kcfgogbfalgfl
Auto-translated
| History of Tezot, Part V - The Era of Blue Blood During the period when aristocrats were carving up the royal pie, attempting to seize larger pieces for themselves, in the 166th year since the unification of Tezot, a new Deus was chosen — Velkhmetra the Radiant. While conducting their dark dealings, the newly minted lords required a bright puppet, a symbol of a new era, and thus the youngest daughter of the previous ruler became that figure. In contrast to the strict rules of life introduced into the kingdom's way of living by Satanid the Wicked, they dressed the star of the new age in attire that was revealing compared to past orders, and made the return of lost freedoms the heart of modern ideology. "Freedom is when you can dress as you wish; you can eat what whets your appetite; you can do what your heart desires..." — such were the speeches written for the new ruler by specialists appointed by the aristocracy who were responsible for her image and policy. These speeches lacked depth of meaning, but the subjects' exhaustion from opposing the monsters of the north, combined with the lovely image of Velkhmetra the Radiant—who had also gained wide fame as a theater actress and singer—helped many turn a blind eye to what was happening behind the scenes. The regions of the empire were divided among aristocratic families who appeared as if from nowhere, depending on historical context, the geographical location of cities, and the influence of those claiming lordly status. The Knight system was introduced primarily for two reasons: - Lords needed a hand to solve regional problems from an official position without spending lordly time or exposing themselves to potential threats. Furthermore, in particularly own-case situations, the blame for what happened could be shifted onto a knight "acting on their own initiative." - Anyone could become a Knight, and therefore the idea of such social mobility strongly appealed to commoners. Of course, not everyone was as calculatingly wicked as Iretiret of Revnland, and many lords treated both their new status and the system of knighthood with full responsibility, but this did not change the essence. Despite the popularity of Velkhmetra the Radiant and the smooth abandonment of the old same of government in favor of the new, not all cities of Tezot accepted the new rules of the game without resistance; therefore, the aristocracy had to make concessions — thus the system of domains was born. From that time on, any city in the kingdom could be one of three types of domain: aristocratic, democratic, or temporary. At the same time, a lord was obliged to appoint local leadership in those cities that were not his primary residence. An aristocratic domain was passed by inheritance, the leader of a democratic one was elected by its residents, and the leader of a temporary one was appointed by the lord and could be recalled at any moment. Using modern Tenerezza as an example, it looks like this: Densets (aristocratic) — ruled by Lord Maria-Tenerezza Logg; it will be inherited by one of her descendants along with the lordly status. Fantasia (temporary) — led by Sir Richard Liironon, one of Tenerezza's knights; at any time, the lord can change the leader of this city or change its type to democratic or aristocratic. Villyris (aristocratic) — led by Lara Logg, cousin of Maria-Tenerezza Logg; it will be inherited by one of Lara's descendants. Vuulkr (democratic) — led by Mayor Roosevelt Rosenrog, a representative elected by the city residents. Elections are held every 2 years (the time period is set by the residents themselves). Ichamun (aristocratic) — led by Magnetta Silveria; it will be inherited by one of her descendants. Yairam (democratic) — led by Mayor Andante Legenlig, a representative elected by the city residents. Elections are held every 5 years (the time period is set by the residents themselves). Naturally, the word of the lord stands above the words of his vassals regardless of domain type, but this system allows city residents to have some autonomy in certain matters without being completely dependent on the capitals. During Velkhmetra the Radiant's reign, only one serious scandal occurred, taking place on the day of her 30th birthday celebration. One of the capital's residents accused her of being a puppet and betraying her duty to her subjects, to which she responded with her characteristic warm smile, but an unusual ice in her eyes: "And what measures do you imagine a suzerain should take under such initial conditions? It is not in my power to turn obstacles to ash with a snap of my fingers, nor can my hands lift a heavy sword over the heads of ill-wishers; there are no reliable allies behind my back, no strong shield before me. The only remaining card at the bottom of the deck is to become a symbol of revolution, but the reflection in your eyes reveals doubts that you would possess the courage to shed your own blood and that of your loved ones to achieve its goals; and if bravery were found in the depths of your soul, the final result would leave nothing in them but smoldering embers of regret." Despite the protest of the guards, the Deus embraced the subject, who was paralyzed by what he had heard — if he had a knife or other weapon on him, he could have easily killed her on the spot, but either he did not have one, or he did not dare commit such an act. "Thank you for attending the rehearsal of the upcoming play!" Velkhmetra the Radiant announced loudly to the stunned public, "I express great hope that the final product will surprise you as much as today's tasting!" Shortly after this incident, a play based on what happened was indeed performed in the kingdom's theaters and, thus, the truth of the event was lost to time... |