Chapter 147: (Taking book 1 off RR tomorrow)
Chapter 147
The portal was pretty big and took up half of the football field Riven had chosen as the permanent spot it’d set up on. It was a lot different from the ovoid ones Riven could create himself, but rather this one was very similar to a wormhole - giving voice to the idea that it utilized some other kind of magic Riven wasn’t familiar with. It faced directly down into the planet, drawing people into it when they stood nearby and popping them out on the other side of the portal where they were expelled into an area empty of others with systematic precision. From Chicago’s viewpoint, the portal also showed a starry night sky. But when Riven was flung through said portal and exited to stand on the familiar fields of death-attuned grasses, the mirroring wormhole portal on the outskirts of Brightsville not far off from the Elysium Altar showed daylight and a blue sky riddled with speckled clouds.
They were windows looking into opposite ends of Panu.
Riven blinked a couple times and oriented himself, ignoring the cries of alarm from nearby orcs and elf slaves working the fields. Examining the portal with his mask’s basic ability to identify things - he even got a small grin and a pleasant surprise.
[Riven’s Eye Wormhole: a permanent portal fixture on the world of Panu that allows one to travel instantly between opposite sides of the world. This portal is a system-made phenomenon, granted to the vampire Riven Thane in the early days of Panu’s integration.]
Well at least he could say he’d made his mark on the world.
“Lower your weapons or get smashed.” Athela casually yelled out to a group of ghoul and skresh warriors who’d taken up a defensive semicircle perimeter nearby. “This is Riven Thane you idiots, or do you want to piss off your doting queen after her brother returned by trying to attack him?”
“Athela?” Gurth’Rok called out, stepping from beyond the line of warriors and being followed by a few of the orc soldiers not far off. The old chieftain was a lot more wholesome than he’d once been, with the upper lip wound that’d been cursed and torn off now showing signs of complete healing. His green skin had turned paler, though was still a tinge of green, and his tusks were noticeably sharper as he moved with a grace unbefitting him prior to what was obviously a vampiric shift. “It is you! Athela I am glad to see you here. As I am for the rest of you… is that Riven?”
“It’s me.” Riven called out with a wave of his staff from underneath his mask. “I can’t take this stuff off. Long story. Where’s my sister? I’ve been wanting to talk to her. Also, I’m digging the vampire look you’ve got going on. Welcome to the club.”
Gurth’Rok smiled, shot General Bruner a curious glance, then gestured for them to follow. “You have only been gone for a week or so, but a lot has happened in that time. Your sister is at the bone garden, I’m sure she’ll want to fill you in on all that has transpired.”***
“RIVEN!” Allie cackled with a piercing smile, letting wine spill onto the floor in her alcohol-induced fit of laughter. “I WAS A THREE YEAR OLD KID! How was I supposed to know that toilets worked that way!?”
The stone manor, Riven’s guild hall, was for the very first time hosting a party in the eastern wing. It was here that the large indoor pool was located, and just above it on an elevated floor overlooking the pool was the dining room and kitchen. A large crystal chandelier had been installed by Allie for tonight’s celebration concerning Riven’s return, candles were placed all around the perimeter of the room on shelves and other fixtures, classical music was playing in the form of a live group of musicians who’d been stationed in one corner, and food was being brought out regularly to resupply the long redwood table where fancier glass cutlery had replaced the stuff this guild hall had come with.
The people most important to the Thane Necropolis were all present, along with a couple of others such as two nervous-looking diplomats from the human kingdom of Dawn, a small brown-robed ratkin diplomat from the underdark city of Deepnest, and yet a third diplomat from another nearby mix-and-matched faction that was located farther to the west bordering the conflict between Dawn and the elvish kingdom of Tereen.
Tereen being the mutual enemy of the Thane Necropolis and Dawn, after Dawn had accepted Allie’s demands to hand over two of the larger elvish settlements conquered during the war in exchange for Allie’s help. The other option had been to give up Bradshire, the large town under Dawn’s rule to the southeast of Brightsville, which had been staunchly refused by Dawn’s leadership.
All in all, there were quite a few people here. Vin and Nin were animatedly talking to the Deepnest diplomat about necromancy. Mara was engrossed in conversation about herbs with Dr. Brass, Gurth’Rok, and three of the orc warrior elites that always followed Gurth’Rok around. Fay and Athela were swimming in the pool below, wearing rainbow-colored swimsuits that left little to the imagination - which only proved Dr. Brass’ previous claims about Athela’s chitinous outer layer being correct; Athela actually did wear around a thin form-fitting layer of chitin around on the regular, because today her skin was a lot more human-looking than it usually was. Then there was Azmoth, who was playing chess with Mayor Bret Rawling to the amusement of General Bruner and the other human military officers who’d come over from Chicago - because Azmoth had beaten the mayor three times in a row so far. Outside of these were a good number of undead soldiers stationed around the room, various human and undead officials Allie had appointed to help run Brightsville, Allie’s two playboy thralls who doted on her every need while wearing speedos and bow-ties to Riven’s disgusted expressions, and over two dozen staff members that were being ordered around by Tupper.
Tupper, who was Fay’s incubus brother, had taken it upon himself to get things around the manor running properly in the downtime he’d had. His initial arrival had seen Tupper stay in his room with only Fay occasionally visiting him, needing time to heal up from whatever traumatic undertaking he'd gone through prior to being assigned to this guild hall, and this was the first time he’d really come out when Riven had been around. Tupper was a very handsome demon, with white hair and short black horns similar to his sister, only he had a more masculine build - though was still somewhat thin even by human standards. He was currently in the kitchen, making sure the chefs were doing things in a timely manner and that all the guests were taken care of. According to Fay, it’d given the incubus a small but necessary sense of belonging here - and she’d actively encouraged Tupper to take up the mantle of pseudo-manager of Riven’s estate after getting Riven’s permission to do so. In fact, Tupper had been the one to acquire the chandelier for Allie upon her request for tonight’s event, and he was also the one who’d acquired uniforms for all the maids and butlers present.
French maid outfits for the women, and English butler outfits for the men. The maids and butlers, mostly consisting of elvish slaves, had been handpicked from the more trustworthy group of conquered people to serve here. It’d apparently been a very sought-after position amongst the younger generation of elvish adults, with both young men and young women desperately trying to get out of the farming duties the rest of their kind had been assigned to.
Riven leaned back in his cushioned chair, jealously casting gazes at the food on the table and being unable to taste it despite this being a celebration for his return. He was especially eyeing the cheese wedges with crackers that’d been set in front of General Bruner across the table. His mouth watered at the idea of eating them, but with his current predicament regarding the Chalgathi artifacts it was a big no-go.
“My lord.” Came the timid voice of Tupper as he tapped Riven’s left pauldron and bent low so he could whisper. “I hope you don’t mind that I selected Genua as one of the maids… She was a good candidate and passed my questions while using Silvertongue. However, given your past histories with her and her family I can always send her back to the cell she came from. I just want to confirm that my choice was alright by you, my lord.”
Riven looked left to the incubus who was wearing a butler outfit like many of the young elf men were, and then shifted his gaze to where Ethel’s mother, Genua, was cleaning dishes behind a kitchen counter and over a sink top. The blonde elf momentarily looked up, caught him watching, and blanched before going back to furiously scrubbing and trying to look small.
Riven blinked, and the maw along his chest hissed slightly as he pondered Tupper’s question. “You said she passed your silvertongue questions? What exactly did you find out about her while you were interrogating her for this position?”
The incubus cleared his throat. “She is willing to be very loyal, even to a fault, as long as she is given freedom to explore the manor. And as long as she is able to see her daughter soon.”
Riven’s memory shifted to the little girl, Len. A pit of guilt started to form, and he reached a hand back to rub at his neck where tension was beginning to build. “You’re sure Genua won’t cause problems?”
“It is very unlikely a mortal of her caliber would be able to successfully lie through my silvertongue ability. It is possible, but very unlikely.”
“Then that is fine. Do you know anything about how the children’s re-education is coming along?”
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Tupper paused, then straightened and shook his head. “I do not, my lord. Do you want me to ask Mara? She’s the one overseeing such things.”
The incubus gestured in the ghoul-necromancer’s direction further down the table, and Riven nodded. “Yes. If you could, make sure the visitations are started sooner rather than later. In fact, have Mara give the entire day tomorrow to the children to see their parents again. If the elves behave over time, we may even lift the restrictions entirely.”
Tupper shifted his stance. “I will pass the message along.”
Allie’s drunken cackling as she talked to General Bruner caused Riven to grin, and he watched their interaction unfold with mild amounts of curiosity. On one hand, General Bruner was a pretty straight to the point man, and the general had even been very wary of Allie based on the things Riven had told him. It wasn’t that Riven had embellished or lied about anything, he’d just told General Bruner the truth, but the older man had been on guard since getting here. However, in the moment it seemed like they were really getting along. Despite Allie’s drunken state, the general was occasionally smiling and laughing himself.
So far this meet and greet was a real success, and Riven really hoped there wouldn’t be any problems with the integration of Chicago and the two adjacent cities. Tonight was more relaxed, but tomorrow was going to bring about talks concerning military integrations, problems concerning both sides of the portal and political maps, supply shortage issues and more. Most of those issues, other than the war with the elvish kingdom of Tereen, were located on Chicago’s side of the portal after Allie’s forces had crushed all other factions inside Brightsville’s borders - putting Brightsville entirely under the control of the Thane Necropolis.
“Uh… Uhm… Riven, right?”
The meek, feminine voice of one of Dawn’s diplomats asked hesitantly from behind him. Riven sat up, turned his chair from where he’d positioned it to watch his sister’s drunken rants, and shot a look over at the two Dawn diplomats that had largely been ignored since arriving here. Personally he hadn’t really been in contact with anyone from dawn aside from the roc-riding knight who’d visited the manor a while ago, and he’d subtly given the responsibility of dealing with them over to Allie since she was the one heading the war efforts and claiming new lands in elvish territory for the necropolis.
“Yes that’s my name.” Riven stated, the crimson feathers along his porcelain mask twisting and blinking at the short, plump brunette woman who’d bundled her hair up into a bun and wore a clipboard across her robed chest. “I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves yet. Who are you?”
Looking relieved that someone was finally giving her the time of day, the woman held out a hand to shake - though Riven could tell it took her a lot of courage to do so by the way she flinched at his touch. “Marin. I’m one of the diplomats from Dawn, and this is Theodore Munchamp, Court Wizard to the king of the Kingdom of Dawn and practicing scholar of the sun arts.”
The skinny old man with orange hair next to Marin, also robed in yellow and white, gave a half smile and timid bow while scrambling to his feet to stand. “Lord Thane! I have heard so much about you, and your accomplishments on the cortex have already been noted. To know that one of our neighbors, who holds us in such high esteem, has such a powerful warlock is truly inspiring!”
Theodore Munchamp. This was the man who’d initially sent the roc-riding knights to negotiate a peace pact and request help in the war against the elves. He certainly looked a lot less impressive than what Riven had imagined the man to be or what his title had hinted at.
Riven leaned back in his chair to evaluate the skinny robed man with hands folded over his lap. “Oh, so you’ve seen videos of my exploits have you?”
Theodore quickly nodded. “I have! We all have. The world forums are a vast place, but our kingdom’s scholars keep a keen eye on the happenings of the world in case any of it relates to us. It just so happens that when your battle with the Azag Hive Cluster was posted by Elysium, and your rise to the Paragon ranks was recorded after your dao insights, it became a very attractive topic to talk about in the kingdom. We were all very impressed…”
Riven silently waited for the man to continue, but Theodore looked like he was at a loss for words. “Well thank you for the compliment. Let me ask, are you new to the diplomacy thing?”
The court wizard stuttered a reply. “U-uhm, why would you ask?”
“Just curious.”
Hesitantly, Theodore Munchamp glanced over at Marin - who just stared back at him like a deer caught in the headlights, then he slowly nodded. “Uhm… why yes. Diplomacy is not necessarily my first calling… I am more attuned to practicing or experimenting with sun magic than anything else as my title implies.”
“What made you the one to come then? I’m just curious. I’m not trying to insult you. Also, please sit. There’s no reason to stand, this is an informal dinner and you’re more than welcome to eat whatever you want in the meantime. Please be at ease.”
Theodore wiped away sweat that’d begun to accumulate on his brow, nodded, and sat down to take a long swig of ice cold water. “I’m sorry if I seem inadequate for the job-”
“I never said that.” Riven cut in with a smile that the man couldn’t see. “I’m sorry if I came off rude. You’re just very nervous, and it shows.”
Marin let out a long sigh, putting her face into her hands.
Meanwhile Theodore glared at the woman next to him, but didn’t comment on her obvious display of irritation. “Most of our professional diplomats were already attending other kingdoms and empires on Zazir before the integration and merging of the three worlds. We have to make due with what we’ve got, and I just happened to be one of the men to fill that role at the request of the king. As for my nerves, it is hard not to be.”
Theodore gestured over to Allie. “When you’re sitting at a table with someone as bloodthirsty and simultaneously as gorgeous as that, those are just two big reasons to be nervous.”
“Theodore!” Marin gasped, going pale and wide eyed with a stiffening posture in her cushioned chair.
“It’s the truth Marin!” Theodore exclaimed with exasperation, again dabbing at his forehead. “And you, my lord! How am I supposed to be anything but terrified after seeing that tremendous display of power! You two siblings running this necropolis are downright scary!”
Riven’s grin wasn’t seen, but his sputtering laugh came fast that turned into a hearty bellow. “I see! Well Theodore at least I can tell that you’re honest. I like that quite a bit actually, honesty goes a long way with me and it’s a hard trait to find in many people.”
He gave a pointed look Genua’s way as she passed by, and her eyes shied away from him while she adjusted her French maid outfit to deliver more slabs of meat on circular metal dishes to where Azmoth was devouring food rapidly over time.
“Tell me.” Riven eventually said after there was a lul in the conversation, and his attention shifted back from the enslaved elf to the two humans nearby. “What do you think about the war with the elves?”
“They’re pompous, arrogant, evil bastards.” Marin immediately replied with a hot rage simmering behind her brown eyes. “They attacked us for no reason, butchered an entire town without cause, and raid our supply caravans every chance they get. They are racist, bigoted, and they deserve to die. All of them.”
Riven’s eyebrows rose, and his left hand settled onto the table to begin tapping at it with his fingers while the laughter of his two female minions echoed from the splashing pool below. “Really… that’s a rather aggressive stance to take.”
“What other stance would you take if your family was killed by them for no reason?” Marin shot back, venom in her words as her knuckles went white on the clipboard she carried.
Theodore’s features softened into a sad, contemplative tone, and he let out a sigh while nodding. “I must agree with Marin’s’ assessment. The elves of Zazir were always arrogant, but we’d never had any real dealings with them before now. But due to the proximity of Tereen when compared to Dawn after the merging, it appears that we have no choice but to fight. Otherwise they’ll enslave or kill us to take our lands for their own. They think of us humans as a lesser race, a flawed race, and their inherent racism is drilled into the young they bear from an early age. They will either need to be put down, or completely subdued…”
Theodore motioned over to where numerous butlers and maids bustled around the room. “You’re treating your conquered enemies rather well. We’ve seen your farms, we’ve seen how you operate, we’ve seen the school you set up for their children. But the people the Tereen enslave are quite the opposite of this, they live and wallow in mud while dying like flies for the amusement of elvish masters. To be quite blunt, we were worried you’d decide to decline our request for aid. The king is very grateful, and if he weren’t on the front lines regularly he’d have come to thank you in person. With your forces protecting our northernmost town Bradshire, and after Allie defeated the elvish commander at the battle of Longhill, we’ve been able to focus our efforts on the core of our remaining kingdom.”
Riven mutely nodded, then snapped his fingers in Allie’s direction. “You said we acquired new elvish settlements to rule over, is that right?”
Allie stopped laughing at one of General Bruner’s dad jokes, turned her head, and squinted. “Yes… Why? We’ve occupied two medium sized towns and had a village under our control that we ended up burning down for a tactical retreat. They’re to the southwest near where the mountain range ends, past where Greenstalk was, and we’re securing the area of guerilla fighters before figuring out what we’re going to keep. It’s likely that we’ll destroy one of the towns and consolidate the populations of both into one, after most of the defenders were killed. It’ll be easier to keep an eye on the subjugated that way.”
General Bruner, who’d not been in on any of these talks concerning the military agenda on this side of the world yet, perked up with interest. “If I may, I would like to get a rundown on what’s going on with the war efforts here. Riven informed me that you have enemies in the area, and although we have our own problems near Chicago’s borders we may be able to send some flying units for scouting and striking purposes.”
“You’re not bogged down by the moral decision of whether or not you should participate?” Riven asked curiously.
General Bruner looked confused. “Sir, we pledged to you. If you decide to go to war, you’re our king now. We will do whatever it is that you want us to do after you saved our city from annihilation. Aside from that, I think it’s a moral obligation to unite the planet.”
“Oh-ho!” Allie crowed, turning back to reevaluate the general with a new gleam to her eyes. “And just why is that!? I think I like this guy!”
General Bruner grinned slightly, but then placed both hands confidently on the table and clasped them together. “If I’m speaking bluntly, a united front across the world means two things. One, it means less wars for future generations. In the past back on Earth, war was a rampant plague that destroyed the lives of people over countless generations. So it is, in my opinion, the moral high ground to conquer everything to prevent wars like that from occurring over future decades, centuries, or even millenia. And with vampiric heritage like yours, you’ll be able to live long enough to see it through and keep it stabilized.”
Riven hadn’t ever really thought about it like that, but he couldn’t necessarily argue with that logic. There were certainly flaws behind it, but the overall premise wasn’t a bad one. “Alright. What is the second thing that it means to you?”
General Bruner didn’t take long to think it over. “This is the multiverse now. Our planet is just one of many, and we already have invaders from other worlds coming to take over according to the world quests. If we don’t unite as a world, someone from offworld will do it for us. And it is very likely that things will end very badly for our people if that comes to pass.”