☀️ Arselia and Akonia

"The Carnel is a special unit serving the crown! The Carnel is a literary club! And the commander gives speeches as if it were also a kind of knightly order. Is she tailoring it to herself? No one seems to mind, although it sounds funny in relation to some. To call me a hero-knight, ha! Probably with irony, but I don't even remember anyone ever saying that to me." The former bandit stood in the hall of headquarters, staring thoughtfully at the portraits of Naria and Miss Cosmos. They would most likely send the Carnel into the impending conflict with the land of the dead, especially considering that there was probably another cursed stone for the princess hidden somewhere there. So, they will have to fight the undead? Well, here's another irony. After all, the Asterian himself grew up in lands where the living and the dead coexisted harmoniously, in a world where a skeletal face was not a trigger for aggression. "Yes, I appreciate your intricate celestial humor, dear cosmic patron." With a smile, Garret recalled what he was first told about this world. That he would find it similar to his homeland. Well, yes, people still walk on two legs here, fight with swords and magic, and so on. And yet... Hardly could Klyn fully understand what he was saying back then. Many things here are completely different. In this world, it is difficult to imagine his Aster, the closest thing to it is Nephiria, but... The Many-Faced Monogat, legions of the undead, the enslavement of the living - what? This goes against the Asterian idea that raised bones should be allies and helpers to the living society, serving them faithfully. Of course, Garret himself was a marginal and a notorious scoundrel in his homeland, even he did not use the power of tradition against his own people, and, having acquired a skeletal familiar, he preferred to go to the free lands far to the north. Although, to be honest, for the most part he just wanted to get away somewhere where he hadn't caused trouble yet, so he could continue to commit robbery with less risk of running into avengers. In this context, not only the world, but even he himself is already someone else here. Deprived of the pious power of tradition, an alien, a resurrected undead, a hero-knight, chasing dragons to save the empire - what??? What would Harold say about such a thing? Holding his breath and exhaling, as if checking his need to breathe, the Asterian reluctantly averted his gaze from the pictures. Having spent almost half a year without his company, he was no longer sure what he would actually say. The silent skull did not share thoughts, being deprived of words even in its imaginary answers. Which are nothing more than a reflection of his own increasingly distorted perception of the world, and Snezhana is proof of that. He could easily, if he wanted, make these portraits "talk" to him in the same way, and who knows what else. But all this exists only in his, perhaps slightly deranged, mind and does not give his spirit real support. So think for yourself, brother, think with your head, while it is still in place and has not turned into a pumpkin. Although, in reality, right now he would rather distract himself from existential reflections. Remembering that he had unfinished tasks, Garret reads two more volumes of imperial chronicles in a week.

XI - Raidarck es Diesra Arual
-1 OD.
5% chance to receive a blessing of a random element, the ability to transfer 10 units of one characteristic to another.

An abnormal mage-dragon slayer, conqueror, and collector of artifacts - Raidarck is definitely one of the most striking figures among the Margel monarchs. If you think about it, the recent situation with Hopelessness can be called a continuation of his confrontation with the dragon king. Perhaps he saw the awakening of the apostle as a kind of loophole to neutralize the emperor's efforts in conquering Elysia? If so, Raidarck still outsmarted him even in the afterlife, leaving his prediction through the ages.

XII - Sellun es Diesra Arual
-1 OD.

A clear example that not every crowned head is capable of governing an empire. Sellun was clearly not interested in state affairs, as during his reign he did not gain enough influence to regain control of the reins of power from the scheming nobles. It is not surprising that even in his own biography, the achievements of others are described. Although, perhaps it was precisely the lack of ambitions of royal scale that allowed him to live long and peacefully next to Harisen Linefront and his famous guillotine.