The Disappearance of Crescentia Lucabratio
During the Month of Tides Empress Lucabratio, her husband, and their newborn daughter, disappeared in the twilight of a nation-wide celebration. May the Seas lay her to rest.
The Month of Tides is most notable for one event, a celebration of unity and peace with family. The Kingdoms of Auferetu held street-wide gatherings, the wilds of Veritas joined one another in their own festivities, and the Middle Ground Mountains acted as a shelter for wildlife from both regions. Auferetu and Veritas have been in conflict for generations, but agreed to a temporary ceasefire so that all parties involved may spend with their loved ones during the celebration. The act of mutual-respect and peace, was suggested by Empress Lucabratio of the Auferetu capital. She sought a meeting with Her Lady Cantionis, head of the Gladius family and acting diplomat for the ungoverned region of Veritas. The Empress and Her Lady have a unique history, both were members of the Temple of Ruins, as well as the Order of Paragons. And it was the bond shared between them that allowed for such a ceasefire to occur in the first place. Which laid before it, a path to negotiations and rebuilt trust for both regions. Born Crescentia Lucabratio, an only child and the sole heir to the Lucabratio throne, a young Crescentia led a typical noble upbringing in the region. She received private tutoring, becoming versed in a variety of topics, and learned a number of skills including sword-fighting, dancing, and basic magic. She had a chosen social circle, schedule, and rules to abide up to her adolescent years. After the passing of the Paragon of Passion, the Temple of Ruins, a monastery located at the summit of the Middle Ground mountains, sought to find a new being to fill in her now vacant role. Individuals of high-empathy were noted as potential candidates, many of which had some notoriety either for accomplishments of titles. Crescentia found herself on the short-list pool for both her current title, and proximity to the Temple, as members were welcomed from all regions of the world. A series of trials, training demonstrations, exams, and meetings took place to create a more detailed profile on each candidate and their personalities. The two current Paragons along with their trusted advisors spent a handful of weeks in debates to narrow down the list to a single person. Crescentia, as you may have already guessed, was selected to take over the empty Paragon role. Her inoculation as a Paragon wouldn't stop the already present responsibilities of inheriting her family's throne, a situation not unheard of for the Temple's longstanding history. Crescentia grew in confidence and respect with her Paragon title as well as the title of Empress, after having succeeded the throne. As a well-seasoned individual with a background no one else in the Temple shared, it was decided that she aid in mentoring an adolescent newcomer. In enters Cantionis, a bitter child, besotted with misfortune, and granted the role of Paragon of Protection, due to a number of emergency events following the previous Paragons sudden passing. The Paragons bonded easily, often credited to their small age gap, compared to that of most members of the Temple. Another, far more important reason, is the fact that both ladies were natives to the island. Crescentia living in Auferetu and Cantionis being born in Veritas, whereas the majority of Temple members migrated from around the world. In time, Crescentia wed with a Prince Julius, newfound ruler of his own kingdom serving under Crescentia's Empire. The fellow Paragons, however, disagreed with the decision. Nevertheless, the ceremony commenced without much issue, and news traveled not long after of a child on the way. Despite the constant bickering between Julius and Cantionis, Crescentia appointed the latter as the sole godparent of her unborn child, a move equally doubted by the two parties. Of the foundational beliefs to the Order, the upmost important was to help others if you wish to help yourself. This way of life when applied to worldwide conflicts naturally led the Temple to set an example on solving cultural differences. As such, the Temple moved to ease tensions along the base of the Middle Ground mountains. The list of notable attendees grew, as did interest in a ceasefire, over a relatively short period of time. Smaller meetings took place in key settlements along the island to garner support and input for the grand meeting. The plans moved along smoothly and, for the most part, and seemed well. A handful of weeks before the final meeting, Crescentia delivered a quiet daughter, lovingly named Rosabel. While mother and daughter recovered, Julius took charge of finalizing details for Auferetu's half of the meeting. The grand meeting, promptly named Agora, marked to take place in the middle of a three day-long national celebration. The venue, a coast-side villa sat snugly between its own private piers and the western-most base of northern Middle Ground. Finally, the celebration began, and parties of competing interests from both sides of the island swore to a complete ceasefire. Individuals were allowed to travel freely to visit family and join in the festivities in their immediate communities. Influential persons of interest brought along their respective support to the villa, thus starting the "Meeting of the Gods". Agora's own festivities, initially meant to be held in her courtyard, swiftly move indoors as a sudden storm rolled in. The members, after addressing their concerns and advice, began negotiations for a permanent end to the conflicts at Middle Ground. By dusk, the storm swept courtyard furniture away, entire table sets and décor pushed aside with no reason. After documents were signed and finalized, the room called for a toast from the individuals who started the latest pursuit to peace. As luck would have it, Crescentia left after signing all her share of documents to tend to Rosabel in a private room. The room, bolstered in spirit and newfound comradery, led into song as the young Paragon split off in search of her friend. Rosabel had never been the exceptionally fussy child, her needs were few in terms of attention and stimulation. So what, Cantionis thought, would cause Crescentia to be away twice as long as usual. The room was close enough to the Hall to be accessible, but far away enough for her to not be disturbed by the noise. Perhaps the Empress needed a break from all the conversing and pleasantries. The wind howled all night, but something about walking down the corridor alone made the noise especially unruly. The threshold to Rosabel's temporary nursery, marked in runes of herbs, a traditional ward against evil, stood ajar. The howls now joined by a chaotic rhythm of thuds of an unknown source. Foggy breaths illuminated by the lesser moon led to the open shutters above Rosabel's crib. Yet no sign of mother or daughter remained, save for a crumpled laurel wreath just below the window. The sight of Crescentia's diadem, malformed and without its owner, made Cantionis' stomach churn violently. The sudden rush of anxiety threw to lean harsh against the back wall, struggling to make way for the shutters. The night passed in an agonizing blur, search parties immediately formed in spite of the intense storm. Many called for the name that would never return, and nothing was left in the wake of morning. The Empress was gone, her daughter presumably with her, and no sign of the father. In the days following, a number of reports and orders were placed against the Empress' cabinet for failing to act sufficiently with the investigation. New cabinet members replaced their insubordinate counterparts, and all involved in the court were under close supervision. The Paragon Order took control of the investigation, and aided the Lucabratio kingdom while it's throne remained empty. Paragon Cantionis, with little proof besides superficial memories and her own prejudice against the Emperor, formed a team of special followers to investigate all leads and theories. In the meantime, every family member, colleague, friend, and noble associate were to be followed and every move scrutinized. It would be just short of three years' time before Empress Crescentia was found. Or her remains, at the very least. The full story of that faithful night remains a mystery, but we know now that an associate of the Emperor is responsible for setting off the tragic event. Threatened by her child's life being in danger, Crescentia was ushered swiftly through a series of small hidden corridors in order to not alert the masses. The pair were placed in a luxurious ship, one meant to hold up against rough weather conditions, and tended fairly. Rosabel, only a few months at the time of her disappearance, would be roughly seven years of age at the time of this broadcast, if she is indeed still alive. Emperor Julius remains missing as well, though a handful of the Lucabratio cabinet still slip in bills and legal-nonsense that fell in line with his ideals. A sealed letter by the Empress, presumably just before her demise, spoke largely of a vivid dream she had. The dream depicted, in great detail, of a wreck, and her own bloated remnants drifting aimlessly. She also requested, in legal jargon, that Cantionis become the sole caretaker of Rosabel, not the father. The letter spearheaded the popularity of Cantionis' conspiracy theory, aided in part by her team's growing social influence. And while the story grows cold, and leads diminished, she still insists that more will be uncovered. Nothing will be revealed until the Emperor or his "associate" are found, however. Until such a time comes, take shelter during a storm, and keep a careful watch over your children. Goodnight daywalkers of Eno, and welcome to the City of Lights, my fellow nocturnes. This is Majesty, the Broadcasting Storyteller, remind you to be wary of the Cabinet.
The above text is a script taken from the Underground Broadcasting Network, a radio station aimed at sharing restricted or vital information about politics, crime, and persons of interest. The majority of information is narrated by the Network's founder, Majesty, in either nonfictional or metaphorical stories.
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