The Wolf ClanBoard

Imperial Capital of Aurum, Kingdom of Lyrannia
_{Seventy-three years to the ascension of Jason XXI of House Stormsong to the radiant throne of Lyrannia}

Never let it be said that Jane the third was a malevolent Queen.

After all, it was in her husband’s stead that she ruled his kingdom while he was away defending his realm from external threats. It was in her husband’s stead that she restrained the beasts within. So why could she never have the one she had been supporting for just over a decade?

It always seemed like Jason was distracted by something, be it the Library of Alexandria in Sankarai, the assault on the far-flung and yet somehow still paramount Fragrant Harbour of Xianggang, or the newest inventions of the Eakiran Federation. But never her, never his Queen, never the one who ruled in his stead.

Despite his indifference to her, Jane was here, passing another pair Sunstones onto the talons of Jason’s personal physician. It was amusing how something as insignificant as a pair of Sunstones could buy another’s loyalty for a year, but she was not going to laugh at something that ensured that Jason would consume a few sedatives here and there during the times he was actually in his capital.

After all, every expedition must have sapped all of the energy out of him, and one night is miniscule compared to his eleven-year reign.

Imperial Capital of Aurum, Kingdom of Lyrannia

Never let it said that Jia Nanfeng was an unfilial daughter.

After all, she volunteered to be taken from her home of Prunasia when Jason demanded one of her father’s many children as a political hostage, sparing her father the painful choice of who to send away to a foreign land, when the day came for her to leave, she put on a bright smile so that her father would not be claimed by despair, and for her four years in this treacherous court, she fought fang and claw for a position she never used for herself.

It helped, of course, to be a political hostage who is more of use to Jason’s empire alive, and for the rival Princes to dismiss her as a rug. In addition, The ruthlessness of court politics in general aided her ascension from being a mere political hostage to being “one of four sincere people in the court” and “second to Queen Jane in terms of trustworthiness.”

Despite all the “love” he showered on Jane, if one could call material wealth “love”, no one was fooled. Jason was an explorer at heart, too infatuated with the lands beyond that many have begun to whisper that he has married the sea. Truly, with all of his expeditions overseas, it was a wonder that he has children at all, much less six, though, the first two were born before he went on his first voyage.

Now, as she watched the Jason sipped from a glass of wine, she wonders if he has met anyone who truly caught his fancy. He, who rules his empire from the sea, whose orders are arrive not from Aurum or Argentium, but the Soleil, whose authority is strongest where Fleet Wolfwind is anchored. It would certainly explain his recent and odd, attitude, and the longing gaze that he has developed.

Pulling a book from the shelf, she frowned as he finished the glass, along with the curse that would bring harm to the beloved of the accursed. Honestly, how would the curse work if the one being cursed loves an object that cannot be harmed, like a star? Or the gods? She shook her head gently from side to side, hopefully he has found someone he cares about, so that he could feel a fraction of her pain.

Hopefully, he has found someone to love for once.

Imperial Free City of Aaraksburg, Aarakian Territories

George Washinki chuckled at the awe radiating from the Great Priest. Which should be expected considering the sheer size and majesty of the fleet anchored out at sea, though, seeing that this is the first time the wolf has seen a treasure fleet, it is equally likely for the Great Priest to be gawking at individual ships rather than the fleet itself.

The wolf’s jaw slammed shut when George spoke, “that is a treasure fleet, it carries the bounties of one end of the empire and transports it to the other end.”

“Those are some formidable warships, Sir Washinki,” the wolf spoke after a moment of silence.”

“Warships?” George squinted at the wolf, whose jaw dropped once again, “the bigger ships are the ones carrying the treasure.”

The Grand Priest’s eyes widened, “interesting, how full are the bigger ships when they are at sea?”

“Each time they leave a port there is rarely space in the holds, so I’d say almost full.”

”Almost full?”

He laughed at the high pitch of the Great Priest’s voice, “yes, and our treasure fleets can ward off any attack, be it some petty pirate king, or a flotilla from the Prunasian navy. Due to the recent addition of New Orleans to our empire, I’m sure that you will be seeing more of this fleet in the future as it stops to collect the bounties of the Aarakian Territories, and the tribute from Queen Calacula.” There was an almost imperceptible twitch in the Great Priest’s eye, “ah, the so-called Queen Calacula, the traitor.”

George held a single talon up, as if pointing out a mistake, “in the eyes of the King, Queen Calacula is a wise lady, who knew that siding with the Descendant of the Sun would ultimately serve her better than siding with her rivals. Instead of losing valuable cities like Houston, Calacula gained the protection of the most powerful empire on earth, and easy access to luxuries from all over the world.”

“And at what cost? She now has no honour to her name.”

Honour? Barnaby Glass would love to get into this debate, too bad he temporarily returned with the King to the homeland. He laughs, to the mild surprise of the Great Priest, “honour, you speak of it as if it built Lyrannia,” he wipes an imaginary tear, “forgive me for my sudden outburst, but if you like I could tell you of the rise of House Stormsong.”

Humming, George smirked at the slight nod, “before Lyrannia was united, there was an Earl in Normandy who had no sons, and although he had many stunningly beautiful daughters, they did not inherit land, and thus served no purpose. So, he essentially sold his daughters to strong commoners for a night-“ he paused at the soft gasp of horror, and continued when it was clear that there would be no further interruptions, “which resulted in him having three, dashing and strong grandsons, the first of which would be married to Countess Marie la Chanson of Aurum, the second of which would be married to another influential noble, and the third was betrothed to Elizabeth Windsor of Argentium. Now, the resulting plague that swept through the what would now be Lyrannia was naturally spread, but I believe my eyes when I read the report of a curse being placed on a single few individuals, which then allowed the youngest to inherit the land of all four families, who would then have a son called Lumine Stormsong, the uniter and first King of Lyrannia.”

It was not until a minute later before the Great Priest spoke up again, “I feel sick just listening to the story.” A little huff replaced the suppressed laughter, “you should be sick, if you have a heart that is.”