Jackal Among Snakes

Epilogue 2.2: Phoenix

When asked of his parent’s reaction to his brother Enrico’s death, Prince Garm had only this to say.

I thought I had seen my mother and father truly angry before that point. I was wrong. Terribly wrong. They were angry most of all at themselves. They hated what they saw as complacency, and they would never forget what yielding for love of their son had earned them. They became far stricter. The pain of losing a child made them hesitant to have any more.

By some reports, the emperor and the empress arrived in the heartland of the Great Chu the very next day, where any and all related to the attacks were weeded out to meet excruciatingly painful ends. Whatever the exact date, they did appear extraordinarily fast. As Dras’ named successor, Anneliese received the immediate loyalty of the Veidimen, who sought both protection and vengeance against their enemies in equal measure.

Speaking from personal experience, I can say only that fury was mirrored in all of the people of the Blackgard Union. Mothers and fathers cried as though their own child had been the one to perish. Brothers and sisters raged for vengeance as if to claim it for their own kin. The death of Prince Enrico became characterized as an attack against the Blackgard Union and all that it stood for, and those that had benefitted so immensely reacted as though it was at jeopardy.

General Galamon mobilized the army shortly after emperor and empress arrived, employing the whole of the Blackgard Union’s fleet to transport four of the twelve armies overseas. This fighting force was four times in size that which had invaded the Great Chu before the last calamity, and unlike before, met no concerted opposition at the shores.

Some consider the weeks following the result of grieving parents forced to make decisions that couldn’t possibly be divorced from emotions. Others suggest that things were already too far gone by the time the empress and emperor had arrived. Regardless, the situation escalated very quickly.

Great Chu natives attacked Veidimen enclaves. Blackgard soldiers responded to these attacks more zealously than they should have. These excesses led to yet more attacks, and more attacks demanded more drastic enforcement methods. It was a vicious and self-perpetuating cycle which continued to devolve, even despite interference from Emperor Ji Meng.

This escalation led to the rise of a woman who would come to be known as the Phoenix.

Su Mei, the Phoenix

off as brides. There is enough corroboration for this that it cannot be disputed. She, herself, suffered at the hands of an abuser until a respected Veidimen elder named Rowe the Righteous discovered the situation, taking her as his pupil as compensation. Her region was a noted hotbed of corruption, sandwiched between barbarian tribes and a large concentration of Veidimen who proved cruel

at the time she claimed the title of Phoenix. She earned her title by virtue of her A-rank ascension. Her body became fire given form. The specifics of her ascension are unclear, but both death and capture proved impossibilities for conventional spellcasters. She expended great effort to avoid both the

warfare against the Veidimen regime and in time the Blackgard Union defending it. She was reported slain eighty-seven times—after each supposed death, she would return only a few

very large contingent of people began to follow her example. Though entirely separate, they worked around the nation, each and all bearing the symbol of the phoenix. Hers became a legend that spread throughout the whole of the Great Chu. Though initially a movement to expel occupying forces

deteriorating situation, the majority of the Blackgard Union’s efforts turned to evacuating Veidimen refugees, bringing affected families to Berendar by the thousands. These families, who had become the backbone of the bureaucracy, represented a very severe deterioration in the governance of

and general chaos took root in many regions of the area. By this point, the majority of the Blackgard Union’s imperial army was necessitated to maintain some semblance of order in the nation. Emperor Ji Meng remained ‘frustratingly idle’ by several accounts, only exerting effort to be sure the imperial palace and the city

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came from those citizens who they were allegedly here to keep safe. It was a bitter, thankless war that made morale in the army suffer greatly.

some point, Su Mei saw greater evil in those attempting to fight against Veidimen occupation than those she’d began the fight against. She said the following in an address to her followers at

for something neither wants. We’ve set a fire in our own home because of an invader. Unless something is done, we’ll have naught but ashes left, and the invader will

to the nation itself. Disruption of supply lines caused near-famines narrowly averted by humanitarian efforts spearheaded by Princess Sophia of Vasquer. Far more citizens died than soldiers of the imperial army

using her old pupil Rowe the Righteous to help arrange the meeting. Initially suspected as an assassination attempt, the empress herself told the Knights of the Sun who rushed to her defense to stand down. There, with the encouragement of Rowe, Su Mei surrendered to the empress. By rumor, the empress herself helped Su Mei stand, saying that she didn’t wish for surrender—merely peace. According to the knights I spoke to who guarded the empress, this story is exaggerated. Su Mei surrendered and was detained as a

capture shook the nation and marked the turning point of the age. Initially, the fighting became far more intense—one final push, in desperate defiance of what felt

be considered a tremendous concession was made—the people of the Great Chu themselves were given the right to choose who would lead them. The majority of public offices were made elected. This came alongside extending equal protections to all citizens. To the natives of the Great Chu, who now

in only small pockets on the fringe of the Great Chu. The imperial army’s presence began to dwindle as more and more returned to Berendar, their services unnecessary. Some Veidimen families even began to return with the guarantees of law, but

Garm claims his parents considered proposing a marriage with his brother Prince Castro, but eventually decided against that to avoid setting a precedent