know yet but on this trip he is here to update the High Pope on the latest news from allied lands.

  But he doesn’t plan to stick around that long past a minute he has to after he collects his coins.

  He’s not a fan of The Rosary.

  And you might read me writing that several more times before this is over.

  When setting your eyes on Clatterford even the sight of him doesn’t fit in anywhere. From boots made from vampire skins(owning is thought to be in bad taste even in Babylonia), to a tarnished gold armor decorated with many weird symbols that no one has been able to identify, a set of Redtail hunting knives, and a helmet with the face of a Wallachian Mountain Panther. He carries his appearance in a way in which there is nowhere for him to blend into.

  There are a couple of held stories about Clatterford and his life. One, he was the squire of an Assyrian Knight during the Great War who grew very angry with the world as a whole after seeing the death of his teacher and so much other bloodshed so he turned from all nations and grew into adulthood walking the world.

  Another story says he was a sailor from the unknown side of the world who had sailed his ship solo through the storm barriers and washed up on the shores of The Empire Of Steam where he was taken in and schooled in so much knowledge that he developed such a lust for it he must now walk the world to feed that hunger.

  Who knows if any truth exists within either of those stories and any others.

  But they sure sale a lot of pulpy books in The Empire Of Steam.

  One thing which is true about Clatterford for sure is that he doesn’t hide from anyone.

  And another true thing is that he doesn’t care much for the days when he finds himself within The Rosary.

  Not one of his favorite places to visit, even if he is being paid very well for his services.

  I told you he doesn’t care for the place.

  The Rosary is the oldest civilization in all of Quoit.

  Babylonia would be the oldest but most of its early history has been lost forever.

  Once most of Quoit was lands that belonged to The Rosary but what was once the largest capital city in the world is now the only thing left from that ancient part of history written and not written.

  “… written and not written.” Writing not in the good tonight.

  You can’t really blame Clatterford for not caring for the Rosary. The first time the guy was here he was almost castrated for telling a Nun if she wasn’t happy fucking an ugly old Archbishop that was her choice. He was charged with trying to influence a female away from the faith. He was saved from the cut of a knife by the High Pope who was in need of the services of someone with his insight and abilities.

  Ever since that first task he has performed odd jobs several times a year for the Rosary High Council but mainly he deals with the High Pope only.

  It’s still the largest city in the world by the way but one step outside the city is stepping outside of The Rosary into other lands. It’s a city nation in total and complete.

  The city’s human citizenry also practices the oldest form of government based on beliefs that are said go to go back even before recorded history started to be recorded.

  Back that far?

  Back that far.

  Clatterford has no warm heart for religions which is another thing that outcasts him. He looks at people of faith the same way as looking at a zombie who hasn’t noticed yet that bits of him are falling off.

  Just a FYI, there haven’t been any zombies on Quoit for a very long time.

  Long enough for them to become a thing of legend.

  The Rosary borders The Empire Of Steam, The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies, and The Mist Land Wildlands and those are the places Clatterford spends most of his time. He heads out to the other lands of Quoit but getting regular work from these places who have hired him the most in the past keep him nearby.

  Mist Land Wildlands?

  What was I thinking there?

  Also what is proper grammar in this instance- The Empire Of Steam or the Empire of Steam or neither nor combination? I think The Empire Of Steam looks better so I’m going that way.

  The Rosary is a human society united by their religious beliefs and doctrine and that type of society tends to get stall after a while and from time to time find themselves in need of being updated about things outside their walls whether they like what is going on or not, it’s needed to keep their remaining lands safe and under their control.

  This once great nation will do anything to keep control of their people, traditions, and remaining lands.

  Even hiring people such as Clatterford is ok.

  If it is done mainly in secret.

  Everything with governments seems to be ok if kept in secret.

  Today is a celebration of the strength of the social order in The Rosary, even if the celebration is a delusion of what The Rosary has become from what it once was, it’s still party time.

  All over its citizens are in celebration, a celebration called Cart Day. From even the poorest servant to High Council members everyone is wearing their finest robes. Everyone is baking goods. Families are giving out gifts to their loved ones. Charitable people are being charitable for a few days out of the year.

  And the markets are filled with business like no other time of the year. Sales, sales, more sales, limited time offers, and Cart Day exclusives.

  There are even a few expatriates of The Rosary who come back home for a personal pilgrimage of their own during Cart Day.

  Only a few, leaving The Rosary to call another land your home tends to get you excommunicated.

  This celebration is a combination of devotion, misdirection, administration, and self-indulgence.

  Cart Day celebrates times gone by stories, a few actually true, but it is mainly the day of The Walks. The Walks is when five young Popes, chosen young virgin bishops, are sent out to travel all of Quoit in a pilgrimage of destiny.

  If one of the Popes returns he will become the new High Pope.

  You may ask- What if more than one Pope returns?

  Do they wrestle?

  Song contest maybe?

  Well very few Popes have ever returned is the answer. It’s why most High Popes grow old to be very mongering serial killerly mad king crazy ruling bastards. It’s called the Holy Insanity.

  Clatterford does have one thing he looks forward to when visiting The Rosary, outside of the coins he collects for work, and that’s a taste for Rosarian peasant food. His favorite is a sandwich consisting of aged bread and three different kinds of dipping sauces and the only place you can get it is underground eateries called Top Pots.

  Those who are poor are only allowed to eat government supplied food choices making these types of places few and hard to find. Lucky for him he is the type to know of such things.

  Knowing such things that others don’t know is one of his philosophies to staying alive.

  This particular Top Pot is located in a hidden room within a metal works factory.

  Rosary is the type of place where there are a lot of things hidden under stuff, in shadows, and behind faces.

  Normally someone who wears clothes as good as Clatterford, good compared to the poor
of The Rosary, would signal everyone to scatter and run for it. Though he gets people’s attention entering, everyone also knows him on sight and knows he’s no fan of this government or any other for that matter.

  The place smelled and the air tasted a bit like the metal works being done outside the room but the closer you got to the bar the more you smelled the bread and sauces over the metallic.

  There was hardly anyone eating today. Most people are out preparing or early celebrating Cart Day. This was fine with Clatterford because he’d much rather eat in as much isolation as possible before he had to deal with the High Pope and his like.

  He sat himself on a stool on the side of the bar which had two attack directions protected by walls. Another problem with being an individual and outcast from most places is that most places don’t care for you just on principle of you being you.

  Living his life he finds a few who want him dead who haven’t even met him.

  He’s ok with that.

  The eatery keeper brought Clatterford his food. The one dish is the only thing served there so it was easy to know what people wanted. He had placed his knives on the bar top along with his helmet and was ready to start eating when the front and back doors to the place swung open in a rush and in through them marched several members of the High Pope’s personal guardsmen, The Noble Guard.

  The keeper and the few other people eating were quickly killed by The Noble Guard.

  Not really so noble.

  Several of them gathered near Clatterford who had barely raised an eye that they were able to notice.

  ‘You were to come straight to meet with the High Pope when you entered the city. You were not to spend time eating pitiable cooking with reduced people.’

  Clatterford was ready to ignore and keep eating when he noticed the head guard, a Cardinal, had his hand hovering over his sword and the others were holding smoke rifles.

  He pushed his food off the table in frustration.

  This is one of those bits in a story where the writer puts in stuff just to help him remember and keep track of things.

  Or is that just me who has to do this?

  Don’t tell me! I might get sad at the answer.

  Anyways this section might be a little redundant and not needed with the Appendixes that follow the story but I like this bit personally.

  The Rosary government is structured into a hierarchy formed from their long history, traditions, and also in the aim of raising themselves above the normal citizens of the city and the whole of Quoit for that matter.

  Each group or individual in the government is elected by vote by the station above them.

  Except for The High Pope who is the destiny chosen VESSEL OF GOD O MIGHTY!

  Last bit said like a preacher from deep in the American South.

  A High Pope tends to live to a very old age but also the older they get the more they fall into the Pope Insanity as history has come to call it.

  Some even call it the Holy Insanity.

  They probably bless The Holy Shit when it’s a good drop.

  High Popes average about 97 years of life but 20 sane ones. Some people have speculated that the robes of the Pope or the secret sanctified meals he eats contain something that on one hand expends his life but also on the other hand drives him deeper and deeper into insanity.

  Popes are of course chosen by the Cart Day pilgrimage.

  Everyone on Quoit knows that.

  Everyone also knows that if a Pope does survive the pilgrimage the old High Pope is retired.

  What “retired” means isn’t something everyone knows.

  The High Council Of The Rosary is made up of senior officials, former Archbishops. When they are elected to the High Council by The High Pope they are renamed to be Vicars with part of their name being the station of responsibility. Example: Vicar Sewage.

  A position on The High Council is one for life and that’s why they usually end up poisoned, knifed, traditionally martyred, and crucified when a new Pope takes over.

  So cool there.

  Each member of the High Council is in charge of a different part of the government such as trade, the courts, sewer systems, the Swiss Guard, the Noble Guard, and exedra excedra. In total there are twelve members of The High Council.

  And one ghost member that hardly anyone sees, that would be Vicar Rosary who is the head of the Council.

  A very mysterious in the shadows type.

  The Archbishops are teachers put into their new position of Archieness by vote of The High Council. Any place of learning no matter the sort is filled with Archbishops who are charged to teach.

  Nuns are the wives of Archbishops. A Bishop cannot marry until he becomes an Archbishop. Nuns are charged with learning medical knowledge and treating the sick. After marrying a Nun must take a pilgrimage of their own to The Empire Of Steam for two years to study the newest medical treatments and become doctors, before this Nuns are just students but not Bishops because women are not allowed to be Bishops.

  I’ll tell you about Bishops in a bit.

  I’ll tell you more about Nuns much later.

  The Nuns Of The Rosary are pretty fucking cool.

  Cardinals are Noble Guard Commanders handpicked by the Vicar Noble to lead the protectors and defenders of The High Pope. They are usually the best of the best of their group, except when picked more because of their loyalty than their abilities or picked more because of political power than their abilities or more because of cock size than… I guess that would have to do with a type of ability.

  As mentioned the Noble Guard is the personal guards of The High Pope. They are an elite group of guards chosen from the best and most loyal to the High Pope among the Swiss Guard.

  Some think the Noble Guard have too much power and there are always rumors about them going around- rumors of secret goals, secret meetings, and secret handshakes.

  Deans are Swiss Guard Commanders handpicked by the Vicar Swiss to enforce laws and fight for their nation. The Swiss Guard is the army and police of The Rosary government. They tend to hate and not get along with the Noble Guard because they feel they are underfunded and underpaid when they have more ground to cover in their duties.

  Having the Noble Guard and The Swiss Guard walking the same paths is sometimes like having a police force and a military army trying to operate with a smaller private military group who is actually getting all of the attention and coin and power.

  Is that apt? I’ll try to work on it after the first draft.

  Bishops or Low Bishops as some call them are students.

  Damn students.

  Lazy students.

  Fuck them students.

  From there you have business owners and then the people who work for business or government groups and organizations.

  You could throw prostitutes all within all of that ranking but that’s true anywhere because most people like to fuck and will pay with power and coin to do so.

  I should start calling sections I write instead of stuff like Chapters or Appendixes or Prefaces, I think I should go with Clusterfucks.

  One of the southernmost land areas of civilized Quoit are the Wildlands.

  Ok, I might sometimes call it the Mist Lands and other times the Wildlands and while on drugs call it the Mist Wildlands.

  Just let me have that one.

  The Wildlands are bordered by the sea and the lands of The Empire Of Steam, The Rosary, and The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies on its northern border. The Eastern land border of the Wildlands meets the nation of Wallachia also.

  Or something like that.

  Geography was never my best subject.

  Ok, neither was English, Fuck Off.

  I included a map of all of civilized Quoit at the beginning if you missed it. I’ll do this with each Quoit story. I mean this is a fantasy story after all and a fantasy story needs maps like Star Trek needs redshirts.

  Star Trek went downhill a little when they tried to fix that redshirt issue.

 
; There will also be a more detailed map of The Rosary after the story.

  Speaking of maps, the five young virgin Popes will first head South out from The Rosary to Wallachia on their walk to obtain a map of Quoit to be used in their further travels. Some places consider this a antiquated tradition while others follow any news of it like a sporting event.

  For generations the Wallachians have been the best map makers on the planet. They take great pains to keep them updated by the changing shape of politics. If you want to find your way by safe passage or the most interesting route you get a Wallachian map.

  After they get their maps they will head in four different directions to truly start their walk in an attempt to come back laudable to be the High Pope. It’s a throwing them out into the world, forcing them to walk among the good, the kind, and the cruel to return to the Rosary praiseworthy.

  You might ask- Brian you said there are five young virgin Popes but you just said “four different directions” did you screw something up?

  No, I didn’t screw something up, at least not there, it’s just one of them almost always dies traveling to get the maps in Wallachia. Wallachia may not be the most dangerous place on Quoit but the one thing all of them will learn is that they are not too many safe places.

  Clatterford was lead by members of the Noble Guard to the High Popes personal worship chambers. There was about six of them to state the number in fact- three in front leading and three behind them. They had heard many stories about them and weren’t taking any chances.

  The High Popes personal worship chambers is also known as his personal living chambers.

  Where he sleeps.

  A holy place of rest.

  There’s a chamber pot for pissing and shitting in the room.

  Sans any piss or shit at the moment.

  The High Pope was sitting in the very sparse shitless room in a wooden chair covered in bear skins. It was all atmospheric for him there sitting by a fire without a robe staring into the dancing flames.

  If I wasn’t clear enough all his holiness was hanging out for all to see.

  Hanging out there to breathe in the air.

  His junk was out.

  Clatterford was slightly unnerved by the way the fire light flickered across the faces of the Noble Guards stationed motionless all around the chamber. It triggered a memory of one time when he was camped out with some Dwarfs so near The Maple Maze of Babylonia that they could hear screams of giving up so clearly in the nights air he thought he could recognize the voices.

  The last time Clatterford was in The Rosary he noticed the High Pope’s madness was creeping further into the mind of the man who saved his dick from being a dogs dinner. And the stories he has heard since that last trip has him of the thought that things haven’t gotten any better.

  He wouldn’t call his relationship with the High Pope a friendship but he had actually grown to like the old sod a little. Some have come to call him High Pope The Kind. But to be completely honest with me trying to not be attacking saying a High Pope is kind is sort of saying that cow dung over there isn’t as stinking as the dog poop in the corner.

  Clatterford sat down on an old trunk positioned near the fire. Having walked all the way into The Rosary from a side trip to the Wardawgs territory he was still pissed he hadn’t gotten the chance to eat or rest yet.

  But not too tired to forget who he was talking to and let a smart tongue slip despite any familiarity that had developed between them.

  At least he was trying to behave himself.

  He always tries.

  ‘I am sorry I had to interrupt your dinning. I’ve made sure a feast is ready for you in your quarters.’

  ‘And I’ll eat every bit in honor of those your guards killed.’

  Honestly that’s Clatterford trying to be diplomatic.

  ‘They must have been all caught up in the excitement of our holiday times.’

  ‘These celebrations of yours, they seem to get larger with each one.’

  ‘Tell me Clatterford End, why do you think that is so?’

  Clatterford traced the shape of his bear with his hand thinking about his next words but with a grin he let them free, ‘Because they are distractions and you need bigger and bigger ones.’

  ‘Always bold, always wise.’

  ‘Always stupid for a truth.’

  ‘Not so. I appreciate your truth tongue. Not many give me truth tongue who are in my control.’

  ‘Control tends to do that to tongues.’

  The High Pope stood from his chair to warm his hands on the fire and then slowly sat back down, ‘Are our allies still open to the Walk Pilgrimage?’

  ‘The tribes of the Wildlands are as they always have been. They don’t kill all visitors on sight as a rule but you never know when they might change those rules. As to Wallachia, well they have taken to testing Redtail waters again. Obviously living is boring them. Besides that everything is as it has been for a while.’

  ‘You see normally this would be the time I would be writing out plans to send five young Popes to their deaths to keep my station but I’m no longer comfortable in my growing insanity. Our nation needs new and strong leadership. This peace will not keep forever. We must find a new High Pope from this group to prepare.’

  ‘So fix the race but the other way around from what you normally do.’

  ‘In a way that’s what I plan to do. In the past for the most part Popes have been left to their own measures of finding survival. But I need more than blind chance this time for someone to come out of it with their life intact. I need something to help balance the task for them. I need you Clatterford End.’

  ‘I’m not really the High Pope type.’

  Both men laughed.

  The guards remained silent.

  It wasn’t funny.

  ‘I wish to hire you to escort them to Wallachia and help them achieve the maps. From there choose the one you think is the strongest and walk his destiny with him.’

  ‘That sort of thing will cost a lot more than any job I’ve done for you in the past.’

  ‘This is a most grave need for The Rosary. How does a city section and his pick from the Swiss Guard ranks sound? You will be given the title of Bishop and a promise that no one will hinder your activities. Whatever they may be.’

  ‘I’m sure the Swiss Vicar would love that. Probably much the whole High Council would probably be ready to stone me.’

  ‘Did God select them?’

  ‘I get your point.’

  ‘What of the offer Clatterford End?’

  ‘Sounds like a good offer. A good offer for another man who is not me.’

  ‘What is your price then? Name it.’

  ‘A free day to explore the ancient archives.’

  The High Pope turned from his chair to look to Clatterford with dancing flames in his eyes, ‘I like you. You are always looking for an advantage others don’t have.’

  There are three great libraries of Quoit called The Great Libraries Of Quoit. These three depositories of knowledge would make any well worn researcher, any scholar of data, and any student of the tests wet in their garments.

  The first of the great libraries is located within The Empire Of Steam. To be exact in location it’s situated on the campus of Telseal University, the public university of the empire and the largest structure within the whole of the empire.

  Which tells you a lot about The Empire Of Steam without knowing much more going in. The entire empire is place of scholarship.

  The Teseal Library is the largest library by far in all of Quoit and also the most open. You can enter its halls without even being a citizen of the empire.

  You do need a library card though.

  That says even more about The Empire Of Steam.

  The “anyone can enter” thing- most libraries require a library card.

  The second great library of Quoit is The Library Of Babylonia.

  Which sure as hell isn’t open to all.

  Matt
er of fact The Library Of Babylon is only open to members of the Babylonian military. Every day citizens, even politicians are not allowed into its doors and sure as hell foreigners aren’t allowed in.

  What does that say about Babylonia? That doesn’t say they are kind of assholes.

  But they are.

  Having the second largest military, only second to The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies, Babylonia is a empire steered, moved, and impassioned by its military so everything is infused by this military sense of pride including their library.

  They do have the only librarians who are armed at all times.

  When they shush you, you stay shushed.

  And then you have The Ancient Archives Of The Rosary which is one of the most legendary places in all of Quoit. It’s the type of place where some say- that’s where this legendary secret or item is kept. It sometimes can be an “out card” for something conspiracy like or stupid or a- if we had access to that knowledge the world would be different.”

  It’s said to contain so much ancient knowledge that if used it would put The Empire Of Steam to shame.

  Who knows, don’t really believe that. The Empire Of Steam is pretty cool.

  It has things that run only on steam.

  Thus the name.

  Thus the cool.

  When The Rosary was the strongest nation on the planet it hoarded loads of documents and artifacts from all conquered and destroyed civilizations it had contact with. Without a wish to learn from others not-of-their-own they have hid these things away from no other eyes to see or use.

  And they guard the stuff like a kid guarding toys he doesn’t want to play with but doesn’t want to share either.

  Clatterford jumped at The High Pope’s offer with a quick thought of being able to walk these torch lit underground chambers. After all the only thing he needed to do was agree to escort a group of virgins to Wallachia and get a copy of maps and then choose one out of the lot to keep alive for a walkabout and back.

  Well it will be worth it if he can find what he is looking for.

  And what he is looking for is something pretty special to him. An object none but a few have ever even heard mention of. He himself just found out about this items possible existence while in Babylonia doing some mercenary work.

  While holding a torch with one hand he flipped through room after room of books, papers, art, and artifacts before finding what he was looking for, The Book Of Fragarach, and he found it under a pile of drawings sketched by an explorer during trips to The Three Deaths.

  He tore out a page from the book and stuffed it into a pocket area hidden on the inside of his armors chest plate. The rooms guard slash librarian looked at him like he wanted to kill him but Clatterford returned his gaze with a smile because he knows all librarians have been told to not obstruct whatever Clatterford wanted to do in the archives.

  What he wanted to do right now was a little dance because he was really happy as he walked the way back out from the archives. He gave a whistle hi as he passed each guard slash librarian.

  He had found what he was looking for and now he only needed to do some babysitting before he could take the first step of trying to return home. The babysitting bit might take a while though. All around and back again in one year is the rules.

  Sounds like the type of story some publishing in The Empire Of Steam would pay a lot of money for.

  I think I’ve mentioned The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies before but they are a pretty unique empire as empires go. United territories might be a more precise name but The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies has more of a snap sound to it, don’t you think?

  When the Great War was raging and burning most of Quoit to ash a group of armies formed an alliance that was in its formation a threat to the rest of Quoit. The threat was this conflict ends now or they will move together as one across every field, every mountain, and every inch of land and claim it as our own.

  The thirteen armies that make up the empire are the armies of thirteen different races of people. Each race now holds a territory within the empire’s borders as their own but each also has representatives that sit in the capital city handling trade and in case a need arises unite all of the armies if something breaks the peace treaty that was signed by all of Quoit after the Great War.

  Most of the rest of Quoit thinks of them as backwards because their territories aren’t huge cities but small communities. People (as in mainly humans) have problems with this empire because very few humans are part of it.

  Make no mistake though the rest of Quoit fears The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies whether their actions come through speech or action.

  I mean any group of people who have Giants on their side should be listened to and feared.

  And not fucked with.

  Do not fuck with Giants. That’s the lesson for today kids.

  Clatterford slept very well with dreams of his past and was having a nice morning but as servants were washing his body and feeding him breakfast his nice early start to the day was interrupted by five young men entering his sleeping chambers.

  He would have laughed at the sight of them standing there all dressed in their Pope Armor and full of stupidity if he didn’t know most of them would be dead soon.

  Ok, he did give a little chuckle when they first walked in and he caught sight of them.

  ‘We are The Chosen Five…’

  ‘Yes, yes, I know. I’ll meet you in the banquet hall.’

  They stood there staring.

  ‘Unless you virgins wish to help clean my pits and ass you should leave and wait for me.’

  After the Popes left the chamber Clatterford turned to one of the servants, a pretty young boy with fiery read hair and one eye who was washing his hands and arms, ‘I think I’m starting to realize what I’ve gotten myself into.’

  The servant opened his mouth to show Clatterford why he couldn’t converse with him. His tongue had been cut out.

  ‘I guess I also need to keep in mind who I’m working for.’

  Vicar Swiss was in his Council chambers cross checking, rechecking, and signing parchments that would allow his Swiss Guards to bring in a group of heretics for questioning.

  On the balcony of his chambers stood three Swiss guards with two more inside to each side of his desk. Outside of the door was two more.

  People in The Rosary tend not to like Vicar Swiss very much.

  Into the chambers came one of The Vicar Swiss’s Dean Commanders of the Swiss Guard.

  ‘Vicar Swiss.’

  ‘Yes, Dean. What do you want? I’m very busy.’

  ‘I have found a place for your meeting with the outsider. I will head there now on your orders to personally take care of any possible eyes.’

  ‘And your spies are sure he will be heading to the markets at that time?’

  ‘That’s what was overheard by one of the servants during his breakfast.’

  ‘Good, good, go. And Dean.’

  ‘Yes Vicar.’

  ‘Make it a clean setup.’

  ‘Yes Vicar.’

  There are five Deans of the Swiss Guard. The one nearest in favor is the Vicar Swiss is Dean Flavor.

  Favor and Flavor, oh, I know I’m going to screw that up in the future.

  He was the guy the Vicar was just talking to. He’s a young guardsman who rose quickly in the ranks with a dedication and vicious streak in all of movements.

  He gained favor with the Vicar Swiss when a group of anarchists made an attempt on the Vicar’s life. Dean Flavor who then was an everyday Swiss Guardsmen defended the Vicar against twelve men with only two axes inside a public bathhouse.

  The blood-spattered brutal proceedings of that day put a focus in the Vicar’s eye when it came to Flavor. Vicar Swiss put him under one of his top Deans but after uncovering a plot to slay the Vicar by the then Dean’s Flavor became the most trusted member of the Swiss Guard and whenever a task needs to be done with total trust and without worry of anything being held back he is called
on.

  Now he is on his way to complete another assignment by his Vicar. He was to secure a place near the busy markets for a quick secret meeting between the Vicar Swiss and Clatterford End.

  What some may have seen as an issue if they would have been given this task would be the fact that only homes are within the markets. The market stalls are placed in front of homes in a rich tradition that goes by as far as recorded Rosary history.

  Dean Flavor finds a suitable place behind one of the many fabric stalls. This one selling fabrics said to come from Assyria. The stall is run by a husband and wife who both once worked in the pig works before earning enough to purchase a market home.

  This was very early in the morning so the markets are closed and the workers fast asleep. When you own a market stall it’s your life so you work, eat, shit, fuck, and sleep and that’s it. All within five feet of your stall for the most part.

  Flavor didn’t enter the home through a side door or a mistakenly left open window. He knocked on the door. This will be the actions of a Dean investigating anti-government activities.

  When the man and women came to the door Flavor shoved his sword with such force it went through both of them.

  The official report would read that he was greeted by both barring daggers.

  Flavor shoved them into the home and shut the door behind him. Then he proceeded to slice the throats of both of them.

  The official report would say they cut their own throats to keep from being captured and questioned.

  Flavor dragged their bodies into the bedroom and shut the door. His guards would be contacted to pick them up later.

  The official report would say those two were anti-government fighters with possible ties to Babylonia.

  The High Pope Banquet Hall was busy with servants serving the wishes of the guests of the High Pope. The hall is actually a long way from the High Pope’s living quarters but that’s planned out on purpose because if you could have visitors but also keep them as far away from you as possible without insulting them wouldn’t you do so?

  Plus visitors sometimes want to kill you when you are a High Pope so there is no sense letting them sleep within throat slitting reach.

  That’s too much throat slitting talk in a little space.

  Too much late night pizza for the writer.

  Clatterford walks into the banquet hall and makes his way over to a Swiss Guardsman and whispers something into his ear.

  The guard then gathers two others and they escort all guests and servants out of the hall. Everyone is cleared out except for the five young Popes and Clatterford who pulls down the lock supports to seal both doors to the hall.

  If this was movie some of the following would be in a montage sequence.

  But it’s not a movie so words, words, and words.

  The Popes stand up from their table as Clatterford walks into the center of the hall, ‘I want each of you, one at a time, to introduce yourself and try to attack me. Give it everything you got or I will make it a whole lot worse on you.’

  The Popes look at each other, a little confused, a little scared. They have heard a lot about Clatterford End since being told they would be put in his hands for their pilgrimage.

  Ok, they’re a lot scared.

  The first one to have any courage steps forward. A blonde haired athletic looking young man, ‘I am named Linus.’

  ‘Come on then Linus.’ Linus stands staring not knowing what to do. ‘Fuck it Linus.’ Clatterford walks over and grabs Linus by his blonde hair with his left hand and punches him three times in the side ribs between his armor platting with his right.

  Then as Linus was hardly standing in a lot of pain Clatterford hip tosses him across a table.

  He knocks the young man out by busting two large drink canisters against each side of his head.

  As Linus lays unconscious he turns back to the other four, ‘Now is there a good understanding of what I want?’ They head motion a anxious yes.

  ‘Anacletus.’

  A tall bulky muscle bound young man is taken down after he throws one punch at Clatterford and is dropped with one punch from Clatterford.

  ‘Strength is good kid, knowing how to use it is better. I’ve had my ass kicked by people smaller than me and whipped people twice my size.”

  ‘Petrus.’

  A hairy bearded one goes down after nine punches and a head butt.

  ‘You can at least take some punishment. You’ll need that skill unless you get smarter. A starter might be using your tolerance for pain to lay a trap.’

  ‘Clemens.’

  A black young man with graying hair trades a few blows with Clatterford but after enjoying the trade off for a bit he finds out he was being led to know he was doing good as an act and falls quickly when he gives an opening.

  ‘All of you need to learn from each other’s mistakes and weaknesses. Pay attention.’

  ‘Evaristus.’

  The shortish, out of shape, mouthy one gets tossed from one end of the hall to the other before Clatterford breaks a couple fingers and punches him in the throat to shut him up.

  As the Popes are trying to help each other in various degrees of injury Clatterford unbolts the doors. ‘Get some rest, dump the bullshit armor, and meet me in my chambers in squire clothes tonight.’

  The Great War… Maybe I should just keep saying The Great War and not go into too much detail about what happen and why?

  On second thought, I’m a writer writer right now. When my skill levels improve I can be a leaver outer writer.

  The Great War was when all of Quoit fallen into all out world war against the invading forces of the very ancient race The Spiders. History says this was the first time all of Quoit had ever been united against a common foe. That may or may not be the truth but it was a good rallying cry for battling The Spiders who at every turn seemed to have the mightier forces.

  This war had been raged for decades, even damaging nature cutting the planet in half by two walls of storms. Stories are told that the other half is Quoit is nothing but wasteland now, every bit of life wiped from its lands by The Spiders.

  Not true by the way.

  It was during the third decade of the war with The Spiders when a member of the legendry travelers The 9, one called Oseike arrived on Quoit looking for a friend who in fact had just left mere decades before.

  To The 9 decades can be minutes.

  After seeing the destruction the war was bringing to this planet and how the future looked for the people of Quoit going against The Spiders Oseike rallied the nations like never before. He used every bit of knowledge he had of The Spiders and ways of fighting them.

  But all of Oseike’s work wasn’t enough. They were losing the war until a group of Warlocks brought into this realm the vampire. There had never been any vampires on Quoit before. No one had even heard of them.

  At first the vampires had turned the tide of war in Quoit’s favor. Many natives of Quoit even volunteered give themselves up to vampirism to further their cause of defeating The Spiders. My Soul For My World was on posters and on lips all over Quoit during this time.

  But soon the vampires had overrun a on their heels Spider army and the leaders of Quoit could see victory for them in the future. Also they could see a coming war with the very beings they had brought into their world. Their tipping point in the war was becoming too powerful in numbers.

  After the Spiders had completely left Quoit it was learned that the vampires were readying a plan to turn on the rest of the planet to establish themselves as the rulers of all. Oseike having found this out had to act quickly and just as The Spiders had left he helped destroy most of the vampires on the planet. An act of brutality and fear so concentrated he left Quoit to never return ashamed of his actions.

  Soon after this point conflict of nations started up again continuing The Great War as a war first of battling a common enemy, to battling a common too powerful ally, to battling each other for what’s remaining. This is when The
Empire Of The Thirteen Armies was united.

  But all of that is the clichéd story possibly for another time. I know if I live long enough there are many stories I want to tell during the period of The Great War.

  Clatterford is walking through the markets. He has to admit to himself it felt sort of good to knock those Popes down a peg or two. No wonder most of them never return. They are studs picked out of bad herd stock in nice painted armors and trained by bullshit Swiss Guards to be feed to a world ready to take their lives in a second.

  Even though he doesn’t care for The Rosary overall, their markets are some of the best on Quoit. For a nation without much interest and love for anything outside their borders they have great trade deals in place and allow as much as wanted and needed outside weapons and other religious beliefs for their markets.

  You can find everything from books from The Empire Of Steam to cooking ware from The Land Of Arges. Without much work you can pick up Chameleon jewelry, Troll hammers, and Scarecrow cloaks.

  Clatterford was standing bargaining with a man with a stall of spirits, fruits, and other services for some apples when he is surrounded by a number of Swiss Guardsmen. Now they are not enough to force him to do anything but enough for him not to want to bother with and just follow them when they motion for him to do so.

  Anyways the only person with the pull to have him killed is the High Pope and that’s because he’s here on the High Pope’s call; so he will let this situation move at its own course and see what happens.

  He’ll get his apples later.

  Clatterford follows them to a home on the outskirts of the markets. From the looks of it appears to him to be a pretty new family home but since this seems to be a on the side sort of meeting out of official sightings it probably also means all the members of that family who call this home might not be in the best of health.

  That’s just how things work within The Rosary.

  Out of the shadows in the main room of the dwelling stepped a member of the High Council Clatterford didn’t recognize by name but there was no mistaking those expensive robes; which were loutish and flawless at the same time.

  ‘I hear you gave those young unaffected shits a good bashing.’

  ‘Well, from a people who once took part in bullfighting it’s kind of surprising you train those who might lead you as bullfighters instead as if they are the bulls.’

  ‘Yes, but the bull never had a chance of victory no matter what they did.’

  ‘And so that’s how you send out these young men.’

  ‘But not this year?’ asked the High Council Vicar

  Clatterford studies him to see if his face would give away what he already knew. To anyone outside the High Pope he was just a tour guide for the young Popes.

  ‘We on the High Council know there has to be a reason the High Pope would kick tradition away and send an independent foreigner out with Popes on their sacred pilgrimage?’

  ‘I’m just a tour guide.’

  ‘Only a tour guide?’

  ‘As far as you know yes.’

  Clatterford smiled, turned, and exited the home to finishing his browsing of the market stalls without much thought to what just happen. From what he has discovered in the past this is politics as normal with The Rosary.

  The five young Popes still recovering from their beat downs enter Clatterford’s chambers to find him sitting on the edge of the bed getting head from a male prostitute.

  Also sitting, standing, and lying throughout the living quarters were women and men of various levels of undress, age, and race.

  They smiled seeing the young Popes. Clatterford leaned back on his bed, ‘You will put yourself in all kinds of dangers trying for your first fuck or fighting to keep it from happening. Get it out of your system tonight boys I don’t plan to watch any of you die grabbing for a taste of taint or dick.’

  Within every structured society or group there are acts of rebellion. Even if the place is very kind and respectful of all beliefs and life you can still find rebellion. It’s natural to humans and many other races as much as eating is.

  You can see it in the illegal food eateries in The Rosary or some of the anti-social acts of youth that I haven’t spoken of that take place among Bishops. Not to mention the anarchists and anti-government groups that crop up from time to time, rebellion is all around us.

  You can’t see it clearly in Rosary but within most of those things I talked about you will find signs of the Nuns Of Rosary.

  Told you they were pretty cool.

  For about a decade the Nuns have run an underground rail road for rebels and the unwanted. Helped get information to places secure such as prisons and defended groups under constant attack within their nation.

  They are very good at what they do and a large part of that is doing it in very secret and well run operations. Very few people outside their rank know of their secrets missions but one of them is Clatterford End. He learned of it after the instance that took place when he first visited The Rosary.

  Oh, and also on the down low so to speak while away training to be doctors and nurses they also train in forms of individual combat in the underground tunnels of The Empire Of Steam.

  Don’t fuck with a Nun.

  I want to make this clear for future reference- Don’t fuck with a Nun Of The Rosary.

  The next day, long after the prostitutes had left, things had crusted over, and the servants had cleaned up the night’s corruption, Clatterford lead the Popes down to the Noble Guardsmen Armory

  The Noble Guardsmen Armory is a large building with a rather homoerotic image of a blacksmith working with a colleague on its big ass doors.

  ‘Knowledge is the fair-haired weapon everyone should desire, lust after, and kill for. We will pick out a weapon for each of you today from the armory but if you use it as your only weapon you will not be long for this world.’

  Clatterford opened the doors to the armory and when inside he nodded his head to the blacksmith who he had spoken with earlier. The blacksmith and his assistants left the place to Clatterford and the Popes.

  On the walls to one side of the smelting and forming sections were walls, rooms, and racks of shields, swords, smoke rifle barrows, knifes, axes, and spears. He let them mill around for a few minutes before snapping them back to reality.

  ‘Pick a weapon and I’ll tell you how it can help you survive and how it might just get you killed. You only get one though so choose carefully. This might be the first real choice you have had to make in your lives.’

  Linus picked out a sword, Anacletus an axe, Petrus a spear, Clemens a mace, and Evaristus a carpenters hammer. In turn Clatterford asked them why they choose their weapon. And he in turn told them how to use the weapon and how this weapon could also get them killed.

  Linus, ‘My adaptive father told me my blood father was a member of the Noble Guard so I choose the weapon of the Noble Guardsmen.’

  Clatterford, ‘A sword is a fine weapon and if you are a great swordsmen you can defend yourself against any other guy with a sword. Just know that swords are no use against heaver weapons such an axe or big hammer. Always be ready with such quick thoughts. That’s a lesson for all of you.’

  Anacletus, ‘I picked an axe because it can destroy and create.’

  Clatterford, ‘How poetic of you. And quite accurate also. It fits your strength Anacletus but you will need to improve your agility and hand to hand or fall as many who fought with axes have and that’s to the one swing and die short life.’

  Petrus, ‘I picked the spear. I can use it as a staff and also defend myself against swords and even bow distance is an option.’

  Clatterford, ‘Yea, if you want to throw away your weapon you had better make sure you hit the target. I’d say use it as a staff mainly until you get your enemy down. Then use it to put them away.’

  Clemens, ‘I like my mace.’

  Clatterford, ‘Kinky.’

  Evaristus, ‘I….’

  Clatterford, ‘
Why a carpenters hammer?’

  Evaristus, ‘My father was a carpenter. The first High Pope was a carpenter.’

  Clatterford, ‘Yep. Best of luck to you on that choice.’

  Before leaving the armory he also made each one pick out a shield.

  Warfare accessorizing, it is the secret of the shield in combat.

  ‘Why do you only carry two knives?’ asked Evaristus as they were walking to a Noble Guardsmen practice field to practice some hitting and screaming.

  Clatterford pulls out both of his knives as if he needed them out to talk about them. Otherwise known as leading the viewer in films, ‘These are the only two weapons I’ve found that I want to live with. I’ll pick up a sword or a mace or a hammer or another man’s hand to use as a weapon if I need to but to live with a weapon is akin to who you choose to marry. Fuckings fine but marrying is another story. You had better hope young Popes you have chosen well today because your religion says you only get out of marriage by death.’

  He put away his blades and walked away from the Popes who started talking among themselves. He wants to help them but he’s also messing with them a bit. A large part of his personality is confusing the order of things.

  In two days they leave for Wallachia but tonight Clatterford is once again in the High Pope’s private chambers. He wasn’t planning or had been informed ahead of time about this meeting so he had to leave two prostitutes in his bed wanting and is pretty weak in his legs from drink preparing for a night of wanting.

  The High Pope is in his bed with Clatterford standing swaying a little by the door. Every so often the hand from a Noble Guard would reach out from the shadows and steady him a little. The only light in the room was a small candle by the High Pope’s bed.

  ‘The protection I hired for you to give to the strongest of them ends when you return with him to our city. I fear that is when he will truly need the most protection.’

  ‘Maybe we’ll run into a Medusa and he’ll sprout eyes in the back of his head.’

  While Clatterford tries to stay upright talking to the High Pope the young Pope’s are being herded into a room to meet with a lot of The Rosary’s high ups of government and high society if there really is much separation between the two.

  The day before the main celebration the Pope’s have to meet and greet with these people to see who will support them by bestowing upon them a copy of their crest to carry with them. Not that it means that much to the Pope’s themselves but if they do end up surviving it might hold favor for the surviving Pope and those who supported them.

  The Popes are basically being passed around the room so each higher up can shake their hands and slip them a seal of approval so to speak. For anything else this will probably be the last really good meal any of them receives for a long time as Clatterford told them, ‘Try to enjoy the bullshit posturing.’

  Everyone knows the High Pope’s personal favorite. That’s why Petrus has a tattoo of the Pope’s personal seal on him so not many more putting their eggs in that basic. It’s considered an insult to offer your seal to the sitting High Pope’s favorite.

  That’s really not much an ego hit to Petrus. He mainly sticks to himself in most situations and he did the same here before sneaking out early to train in spear fighting with a member of the Noble Guard who the Pope offered his services to, to help him learn spear combat.

  Several members of the High Council have offered their seals to Linus. He seems to be the most popular pick among the higher ups in the government. There have always been whispers that he was the son of someone very important who died but he ended up being spared for some reason and then adapted by a good family after a cover up of his real indemnity. When he was a Bishop he keep getting opportunity after opportunity that people didn’t believe he had earned. He got out of trouble too easily. He was treated like the offspring of someone very important and not just another orphan. The very choice of him for Pope was questionable, never had an orphaned person been selected before his selection. When he asked his adaptive family about these questions they always told him they didn’t know. He has never been able to get the answers he has wanted.

  Anacletus gets a lot of attention from the market owners. He’s a big strong young man with a work day in day out appeal to him. His easy to get along with anyone deposition matches but is not contradicted by his size and strength. This is an appeal that matches their sensibilities. Matches with people who worked hard to get to each level they have gained in life.

  While Clemens is getting seals from Deans and Cardinals alike because a lot of the Swiss Guard and Noble Guard come from what once was The Rosary’s then slave military. After The Great War that changed but those families still keep those connections with each other.

  Evaristus on the other hand is the only Pope to go without being offered a seal but per tradition the person with the lowest of offerings will be named the peoples champion. Peoples champion with a carpenters hammer as his chosen weapon. As Clatterford would say, ‘Good luck with that.’

  Today is the Cart Day celebration and closing out the parade is the young Popes who are being pulled by several large horses on a float that looks like a large rose. They won’t be leaving until tomorrow but today is the citizens send off.

  While this is going on Clatterford is off somewhere putting in some bets on which one he thinks would have the highest possibility of survival trying to take advantage of the situation fully.

  The five Popes had been looking forward to this parade but some of the realities Clatterford has woken them up to are weighing heavy on each of their minds. They are smiling and waving to the crowds. As the parade comes to stopping points they sign autographs.

  Each one is going into this for their own reasons. They could have left the city. There have been chosen Popes we left The Rosary to never return but these five have chosen to go on this journey. For some it’s about faith; while others it’s about finding their way in life. For one it’s about trying to gain the power needed for revenge.

  Clatterford watches them pass by having just exited a bet makers. He only hopes that book contained what he was looking for because all he sees before him is one pain in the ass moment after the other.

  Appendix I: Trade.

  Since the peace treaty was signed after The Great War trade all over Quoit has grown but the major force for trade is Babylonia.

  Trade across Quoit has been one of the main forces behind the peace all lands have found themselves in since the Great War and it has helped Babylonia grow back into superpower it once was.

  Babylonia is not only the main exporter of wood but it’s the machine that turns trade on Quoit. Smartly early on after the war Babylonia invested in ideas that The Empire Of Steam has developed during the war. Ideas for better shipping, manufacturing, and production.

  They signed contracts for exclusive sales rights to many things produced in The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies territories and sale thousands of good, cheap, and some downright racist stupid ways of protections against vampires.

  And that not even counting their weapon sales and renting out of their own military in certain situations. Usually situations that put them at odds with The Land Of Arges.

  But all nations on Quoit are taking part in an upswing in trade since the war ended. Some see it as the main reason old conflicts haven’t risen once again. Others are starting to say trade is destroying the identities of nations and they want see the issue of trade as a threat to them.

  All that’s known is the times of now are a great time for trade but its libel in the future to be one of the pins that’s pulled to try and ignite old fires and destroy the peace that so many died for.

  Appendix II: Update On The Land Of Arges/Babylonia Tensions.

  While most nations have seen only peace since the time of The Great War, The Land Of Arges and Babylonia have been at each other noses since before the ink had even dried on the treaty papers.

  This is mainly because so many Babylonian citiz
ens volunteered to become vampires to help in The Great War and when the vampires turned on the rest of Quoit they felt the betrayal stronger than most other nations.

  Babylonia threw the first punches politically by voting against the vampires being given their own nation and when The Land Of Arges was granted a homeland that very day Babylonia transplanted thousands of forests in defense of their neighboring borders.

  To be fair they weren’t the only nation to do something like this. The Empire Of Steam also created a border defense in case of vampire attack in its Mayflower Forest.

  But though many nations are untrusting when it comes to vampires and hold racist feelings stewed from The Great War not many try at every opportunity to hold up the growth of Arges, to try to vote against civil rights acts in other nations when it comes to vampires within those borders.

  There have been sea conflicts between Arges and Babylonia and trade is non-existent thus cutting Arges off from many things because Babylonia controls so much of the trade machine that moves across Quoit.

  Everyone on Quoit knows it will only take one little act by either side to start a war and because so many vampires also live within other nations many think that conflict may also pull all of Quoit into another world war.

  Appendix III: Not Mentioned In Story

  {Or things I forgot I mentioned}

  Maxwell: The smallest nation in all of Quoit but one that has the eyes of all other nations upon it. This rich oil and mineral nation is thriving on a time of peace and building. Located in the Gulf Of Arges between The Land Of Arges and the western part of Babylonia. The good mining people so far have been protected by a warning from The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies that a trespass against Maxwell will be considered an attack on them also.

  Gulf Of Arges: I just mentioned it.

  The Ash Forest: One of the defense forests planted to defend Babylonia from possible vampire invasion from The Land Of Arges. Located on the western part of Babylonia. Ash wood is a repellent for vampires. If it touches their skin it burns them.

  The Black Thorn Forest: The second in line of Babylonian forest defenses from aggression from The Land Of Arges. Black Thorn wood repels vampires much the same as Ash wood except crafting its hard thorns into weapons can come in very handy in crafting anti-vampire materials.

  The Linden Forest: The last forest defense is this forest of Linden trees. Linden has just the same effect on vampires as the first two but this wood is very strong and most Babylonian military and government structures are crafted from it.

  The Simone Mountains: A western defense for Babylonia against attack from The Land Of Arges is these mountain ranges. The stones contain ashes from thousands of burned Rosary holy men from one of the many wars the two nations have fought against each other. It’s said walking through these mountains will make a vampires blood begin to boil and its organs cook. The Simone Mountains run across most of North Western Babylonia.

  Cross: A small island off the coast of Northern Babylonia. This is the legendary training grounds of the Babylonian Army forces.

  Babylon City: The capital city of Babylonia and one of the oldest areas on Quoit. Right there with The Rosary. Which one is truly the oldest is a yelling argument and another reason they went to war once or twice or six or seven times in the histories of these nations.

  The Maple Maze: A very large maze structure in Babylonia that borders The Empire Of Thirteen Armies and The Missing Lakes. It has been said that Babylonian leaders scarified a hundred of their citizens to a warlock to create this supernatural place. This is another one of the nation’s defenses.

  The Missing Lakes: This water area that borders Babylonia and Assyria is a place of the missing. Really, you go missing if you enter them. The lakes are a portal to other realities but the people don’t always come out the other side alive. This is another left over from The Great War with The Spiders.

  Java: One of the The Three Deaths islands located off the coasts of The Land Of Arges and The Empire Of Steam. The island is made up of sentiment planet life that consume living creatures for food. By treaty it is illegal to visit or transport things to and from Java to or from any nation on fear of the deadly plant life spreading and possible taking over all of Quoit.

  Ka: Another of The Three Deaths islands. Ka contains the souls of those who died by cowardice acts of their own. They hunger to take over a new body to try and lead a better life. Not a nice place to visit.

  Hannya: The last of The Three Deaths islands is ruled by an immortal female warrior called Bread and her cannibal subjects who kill and eat any visitors on sight. During the initial invasion by The Spiders during The Great War the only place to drive The Spiders away to never return at all was Hannya.

  The Diamond Ocean: The western coast ocean body of water got its name because of its rich deposit of diamonds at very deep depths which is why The Weed sea mer people are the only ones who can harvest this most in demand minerals.

  The Weed: One of the two sea mer peoples who inhabit the oceans of Quoit. The Weed mainly harvest diamonds and destroy ships that violate their nation waters.

  The Blood Ocean: This would be the eastern coast body of water. This one obtained its name because of the Redtail mer people whose skin is said to be red from generations of so much blood being split in its waters… wait, did I talk about The Blood Ocean in the story?

  I remember thinking I need to remember do it?

  Maybe it was a different draft of the story?

  Gulf Of Moonlight: The Gulf Of Moonlight, so named after the Mist Lands tribe of werewolfs The Moonlight Tribe. Located between The Mist Lands and Wallachia.

  The Mayflower Forest: The Mayflower Forest located in the northern most region of The Empire Of Steam. It’s actually not a forest at all but a series of manmade mountain regions that serve as traps in case of an invasion by The Land Of Arges.

  Man none of these people trust vampires.

  F.Y.I., you shouldn’t trust vampires.

  Elves: Are an ancient warrior race that have been around longer than most any other race on Quoit. They have a territory as part of The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies. Their fierce fighting spirit can only be slightly be matched by their artistic leanings. The Elves suffered great loses during The Great War insisting always to be on the frontlines against The Spiders.

  Goblins: Are sneaky little small green bunch who love mischief. They are really good at gorilla style warfare and one of the most dangerous members of The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies.

  Dwarfs: Despite many beliefs Dwarfs are not deformed or stunted humans but in fact are a small race of people who stand firmly on their own ground. They are known for their intelligence and plotting ways of survival. Dwarfs have more representatives in other countries than any other race of The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies. That says a lot about them that the other territories choose them to represent the whole.

  Wizards: Some people think Wizards and Warlocks are two sides of the same coin with Wizards being the good guys and Warlocks the baddies. Not true. Though Warlocks tend to have more powerful magic because they take more risks which don’t always pay off, Wizards are no more righteous than they are. Wizards though do have something the others of the Thirteen Armies crave and that’s knowledge of other worlds and realities.

  Fairies: The smallest members of The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies. Fairies are very connected to nature and are said to have more ways of healing people than any other methods used. They keep very much to themselves but being the size of a child’s pencil eraser you really wouldn’t know them if they were there if they didn’t wish for you to. Contrary to popular myths they are not naturally good. Fairies in fact can be very nasty if you get on their wrong side. Their favorite choice of torture is to bury themselves inside creatures and eat them alive for days.

  Screamers: Once they were Wizards, Witches, or Warlocks who somehow got possessed by a song. Now they work as travelling musicians but are also very talented assassins. Also called Banshees b
y other members of The Empire Of The Thirteen Armies.

  Hawks: Really strange members of The Thirteen Armies because even though they fly and have giant wings, their wings are not what gifts them with the ability to fly. That ability seems to come from an ancient curse against their family line.

  The Civatateo Tribe: A tribe of Witches locate in The Wildlands. This tribe of Witches have gone a long way to train people in the safe use of magic and safe interactions with nature and the supernatural. Where Warlocks are about using magic and Wizards are about learning magic, Witches are about understanding its very nature.

  The Karen Tribe: A Wildlands tribe of Warlocks who have sheltered themselves from the rest of Quoit because of the damages done to the planet during the time of the Great War. They are trying to keep the type of knowledge that did that sort of damage to the world to themselves to keep that magic from ever falling into the wrong hands again.

  The Moonlight Tribe: This Wildlands tribe of werewolfs are probably the most warrior like of any of the tribes in this loose alliance. Most werewolves died during The Great War being used as foot soldiers during many battles with The Spiders. They held lines like no one else but their people paid a deadly price time after time.

  The Pilgrims Of Porth: This peaceful monk tribe in the Wildlands area are a order dedicated to lives of peace and reflection. They garden, they make wine, they write books- you know the normal monk stuff.

  Charmel Royal Castle: The castle to the Royal Family Of The Vampire Nation Of The Lands Of Arges. Now that’s a long fucking title. I’m sure not going to say that many times in the future. The Land Of Arges is long enough. Will probably go with Arges most of the time.