Deliverance of the North

Homeland of the Northern Babkhi, the Feudal diehards, and the Libertarians of Fieldburg. A combustible mix, with devotees of the Icebear thrown into the mix. Shorn of the bailiwicks of Wintergleam by Goldshire, the North has a certain persistence of memory and a thirst for revenge.

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Monty
Posts: 934
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:17 pm

Deliverance of the North

Post by Monty »

"Sir we have received a message from His Grace the Duke." said Rasbat alMukti. He approached Gylfi Eletheaion slowly as the Duke's trusted Lieutenant, a man who was often intolerant of fools and even more so of Babkhi fools, poured over the maps and coastal charts on the icebreaker Raikoth's Vision.

Gylfi looked over the message. He grunted and grimly smiled. They wouldn't catch him. Rasbat looked at his commander warily. It was systematic of the ethnic distrust that had gripped the
Duchy in the wake of the Disunity. That is what they all called it, spurred on by Balarak Alaion, the Duke. The movement to split was primarily Elw based, fed up of carrying the Babkhi and Viking minorities. They dressed it upas political now, as the Elw had developed a fondness for doing, but it was social and economic. The remaining Elw were in a minority in the new Duchy yet they still had a substantial grip on power over the Babkhi. Nobody troubled the Hyperboreans. They managed the grip by clinging to Balarak's half Elw heritage and Balarak let them play it up. It suited his own needs well. The Babkhi were capable of being subjugated by the more sophisticated Elw, it had always been the way. Their culture was barbaric and one of servitude to the more sophisticated Elw. Yet Balarak was both. And so whilst the Elw still had the power, Balarak had liberated the Babkhi. All now had access to education, all had access to healthcare. It was no longer monopolised by the rich Elw or the serene and united Hyperboreans. Wellness and Knowledge were available to all. A liberated Babkhi and still the ruling Elw. Balarak had subjugated the politics of the Duchy. It was an odd world, Duchy politics.

"What are we going to do? If the Emir of Raspur rides north with his Nord men we are doomed to fight and die. There are only 40 of us, poorly armed." said Rasbat, rather too boldly. Gylfi turned and sneered.

"They won't catch us, Rasbat. We avoid them. We use the Hyperboreans. How long till we arrive?"

"Two hours."

"Radio ahead to Thule. Have a priest join us. Balarak has told me all we need to know to succeed."

*********************************************************

They stepped off onto the harbour and were greeted by a Priest of Hyperborea. Their appearance always disturbed Gylfi. They were odd, so different. Yet Balarak had been ordained by them. Without their support his rule would never have got underway. The new Ducal order owed much to them. Balarak had assured Gylfi that the success of this expedition also depended on them.

"You know why we are here?" Gyfli asked.

"Yes of course. I have orders to help you from Endi Arusion. We know what you seek and we will get you there." replied the Priest. He turned and began to walk away. It was as much an invite as a Hyperboreans would give to follow.

The expedition were slinging their bolt action rifles around their shoulder as they walked off after the Priest. Rasbat scampered after Gylfi as he led the way.

"What are we doing up here? What are we after?" he asked.

"A great weapon with many more inside. Decades old. It is a weapon the Hyperboreans know of and remind them of their own old days of martial glory."

************************************************

Three days later they arrived at the coordinates. They were near the edge of the ice shelf, looking out over the northern seas next to a huge ice mountain.

"We are here." said the Priest.

"Where is the entrance?" asked Gylfi. The cold was biting his face as it had done for days. He did not like this climate. The Priest pointed to a small cave. Gylfi and the men entered it, the Priest leading them.

The cave was dark with strange formations of ice running along the walls. The torches illuminated the cave walls, strangely linear and uniform. They came to a sheer stop as the end of the cave arrived before them. The Priest went to the wall and brushed some ice away. Gylfi walked to the cave wall and used his rifle butt to knock away some ice. It was a handle. The Priest pulled another handle along with Glyfi and there was a low hum as Gylfi pushed the door forward.

They entered a huge cave. No, it was no longer a cave. It was a huge space. A huge cavern. Their torches pierced into the darkness and reached out to the walls. Along one wall, in huge red letters a word was spelt out: Behemoth

"Gylfi, what is this place?" asked an awed Rasbat.

"The Behemoth, the lost great ice ship of the Kingdom of Lovely. And onboard enough weaponary for the Duchy to defend itself. Guns, rockets, planes, tanks and the ship itself. Will the engines work, Priest?"

"I will see. It has been in our custody by accident for a great deal of time. We will make it work though. I need seven of your men to help me." Gylfi gave the order.

6 hours later the split from the ice shelf, the great accumulation of non-designed ice and pykrete beginning to melt as they sailed for Port Illumination.
Lord Montague

Balarak Alaiaon, Duke of Elwynn, Unifier of the Severed Duchy, Sequestrer of Disharmony

Also operating as Jean Carmichael, Duke of Evreaux, Speaker of the Imperial Assembly.
Oh and Eli Naveh too, Chief of the Ashkenatzan Naval Staff.

In Battle; Unbeatable. In Victory; Unbearable.

Elijah Ayreon
Posts: 2709
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:26 pm

Re: Deliverance of the North

Post by Elijah Ayreon »

Exciting! I love the atmosphere in this story, Monty. Keep going.
Elijah Ayreon-Dariolin of Waffle-Paine (no longer with us)

Ric.

Monty
Posts: 934
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:17 pm

Re: Deliverance of the North

Post by Monty »

It's w way of fleshing out what happened after secession as well as an insight into where the Duchy's going. Want to work on that original post more but was rushed this morning.
Lord Montague

Balarak Alaiaon, Duke of Elwynn, Unifier of the Severed Duchy, Sequestrer of Disharmony

Also operating as Jean Carmichael, Duke of Evreaux, Speaker of the Imperial Assembly.
Oh and Eli Naveh too, Chief of the Ashkenatzan Naval Staff.

In Battle; Unbeatable. In Victory; Unbearable.

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