The Imperial Palace: The City of the Emperor
The child sat alone within the Great Hall, embraced by darkness as whispers of damnation surrounded him. Fragmented pieces of reality merged with memories that should have been lost in the afterlife. I heard the voices, words that no man should ever hear. They made my skin crawl, a feeling I remember years later. Even now, I hear their voices in my dreams. I see his knowing eyes.
The Imperial Palace is massive and noticeably built by Dwarf craftsmanship. Three walls, each taller than any tree and further protected by golden runes etched into them, are thick enough for several soldiers to stand watch from atop each. Rumors circulate about this palace, claiming it is filled with thousands of advisors like the inner workings of a mechanism. Yet there is an eerie silence. Once, not long ago, this palace was vibrant, filled with life and wonder. Bards and dancers filled the halls, bringing momentary respites to the weary officials. Poets wrote of the wonders as the scholars sought an explanation for the Outsiders, conducting experiments in the name of progress and safety. Clanging steel once echoed in the air as soldiers prepared themselves for battle, readying themselves for the final stand against the evil that encroached them. Now, there is nothing save the dying heartbeat of the Emperor.
Purpose / Function
After the Heavens Fell, the Dwarfs were summoned to the capital, promised gold to ensure their compliance. The Trel desired a strong, centralized government. The Palace would be their seat of power, recognized throughout the world, from which they could protect the lands. The palace was large enough that thousands of warriors could gather, alongside the greatest minds that the Trel had to offer. Together, with their Dwarf allies, the threat of the Outsiders would be eliminated within a year. That was the story the Dwarfs were told.
The reality of the Imperial Palace was not much different. It was a seat of power for the Trel, the capital looming above the lands. Scholars throughout the known world were drawn to the Palace. However, only a few knew the desires of the Trel. The walls were made with forbidden magic, Grotneck, as she was called, designed them to harbor the souls of the fallen enemies of Trel. This struck fear into the hearts of any who knew of it, though she justified herself by calling it a necessary evil.
Defenses
Three impenetrable walls protect the palace, each large enough for fifty soldiers to stand guard, and spaced far enough away that no one can leap from one to the other. Suits of armor, each containing a fragment of a warriors soul, stand guard upon these walls, protecting the Emperor without rest from any outside evil. Ironically, the greatest evil hides within.
Every wall within the palace hosts the souls of ancient scholars, the Dwarfs, and any within the courts who questioned the Emperor's will. Ghastly hands reach from the walls, gripping the unwary and pulling them into their unholy embrace. Their stone forms resist many weapons, and though they're susceptible to magic, the energy allows for more of their stone bodies to be pulled from the walls, momentarily, their gaunt, skeletal faces seen within the stone that contains them.
History
Although the Trel portray themselves as poets and philosophers, their hearts beat with a warlike fervor. They made war against their predecessors, slaughtering the Empires of the Old Night. Poets sing of this rebellion, praising the heroes who slew man and monster, though they are misguided. It was not a heroic day, nor was there any glory to be found in that bloody day. Good never triumphed over evil, rather, wickedness changed hands.
The Empires, and Petty Kingdoms of the Old Night were filled with corruption. Cruelty kept the common folk in obedience, and the wealthy were fattened on the toils of their people. This way of life was inherited from the Empires and Kingdoms which came before, a cycle of barbaric practices little different from when the world began. However, the Trel were different. While the Jarn contentedly inherited the damnation, marrying into nobility, the Trel refused to be charlatans. Trel was founded in betrayal, the crown bloodied from its beginning.
The Child Emperor of Jarn was married, though the plotting of the former Emperor's advisors, after his father was slain in battle. With the marriage the Jarn and the Hesios would become one, bringing much needed stability to the lands. Although it was an affront to the old ways, and wasted the blood spilled in conquest, the Jarn believed that uniting would allow their influence to cover the wold world. Yet, not all were contented. Many believed that the new Emperor was weak, and lacked potential, and many more accused the advisors of influencing the government to raise their own positions within the court. Insurrection ran rampant, culminating a month after the two nations became one.
The courts were filled with fire and smoke. Screams filled the air as any who remained loyal to the Jarn were slain without mercy. Spirits of death were reported to be present, horrific faces appearing in the billows of smoke as they reveled in murder. Those that escaped were hunted like animals, pursued by rabid soldiers. The regent slew the child with his own sword, and in an act that has been considered nigh blasphemous, forced the bloodied crown from his head and placed it upon his own. Fire burned around the regent as he crowned himself the Emperor of Trel. The Palace was overrun, and hundreds were taken prisoners.
The courts were rumored to contain secret, esoteric, knowledge kept by the elitists within the Hesios under oath. Unable to pry the information from these scholars and high-ranking nobles, they were bound deep within the Imperial Palace. The Dwarfs were enlisted, though the truth behind their task was hidden. With flattery and the promise of future wealth and recognition, the Dwarfs were convinced to rebuild the city. Trusting the newly crowned Emperor, they tirelessly etched the walls with powerful runes, those needed to bind the very soul to an inanimate object.
The pride of the Dwarfs led to their downfall. The Dwarfs were the first to be betrayed by the newly formed Trel, their souls bound within the walls of the capital. The prisoners were divided, those that would have been kept as eunuchs in the old days were preserved within the walls, waiting until the terror would break their spirits and the magic be revealed. Those deemed unfit would be kept far away from the Imperial Palace, left to die within a great cave, an offering to the vicious gods and spirits of betrayal and rot.
Thank you for reading this article! Any feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Those walls sound both epic and horrific, very nice!