Dawn of 5627: The Queen's Address

In these times of hunger and anguish, it is the Divine Queen who offers us Her resplendent respite!

— Shiari Times

In 5627 EA, the new year in Shiar dawned with annual festivities to celebrate its arrival, even amidst the tragedy of Gaia's Lament. The Shiari festival was always one that starred its queen, the beautiful Divine Queen Asfiya, ruler of Shiar and head of its religion.
This year, however, was rather different. Though the last years had been mired in the effects of the Lament, and though the Lament weighed heavy on the hearts and heads of Shiar's citizenry, this year would finally dawn with a beacon of light: the Queen had made a proclamation ahead of the festival. An announcement of an announcement: a reason for all to drag themselves from their beds, where the dread of the future lay heaviest, and come to the sunny reaches of Masdarat to listen.
For those that could not make it, there were newspapers. The clip attached to this document is one such newspaper, presenting a recap of the speech itself in a mixture of quotes and summary, written by a high-ranking member of the Shiari Times - one of the few truly nationwide newspapers, affliated with numerous trade groups and the Queen's religion itself. Their reach and distribution saw the newspaper spread through the nation (and beyond) immediately, and the joy of its contents spread through the continent in infectious delight.

True Circumstances

When will it end? When will you stop lying to our people?! Don't they deserve the truth for once?

— Chandna to her mother

The Queen's proclamation announces much, but its most important facet, the glimpse of hope in a world of darkness, is her announcement of her daughter's pregnancy. The announcement claims that Holy Princess Chandna, who also speaks, has formed an alliance with a powerful being representing the land itself, and that this entity has granted her a pregnancy. The truth of this is, of course, doubted by many of Shiar's more sceptical citizens, but on this, they are wrong to do so.

Speech at Masdarat by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

The proclamation is true enough: Chandna was impregnated by an avatar, a living representation of the land. However, the avatar with which she lay was not an avatar alone. The Earth-Mother's Gift, the true entity that lay the curse of Gaia's Lament over Takawaoku, had, impossibly and terribly, taken hold of the avatar.
The child that would be born was not merely the child of the land and its rulers, but of a Shard of the Void. What this would do to a child is deeply uncertain, but it is very likely that it would be a vessel through which the Shard would be more directly able to lay waste to the world.
Perhaps the most immediately worrying thing about this announcement was the timing of it, for it was timed perfectly with the secretive arrival of the Silkways train and its three hidden demigod passengers, and thus also the silent, stealthy arrival of the Lost Ones. Champions and their allies, they were; the direct enemies of the Shard, there with the intent to capture it to pay a ransom and to save the world.

The adventurers, newly arrived in the City of Gold, stood aghast and in direct sight of the Queen and her daughter as they gave their speech, though hidden with disguises of their own. For them, this speech marked a declaration of intent. The Shard was making its own moves, likely in response to theirs. It knew that they were present, and it dared to stare them down as it tightened its grasp over millions of innocent citizens.
This speech, this announcement, was no mere celebration of joy: it was a declaration of war.

Well, that was bizarre and extremely concerning. What the fuck is actually going on here?

— Licia Galewen, Champion of Desna

They would be invited, then, to the Queen's own ball, held in honour of the announcement and in celebration of Chandna's pregnancy. They would be given freedom, money, and gifts to be ready for it. They were given three days to linger in Masdarat, seeing the life and light of the city, before they could enter the royal family's own lair.
The ball erupted into chaos shortly after the dancing and celebrations had began, only a few hours after they had arrived into the main ballroom. The Lost Ones and their allies would pursue the Queen, Princess, and Consort into the dining room and into their maze, where secrets would be torn open and laid bare, and where the avatar and Shard would begin to dance most directly around their foes, teaching them of history the gods kept silent and of the lives they could have had.
As of the 8th of Abadius 5627, the second day of the ball's celebration, no news of the wayward adventurers has yet escaped the palace's depths.

The Princess's Dinner by Hanhula (in Wonderdraft)

Read the Document

Dawn of 5627: The Queen's Address

"To my dear beloved citizens of Masdarat and beyond, to my kind, sweet children of Shiar - I bid you kneel. Kneel in prayer and in supplication, and allow my grace to wash free the sins that you shelter within. Breathe deeply, freely, and allow my guiding light to grant you peace and give you strength. For my love for you all is boundless, unrelenting, and unending, and today is a day of bright forgiveness and joy. All the pain and suffering you have endured in these hard times, any stress or guilt you feel - let it go, let it be free of the waters of your mind, and breathe in the air of this wonderful day. We are all here together, and it is together that we have survived. I am so proud of you all, and to see the delight you all share on this day brings a glad smile to my face."
Our Queen, our beloved, benevolent Queen, continues to speak for a long while, giving a long speech about how much effort and love we have thrust into our work lately, highlighting our new constructions, celebrating new births and marriages of some of our greatest heroes and kindest friends, granting us insight into the strong bonds we maintain with other nations and especially our distant allies in Rhaead. When the announcements are done, She offers us a gift! She offers Her thanks to all of us, with Her effusive grace, for welcoming in the new year so wonderfully. Her smile is radiant.
"I bring tidings most bountiful about my own family. It is on this glorious day that I wish to introduce you once again to my beloved daughter, your Holy Princess Chandna. As you are all aware, my daughter has lived her life in utter, utmost service to our beautiful nation. She has worked alongside you, studied at our universities, and shared her bright talent in making our nation a true paradise, even in these challenging times. And it is now that I wish to announce that she has chosen to take her devotion further. She has communed with our land itself and been chosen as its consort - to bear a child blessed by the gods and by our most precious home that will deliver us from this lamentation. For if it is Gaia, our land, that cries out, then it shall be Gaia's own children that lead us to freedom."
The Holy Princess is resplendent in her blue gown. Her veil, in its gorgeous pale blue and gold thread, flutters in the wind as she steps forward. Even from this far, the swell of pregnancy is visible! Our Queen spoke true! "Thank you for attending, beloved people of Masdarat and beyond. Please, if you have concerns or questions, my handmaidens will collect all questions from our submission booth. I have never felt so honoured as I am now to protect, to serve, and to love our people." She bows to us - offers us Her gentle consideration, and sits.
We cheer for so long that the Divine Consort, Dayaal himself, must usher for us to be calm - for there is more he must say! He announces that the festivities shall continue for two more days, and that all food will continue to be provided. He reminds us that the guards are there if we face any threat, and we cheer again - again and again, until Her Radiant Majesty is laughing and smiling, and they depart to their palace on high!

Close

Divine Queen of Shiar by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Type

Text, Newspaper

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

5627

Location

Masdarat

Authors

• Dayaal of Shiar
• Divine Queen Asfiya
• Holy Princess Chandna of Shiar

By the Gods...

— Talindë Ae'tharis, Champion of Seren

The Queen's Ballroom by Hanhula (with Wonderdraft)

Nothing goes right with these imbeciles. This is probably the worst of what's gone wrong so far.

— Idonea Marcia Esdrasea

Holy Princess Chandna by Hanhula (via Midjourney)