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* The current ownership of Dojia is contested *
The Conquest of Dojia
As penned by Lillymae Lawrence of the Templar.
The time had come
For the world to see
The merits of
The Prophecy.
On Dark Lord Lanival Illithi,
The notion had often weighed
How best to fulfill the Prophecy.
He thought this each time he prayed.
Over time the idea was conceived,
Kingdom by kingdom to convert the world.
This great plan of conquest
Into action finally was hurled.
The Dark Lord issued his orders
To go to Dojia and plainly see
Weaknesses and stratagems for victory,
To begin fulfillment of the Prophecy.
The Rose, Gray Robes, Templar and Legion
Took the message into their hearts.
They wished each other the Master's blessings
Before their ways did part.
Each had a specific target.
No duplication arose.
To gather information or strategic placement,
No matter who should them oppose.
Hisae Darkseeker's plan was elegant.
As a member of the Crimson Rose,
He recruited several men to help him
Offering great riches to all he chose.
His thugs laid in wait along the main road
A nobleman's carriage to intercept
Hisae watched with trepidation,
Would his plan work as he'd expect?
They carried out their mission,
But then much to their surprise
Hisae began to kill them
Their shock evident as they quickly died.
With eight men dead before him,
Hisae's six, the nobleman's two,
Hisae asked the nobleman if he was injured.
The nobleman thanked him profusely for his timely rescue.
And further asked if he'd join with him
To escort the noble safely home.
Hisae could hardly keep from smiling.
The first part of his plan was beautifully done.
Blaeloch Hakonsen D'arian
A different approach did take.
With shorn locks and ragged clothing
A hobo's appearance he did make.
While on the boat to Dojia,
To motion sickness he did pretend.
While setting explosives both aft and stern
The boat to completely rend.
His plan went off without a hitch.
(Meaning he was not killed.)
The boat and all else on it died.
Yet his body floated to shore, barely alive, as he willed.
The healers made quite a fuss
Over this lone survivor of the wreck.
Who seemed to have lost his memory
And had nasty gashes on his face and neck.
They called him Seido (meaning bronze)
Since he could not remember his name.
They treated him extensively
In hopes his memories to reclaim.
He seemed to heal quite rapidly.
And before very long,
They sought to find work for him to do
Because he was so strong.
Perhaps a guard, they thought at first.
But when they considered more,
They sent him to the palace
To dust and scrub the floors.
This suited him quite perfectly
As he did his daily tasks
He found others would answer any questions
He did care to ask.
He sent information back to the Keep
And even a palace map
But he knew there was much more to do
As he carefully avoided each and every trap.
He began to court one of the princesses
In an anonymous sort of way
He left her a flower and a note
Inviting her to meet with him the next day.
On that one long perfect rose
Was powdered poppy dust
Guaranteed to fill her that sniffed
With an enormous amount of trust.
So she went to meet him
And under the dust's influence,
She thought that she had found true love,
Strengthened by Seido's performance.
She persuaded the Emperor
On him nobility to proclaim.
Blaeloch found he could do whatever he pleased
By dropping the Emperor's name.
Mynnerva Drakemor of the Gray Robes,
An enchantress of some repute,
Looked high and low around Dojia
Some magical threat to elute.
But Dojia had none to be found.
Primitive spells were all that did exist.
She was pleased at the early indications
The Gray Robes' magic would be hard to resist.
To confirm her suspicions,
Since she did not wish to be wrong in her guess,
She set up a complex scrying spell
To make the final test.
Dojia had no hot spots
Where magic did congregate,
But further north, in Tokaido,
Magic seemed to proliferate.
As well as among the Ogre Magi,
For when the scrying spell rested there,
The mechanism flared up and exploded
Giving Mynnerva quite a scare.
Mynnerva returned back to the Keep,
This information to report.
High Mystic Kaiyan Lin returned to Dojia
Her findings to further support.
Kaiyan was a Shokonese native,
Many of his family did still there dwell.
The possibilities of the mission's success
He would be far better able to tell.
Lillymae Lawrence of the Templar
Went to Dojia with an attitude of caring
And wishing to learn of their religions
While news of the Master sharing.
She visited their Temples.
She spoke with young and old.
She learned about their culture,
Hoping to bring them to the Master's fold.
She found they worshiped gods
For every reason under the sun.
And had difficultly understanding
Why they should limit themselves to one.
Among her many conversations,
Was one Xiao the Samurai.
He agreed to allow her teaching
In the Temple of Black Pearls by and by.
Dark Knight Zorreau de la Vega
Was not known for his subtlety.
He went directly to the palace
And introduced himself quite brazenly.
Somehow he ended up invited
To the Emperor's evening dance.
With the charm that he exuded,
He left little as he could to chance.
That evening he attempted
To make an impression of sorts
On the Emperor's oldest daughter
Who he desperately wished to court.
Unfortunately, he also
Stirred resentment from another source.
Captain Xiao of the Samurai
Was intent upon the same course.
With the Princess' increased interest
In the Knight from Storm Keep,
Xiao began countermeasures
For his suspicions ran very deep.
Xiao did have many suspicions,
For he was far from dumb.
Most of the Knights from Storm Keep
Stood out like a sore thumb.
He carefully did background checks
On each and every one he could see
To his mind they seemed
A pre-invasion force to be.
Just for insurance
A hostage he determined to take.
Lillymae Lawrence seemed
The perfect hostage to make.
He had met her in the Temple
She wished to teach there too.
He agreed and invited her to his home
To hear what sermon she would do.
A potion of sleep he had made.
He just needed to persuade her to drink.
Since it did not taste bad,
It should not be too difficult, he did think.
He had a room prepared,
An ancient magical place.
That would suck up magic from any spell,
Any mage to incapacitate.
This is where he left Lillymae
In hopes that he could discover
All she knew about Storm Keep's plans
By keeping her undercover.
He sent a message to the Keep
Advising of his plans
To kill Lillymae if they did not
Accede to his demands.
He made a point to visit her
Every day to see what impact
The isolation had had on her
Whether her resolve would crack.
But she was true to what she believed
And instead taught His Way and Will
To Xiao each time he visited her.
Yet he thought to convince her still.
Shugo Senriar took Hisae into his home
And treated him as an honored guest.
Hisae assumed to further gain his confidence,
He would have to pass some test.
It was not too many days later that Hisae heard
The Shugo's voice in anger raised.
Storm Keep was at the root of what
Set the Shugo's emotions ablaze.
Hisae admitted that was from where he came
And immediately got a distrustful stare
The Shugo became most wary
For reasons of which Hisae was unaware.
It seems the Shugo had heard
Of the Darkseeker name before.
He demanded to know why he was in Dojia
And accused him of crimes galore.
Hisae met these accusations
With a bit of mild surprise.
And assured the Shugo none of it was true
As he looked him in the eyes.
The Shugo appeared appeased.
As he left the room again.
But Hisae knew his time was short
To finish his preparations.
Xiao had the Emperor's ear.
To Xiao's tales of threats to his reign,
The Emperor did listen and consider
Then ordered Xiao the Shadow Knights to detain.
Xiao then spread the word
The Knights were to be arrested on sight.
Anyone caught helping or hiding them
Would be executed as traitors outright.
It did not take long at all
For Hisae's Shugo to hear the news.
He went to arrest Hisae to save himself,
Thinking the lessor evil to choose.
But Hisae was prepared with evidence
That showed the Shugo had done much wrong.
The Shugo, now totally frightened,
Immediately changed his song.
Hisae informed him matter-of-factly
The only way to keep his head
Was to take over the government,
Or if the Emperor was dead.
The Shugo agreed to unite his part of the army
With that coming from Storm Keep.
But Hisae knew he would have to watch him closely,
His distrust of the Shugo ran quite deep.
The eldest princess was charmed
By Zorreau's flamboyant airs.
She rushed to warn him of the danger of
The arrest warrant of which he was unaware.
Will you not come with me?
He stopped long enough to ask.
She shook her head slowly, 'For you, by yourself
Getting away will be a difficult task.'
He nodded, leaving a kiss on her hand
Before he vaulted off the balcony.
Only to find Xiao and seven others waiting
Below in the dark where he could not see.
'You are under arrest,' smirked Xiao.
'Please come with us peacefully.
Or for you it could get quite painful.'
As he pulled out his sword gracefully.
Severely outnumbered, Zorreau started fighting.
He knew that escape would be best.
So he vaulted to the low wall near him,
Thankful for the talents with which he was blessed.
Xiao was angered greatly
By his unaccustomed defeat.
At the hands of Shadow Knight Zorreau
Who was very fleet of feet.
He returned to the secret room
Where Lillymae was hidden away.
He woke her up demanding
Her comrades she would betray.
He drew his dagger as he approached
And said that he would kill.
Unarmed, and with no spells that worked,
Lillymae left it to the Master's will.
She knelt before him with bowed head
And said if it must be so
To please do it quickly,
Then waited for the killing blow.
She finally looked up at him
With a question in her eyes.
He sheathed his dagger and said,
At this time I will not benefit from your demise.
'But when I return today,
You'd best be ready to tell me all
For I shall bring my whip with me
And beat you until you talk.'
Lillymae looked quite scared
Until he had left the room.
And then she uncovered the hole she had dug
To escape the spell of doom.
Knowing she could do no more
She left Xiao a note and to him a second disaster.
'The Master giveth and the Master taketh away,
Blessed be the name of the Master.'
As Kaiyan met with the Lin elders,
A traditional tea ceremony he did brew.
Information he did gather there
In a most symbolic way too.
An onlooker would not have known
It was more than tea leaves of which they spoke.
The news seemed quite promising
Favoring the Dark Lord's master stroke.
The Legion had been preparing
As the information from Dojia came in.
Plan after plan was made and discarded
For the Master, there was no option but to win.
But beyond the conquering of the city
Its defense once conquered they reviewed.
The gates and walls were defensible
With reinforcements, no army could get through.
Field Marshal Jalm Kato
Along with Warder Abram MacNeil,
Worked their forces night and day
Until their mission they were ready to fulfill.
With all the pieces set in place
Dark Lord Illithi knew
That it was time to make his move
Without further ado.
On a fast ship borrowed from Bloodlust
He sailed with three trusted knights,
Hoping to gain entrance by stealth
Without having to use Storm Keep's might.
The legion army followed behind
With a gap of two hours or so.
Their leaders would take them north of the city
Ready, if needed, to deal a final blow.
The four knights were quietly rowed to shore
Four leagues north of the Dojian port.
To allay any suspicion their presence might invoke.
This seemed wise according to their last report.
The rendezvous spot was reached
But the assigned soldiers were not there.
They had been sent to acquire Daimyo Ieyasu's armor
As a disguise for the Dark Lord to wear.
The Dark Lord looked around and found in the dark,
A large sack leaning against a tree.
Inside was the armor and a note
Explaining that the soldiers thought it best to flee.
The Dark Lord put the armor on
Other than being short, it fit him fairly well.
High Mystic Kaiyan Lin with his magicks
Cast within their helmets a dark and concealing spell.
Kaiyan would play his herald,
So there would be no mistakes made.
They set out for Dojia's northern gates
Their plans at this point well laid.
With their first obstacle at the north gates
Easily passed through,
The Knights breathed a small sigh of relief
Now for obstacle number two.
They told the palace guards that they were there
To consult with the court immediately.
A crisis was brewing in Tokaido
And Daimyo Ieyasu -must- the Emperor see.
The palace guard in charge did not wish
To admit the four until dawn.
Kaiyan did fairly loudly insist
The crisis was far from gone.
Just then Kuge Seido
Came out of the palace for a stroll
Kaiyan immediately petitioned his help
And he got them past the guard's patrol.
Inside the palace news travels fast.
And in a very short while
The entire court was up
Their wish to be asleep, futile.
Damio Ieyasu, what is the meaning of this?
The Emperor was heard to say.
Kaiyan responded that he was too ill to speak.
'Too ill to take off his mempo in my presence?' the Emperor responded with dismay.
At that, Lanival and his Knights arose,
And he removed the ceremonial helmet.
The Emperor recognized Kaiyan now,
But the Dark Lord he had not met.
Kaiyan said some magical words
Outside a thick fog began to spread.
The Emperor then recognized Zorreau
His face showed anger, betrayal and dread.
Kaiyan selectively cast waves of weariness
And immediately all were asleep and unaware.
Except for the six conspirators,
The Emperor and Hisae's Shugo, Senriar.
Lanival announced in an emotionless tone
Dojia's divine overlord, Necrucifer, requires your reign to end.
The Emperor told Lanival he would not survive
As he called his guards, his person to defend.
Blaeloch, known as Seido
Was near the Emperor's side.
Before the Emperor said any more,
Blaeloch's knife to the Emperor's neck did glide.
Just then Xiao burst into the room
With ten other guards in tow.
From the amazement and concern in his face
What was best to do he did not know.
The Dark Lord pulled out an ancient Viking horn.
While Zorreau appeared to give Xiao a wink.
Kaiyan made a portal link to amplify sound.
Then Lanival blew the horn once into the link.
The sound carried well beyond Dojia's walls,
Where under the cover of thick fog,
Storm Keep's troops were gathered,
Awaiting the results of the Dark Lord's dialogue.
'One blast of the horn to dispel the fog,
If a second came, then city entry.'
Field Marshal Jalm Kato reminded
Esquire Mynnerva Drakemor what the signal would be.
At the first horn blast she waited a bit
To see if a second would sound,
When it did not, she raised her hands
And immediately no more fog was around.
Their large army was then visible
From Dojia's northern gate.
For the news to reach the palace,
Lanival did not long have to wait.
With Blaeloch's knife still held to the Emperor's throat,
Xiao looked to the Emperor before giving the word
To stir the imperial army to battle.
Then quite clearly, Hisae's voice was heard.
That would not be wise
And the Shugo Senriar who was under Hisae's control
Admitted his troops would support the Shadow Knights fully,
Leaving the imperial army far less than whole.
Lanival turned back toward Xiao
Knowing Xiao knew full well the futility of war
When faced with such overwhelming odds
And asked him to surrender once more.
Lanival watched him expectantly
Knowing also of his turmoil within.
Lanival did not wish to exterminate all
Leaving Dojia a ghostly ruin.
Perhaps some of Lillymae's teachings
Finished persuading him that night.
But whatever the reasons,
He laid down his bo without a fight.
Kaiyan sent another wave of weariness through
And all fell to the floor
With the exception of the Knights in the room
And the dethroned Emperor.
Lanival took his hunting horn
Out of the mouth of the portal then
And spoke into it carefully
That the Emperor's reign was at an end.
And of the opportunities to be had
By belonging to the Master's fold.
The chance for advancement and power
With meritous living these gifts they would hold.
And as for the Emperor and his family,
They were provided a place on a boat
Taking them away into exile
Leaving Storm Keep's attentions on Dojians to devote.
The Dark Lord assumed the Emperor's throne.
But one item of business remained to do.
He asked his Chancellor, Xuerin K'ycer,
To conduct the crowning ceremony without further ado.
So we see by small and simple means
The Master's Will is orchestrated.
And great blessings come to those
Whose lives to Him are dedicated.
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