Kivan may mean well, but you've got more experience in this matter. In fact you're going to just find out what's going on right now.

"Warrick, we know where New Dessle is correct?" you ask.
"Yes, it's the only large mountain south of the city states. I imagine the entrance is probably hidden, but I'm sure the kobolds could tunnel through with enough time."
"That won't be necessary. I'm sure the gnomes have several lookout points and will open up when they see me. I'm going to New Dessle."

At this point Kivan and Warrick are apprehensive about that idea.

"Emperor, you can't seriously mean going there by yourself!" Kivan exclaims.
"I agree, I mean if this is some sort of diplomatic mission you should at least take a retinue with you and even then I'd be against such a thing." Warrick adds.
"I never said I was going alone, you're coming with me, Warrick. I figure the two of us should be more than adequate to take on a mountain of gnomes if need be."

This remark is met with silence.

"What? You've always said you wanted more work outside that office and get back in the middle of things, well here's a big thing to get right in the middle of Warrick." You say which causes Warrick to bow his head and put his fist to his chest.
"Apologies my Emperor. This offer was just very sudden and I was taken by surprise. Of course I shall accompany you and whatever we face shall be together. It will be an honor as always."
"It is your choice my Emperor, but I still cannot encourage this idea." Kivan remarks.
"Well your concern for my well being is noted. Come on Warrick we need to get underway as soon as possible." You say.

While you and Warrick prepare for your journey you also take the opportunity to start setting the stage for the attack on the Confederacy of the Free Cities. (Which you didn't even know that's what this little group of city-states was even called until Eldolith's message).

The only potential danger of the journey is the fact you're going to have to ride through the Confederacy "territory" and while you're fairly certain you'd be able to handle whatever they send at you, you don't want to give them anymore reason to run off before you're ready to attack, because you know that's going to be the first thing the svelk do. They did with the Broki Kingdom after all.

You and Warrick have a more or less uneventful journey however since you stick to the off beaten track and away from the cities patrol areas. The pair of you mostly pass the time speaking about matters of the Empire and this situation with the svelk and what to possibly expect with the gnomes. You do get the idea that Warrick is pretty happy about going on this trip.

Eventually you get closer to the mountain, which no longer looms in the distance, but instead stands towering above you. It's not the size of the ones in Rask, but it's big enough that if the gnomes have built a city inside the thing, it would have to be quite large indeed.

"Well, we're here, any idea how to get inside?" Warrick asks.
"I figure I'd start shouting at the gnomes until they let me in." you say.
"And if they don't?"
"I guess I'll start smashing holes into the side of the mountain with magic and let myself in."

"And maybe you better not, Eternal Emperor. Powerful you may be, I guarantee that even you would not take this mountain all by yourself, but I get the impression you're not here for that." A voice says coming from above you.

You look up and see that several holes in the mountain have opened up with the barrels of rifles all pointing at you. And that's just the ones you're seeing, you imagine they probably got more.

"Right you are gnome. I'm here to discuss the possible future of our relationship. So how about you open this mountain up and let us talk." You shout.
"I have a better idea, how about you get the hell out of here before we blow your fucking head off!" a different voice shouts.
"We should just do it now! Why didn't you let me shoot him as he approached!?" another voice says.
"Glenmore! Valen! Shut the hell up! Apologies Emperor, but as you might expect we're not exactly trusting of the Empire given our history with it. In fact we're not very trusting of anyone nowadays."
"Well I can certainly understand that." You remark.
"I thought you might. Hold on let me come to you." The voice says which is followed by a lot of mumbling and whispering.

"This isn't exactly a good position we're in." Warrick says.
"Nonsense, we already got one to come out and talk. Probably a leader. We're already making progress." You say.

You wait for about ten minutes still noticing that the rifles are still fixed on you.

"Okay here I am, now we can talk." A voice says and you turn around to see a gnome with a full face of gray facial hair. Typical of older examples of his race. He is dressed in fine (if dirty) clothing.

"Hmmm, it would appear you must also have a system of tunnels and secret doors in the ground surrounding this mountain too." You say.
"Indeed. Hate living like a derro at times, but with all the kobolds running around north lately…well best to be safe right?"
"Looks like you've thought of everything…" you say not knowing the gnome's name.
"Oh, the name's Klemto. Klemto Zookwinkle. But let's get to it, I assume you're here to see if we're willing to surrender without a fight?"
"Not exactly, though that is a good subject to discuss later. What I was really here to ask is if you were in league with the svelk."
"Oh goodness no! We trade with them at times, but only rarely and never anything they could use as a weapon! I believe we'd all sooner trust the Empire before we'd trust the dark elves. At least the Empire is up front about wanting to exterminate us."

You stop Klemto right there.

"Okay, first of all there is no plan to exterminate the gnomes."
"Could've fooled me given the information we've heard. Waging a genocidal war on the Torites. Even bombing other human nations into submission. Now you're planning on annihilating the svelk, though I can't say they're the most sympathetic of beings. I know who you are Eternal. You were a general in the Felkan War. The old emperor's right hand. In fact you even led captured gnomes and them to that infamous death camp called Gnome's Home."
"I did that once."
"Oh, he did it once! And that makes everything better? Was that a bad attempt at an apology?"
"Of course not since I have nothing to apologize for. I was merely following orders. You want to know what I really think of your people? Nothing. You're clever and you invent useful things. That's it. I think your manipulation of the Felkans to protect yourselves was a useful survival strategy and one to be admired in some ways. Just like your mountain city here. I don't have some burning great hatred for any of your kind. Personally I thought it was a waste of resources to ship you all off to Gnome's Home just to go through the unnecessary process of banishing your souls to oblivion. But that's what the Emperor wanted so that's what happened."

Klemto lights up some sort of pipe as you talk and takes a puff before speaking.

"So just following orders eh? Sounds about right. From what we know of you, you were and apparently still are an emotionless individual. That's probably what makes you scarier than your former Emperor. At least he had an emotion. An irrational one, but it was something."
"Oh he had a reason. And it wasn't just the gnomes rebelling. Your last name, Zookwinkle isn't unknown to me gnome." You say.

You stare at Klemto and he stares back. He instinctively knows that you know something concerning a female member of his family being involved with the Emperor in some way. Warrick just stands by looking a bit confused, but mostly more concerned about the guns overhead.

"Heh, well grandma always did do what she thought was best for survival." Klemto remarks.
"Well I suggest you follow in her footsteps then and do the same."
"Don't think you're my type." Klemto jokes nervously.
"Amusing, but you know what I mean." You say seriously.

Klemto wipes his forehead and begins puffing away again.

"Look, we just want to be left alone. I mean do you really need us under your thumb too even with the countless slaves and subjects you already have?"
"Well since you bring it up, yes. If you're under my rule, I can keep a closer eye on you. Not to mention your skills would be of great use to the Empire once again." You answer.
"We were once under the old emperor's rule too. You see how well that worked out." Klemto remarks.
"He also was blinded by love at the time and as you pointed out, I am the emotionless one. His hatred of your people also caused him to make many mistakes. If you betray me in some way, rest assured I won't bother going through some elaborate process of torturing you and destroying your souls. I'll just have you run down and slaughtered wherever you may run to. Where you go in the afterlife is your own affair, but here in the land of the living, that's my domain." You say with a cold tone.

Klemto is now contemplating the consequences of what may happen if he and his people try to resist when you eventually do come to stake claim on New Dessel. He's pondering if they can kill you now before it even comes to that. It's obviously that he doesn't think they can or else they would've done it long before now. Klemto and the gnomes aren't stupid, they know that the stories of what abilities you really possess are probably exaggerated, however that old fear that still lingers from their treatment by Casimir mixed with what they DO know what you're capable of is still enough to stay their hand.

And it is this fear that is making this all work in your favor. Just like you knew it would. Had the roles been reversed, you wouldn't have hesitated. You would've killed yourself with a volley of rifle blasts and more as soon as you were in range.

After pacing a bit, Klemto finally speaks again.

"I'm going to have to talk this over with the rest of the council and while that's more of a formality, most of them aren't going to be happy... (Sigh) Okay, here it goes. We will capitulate to Empire rule and we'll pay tribute. But we must remain in this mountain. Whatever it is that you need from us to serve the Empire, it will have to be here or at least within the area. Now if some individual wants to leave and help elsewhere in the Empire, then that's his decision. But at no point will our people be forced to leave if they don't want to. Also no other Empire citizens may enter this mountain either unless we allow it. This includes the army." Klemto says.
"Hah! You must be joking." You interrupt.
"I'm serious. Now I know you'll need to keep an eye on us as you say, well your Eyes will be allowed in. As many as you want, but I assure you that it won't be necessary since there will not be any attempts at betrayal."

While it would appear that Klemto is willing to capitulate, there are a lot of stipulations he's making. Stipulations that imply he thinks he's in the position to make.

You continue to negotiate

The fact remains; the full capabilities of New Dessle are still unknown and taking this mountain city would be extremely costly for the Empire, so you're not going to dismiss Klemto's stipulations yet, but you are going to come back with one of your own.

"Very well, your terms are somewhat reasonable though we're still going to have to hammer out some details, however I do want one thing from you right now." You say.
"Oh? What's that?"
"You will assist in attacking the Confederacy of the Free Cities."
"...so you would call on our service already eh? Fine. We will assist, just let us know what exactly you want from us."
"Nothing elaborate, I just want another army south of the cities in case some of the svelk try to escape that way. I don't want a single one of them to get away. They're a threat to the Empire and their constant manipulations need to cease being a thorn in my side. Too long they've gone unpunished for their treachery. Maybe I won't be getting all of them on the world. But rest assured I WILL be getting ALL of them in this area."
"I see. While you may not have any hatred for my race, you obviously do for the dark elves. It would seem the more things change, the more they stay same…(Sigh) Well better the svelk than us I suppose." Klemto says.
"Glad you see the pragmatic side of this."
"Oh I suspect I'll be seeing the pragmatic side a lot in the future. Not how I wanted to spend the remainder of my years, but then this is really the only way. I've long since learned that opposing the Empire is futile. While it may eventually fall to internal or external forces, it probably isn't going to be in my lifetime and I'm going to do everything within that time to make sure the gnomes stay out of harm's way. If that means swallowing what little pride we might have left and willingly becoming the subjects of a nation that once enslaved us and then tried to systematically exterminate us, then that is what we will do."

Klemto finishes his little speech with another puff of his pipe. He looks defeated even though he's come out fairly okay on this deal. Well at least you think so, obviously he feels differently.

"You'll be remembered as a savior to your people Klemto." You say before you leave.
"I'll probably be remembered as a collaborator, but I'm fine with it as long as they live to keep telling the tale of Klemto the traitor long after I'm dead."

At this point you and Warrick take your leave, the next time you look back, Klemto is gone and the mountain "windows" have all closed up as if everything was normal again.

"You really think you can trust the gnomes?" Warrick asks.
"I trust them more now that we have a way in. I want as many Eyes as you can spare in that mountain. Perhaps over time we can pull some out if the gnomes do prove to be loyal and don't complain too much, but we definitely want to at least gather every single bit of information we can on that place just in case the gnomes DO try to betray us in the future."
"I'll get on that, as soon as we return to the Empire. I shouldn't have had the doubt, but I really thought this plan was going to go bad."
"Don't worry, I had the same feeling, but sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and attempt new strategies."
"Well maybe I didn't see any battle, but I was still glad to get out behind that desk. I thank you for that." Warrick says.
"If you'd like we could always go try to take out one of the city states by ourselves. Has to be easier than an entire mountain."

You and Warrick laugh at this idea and head back to the Empire.

A month passes and the war against the Confederacy of Free Cities is well underway. The odds are severely in your favor especially with the help of the gnomes who show up and you get a small indication of what exactly they have been working on.

Some sort of powerful battle machine they call automatons. The best way to describe them is they're golems except work under the power of steam, gears and technology rather than magic. A single automaton is an incredibly destructive force blowing holes in walls with their mounted cannons or just smashing them down with a hammer fist.

The gnomes also bring out their lightning cannons that you remember during the Felkan War. It was a relatively new invention towards the end of that conflict, but it looks like the gnomes have perfected it their power. Your own inventors never could figure out how to create them though. (Even Elam was at a loss on how they did it without the use of magic)

You're sort of surprised they never created their own airships, but apparently they were in the process of doing so. In any case, whatever they've created and will create are yours to use now.

The Confederacy of Free Cities doesn't stand a chance and half of them are in ruins after it's all said and done. That wasn't the original intent, but at this point you're not really concerned with conquering a few measly cities. You can always have new ones built now that you own the territory. What matters more is the eradication of the svelk menace.

"We got her Emperor!" a soldier says running up to you in the middle of the burning ruins of Ryglik.
"Are you sure its her?" you ask
"Yes, Emperor. It's Domina Eldolith. She was captured by the kobolds attempting to escape through a system of tunnels, she killed quite a few of them, but the little scalies managed to subdue her. She's been yelling about being the grand domina of the free cities and a bunch of other stuff. Mostly demanding to be treated with the respect that a captured enemy of her stature deserves."
"Unbelievable. Defiant and arrogant to the end. Wouldn't be the svelk way otherwise. Well take me to her." You say.

You are lead to the former city hall and down into the basement where several kobolds are proding a bound Eldolith with sharp objects and laughing while she swears and curses at them. They see you and bow in reverence while excitedly looking for approval of their deed.

"Capturr blak elf! For Emp! For Emp!" one of them says.
"Yes, and I will make sure you are awarded appropriately for your deeds. All of you, now leave I want to speak with this one alone. And do not interrupt me, no matter what you may hear. I will leave here when I'm ready."

The kobolds leave via the trapdoor in the floor, your human soldiers nearby head back upstairs. Eldolith looks at you as you approach her. It's been a while since you've seen her, but she's not looking her best right now. Her clothes are torn and wet, she's covered in dirt and grime. She smells like she's been running through a sewer. Superficial wounds are on her face and body. Her eyes are burning through you with an absolute hatred.

And you love every moment of it.

"If you think I'm going to beg for my life you're sadly mistaken. I will NEVER give you that satisfaction. I am a svelk! My people…"

You backhand Eldolith shutting her up.

"Are dead. And if they aren't, the ones we captured soon will be. You can stop playing the arrogant svelk Eldy. You're scared of what is going to happen next. And you should be, because I'm going to revisit some old techniques your mother showed me once."

At this point Eldolith's eyes widen and she tries to edge away when your hands start to touch her body. Suddenly you grip her throat.

"Don't move away from me bitch." You say and look into her eyes. Gone is the hatred. Now you see the fear.

"Now then, if you're concerned that I meant a physical violation, I hate the break your dreams, but that won't be happening. For one thing, your current stench is enough to give an orc pause. However after I'm done today, you will be wishing that I was displaying such a kindness to you. Begging. In fact I believe your earlier boast about not begging for your life was correct. You won't be. You'll be begging for your death. Now let us begin…"

You pull out a small set of tools you brought for this occasion. To be honest you weren't sure if you'd be lucky enough to capture Eldolith alive, but fortune smiled on you this day.

You begin a brutal session of torture on Eldolith. You occasionally ask her for more information on where other svelk may be, but these are met with pathetic moans of denial of knowledge.

"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Eldolith screams as another finger is cut off.
"At this point I actually believe you, but I don't really care because this is amusing to me. Torturing a svelk. Not just any svelk though. One that tried to have me fucking assassinated on several occasions. Come on Eldy, you really can't be surprised by my actions here. You svelk pride yourself on showing no mercy and revel in cruelty, I'd think you'd understand all this."
"Who told you this? My mother?! And you believed her? What makes you think she wasn't responsible and just put the blame on me?!"
"Well for one thing, your mother is a lot smarter than you and if she was planning to have me killed, I have to admit, she might've been successful. Fortunately that crazy bitch is obsessed with me, for some unknown reason…"

At this point Eldolith starts coughing up blood while trying to laugh.

"Something amusing? Have you finally gone mad from the pain?" you ask.
"Ha ha, (cough) you wish I was her right now. (cough) You'll never get that satisfaction, she's played you like a cheap lute since you've been born Eternal. Even now you're doing her bidding. She just…"

At this point Eldolith vomits a mixture of blood and bile on the floor. Some of it getting on your boots.

"You were saying?" you ask, but Eldolith just breathes heavily not answering.

"Well, you don't really need this eye to tell me the rest of your thoughts." You say and approach her again with a knife…

By the time dawn comes, Eldolith is barely alive. She's blind, missing an entire hand, her skin partially flayed, missing most of her teeth, she's a bloody mess and her face doesn't even resemble that of a svelk anymore. She's long since proven your prediction correct and begged for death, which you've denied her. But even you have to move on some time.

"I have to admit Eldy, I thought you would've been long dead by now. For someone begging for death, your body's will to survive is strong. The funny thing is, I could easily heal most of you up and do this all over again, but honestly I think I've made my point. Besides I'd hate to shorten my own lifespan just for a little bit of amusement, which is getting boring now. Any last words?"

Eldolith makes no sound, just shallow breathing.

"Right then." You say and put your mithral dagger to her throat.

"You brought this on yourself." You whisper in Eldolith's hacked off ear and slash her throat at last putting her out of her living hell.

When you exit the building, several officers say they've been wanting to speak with you about important matters of the aftermath of the war and similar matters concerning the newly acquired cities. Also the gnomes are wondering what your next orders are now since the enemy has been thoroughly eliminated.
While you certainly feel good about your victory and your recent indulgence, you can't help but wonder now if Eldolith was just a convenient scapegoat. Eldolith and her sect of svelk obviously still had to die and you're more than certain that she was involved in trying to have you killed, but who is to say that it wasn't Semra pulling the strings all along?

In any event, looks like playtime is over. Back to business as usual.
Year 50

As you look at a large map of the known continent of Evigrus you realize that while its been fifteen years since you took the throne as Emperor you've already more than doubled the size of the original nation. You've also successfully managed to have your ships navigate most of its coastline as well. Even northern most Rask was mapped by your airships.

Quite frankly that's the main problem you have right now in general you've conquered most of what is worthwhile already on this continent. Anything remaining isn't exactly inhabitable or worth the time to spend on conquest and even in some of those cases, kobold citizens have slowly been making small underground communities in places where nobody above ground would want to live such as the Delerg jungle.

However there are always new lands to conquer.

To the farthest part west lies the only nation on Evigrus left besides the Empire, the Kingdom of Nakol. Nakol has had the benefit of being relatively isolated from the rest of the continent due to the great mountain range that blocked it from the Children of Tor. Your people have only recently had formal contact with it shortly after the defeat of the Torites, though even that was by ship, though now that the Torites are no longer a true threat, small passes through the mountains have been found (Though they're not exactly safe and Nakol certainly keeps their side very well guarded).

The nation isn't quite as large as the Empire, but its still bigger than the old Felkan Kingdom and certainly big enough to defend itself to make aggression very costly, so far however the limited contact you've had with said nation hasn't been hostile. Oddly enough he's wanted to meet you as he has heard so much about the "Great Emperor of the East" and very much wants to visit the Empire.

Normally you probably wouldn't consider such diplomatic meetings as it has never been your style, however this ruler is also known as the "Immortal Sorcerer King" and that is something that has gotten your attention.

In any event, there are other matters that require your attention and this is where the "other land" to conquer comes in…

Last year your ships finally found a large landmass to the east. Up until then, only a few islands of little worth had been discovered. This new territory from what you've been told is similar to Delerg in some ways as there are large portions of jungle. However there are several primitive civilizations living on this land mass. While they are similar to humans in some ways, they have features that certainly aren't such as having four arms and multiple sets of eyes like an insect. Even their language is a bit insect like as you've been told it's more a "chittering" sound. The most prominent of these groups are known as the Iznac.

The Iznac like most that seem to inhabit this world before the Empire enlightens them are a superstitious lot that worship their backwards gods by sacrificing others to them. Sometimes this is their own people, but most of the time its captives of the weaker tribes that live on the same continent. Barbarians they may be, they have built cities where their temples seem to be the biggest and most important buildings in them. It would appear they are a theocracy.

The Iznac so far have been actively hostile towards your people though perhaps wise enough not to attack them outright. Your own people have not made much progress towards the inner part of the new continent due to this fact and they don't have enough manpower to do so anyway. The only thing they can do is hold up in the newly built outpost and hope they aren't attacked by an overwhelming number of Iznac (or any other tribe since it isn't as if the frog like people called the Glip that also inhabit the continent are any friendlier)

You might be inclined to leave this new continent and its inhabitants alone until you can focus more attention on them, however it's also been reported that the continent has a seriously unexploited resource potential of valuable minerals and that's something you could always use more of especially if you're going to have to fund another war with Nakol in the near future.

There is also the matter of the orc and kobold population to think about. Both are becoming a problem. The orcs have finally increased their numbers to a point where they can become a viable fighting unit like they were in old days. In fact you planned for that to happen anyway. What you didn't plan for is that you'd have a period of peace with no major wars to fight! Reports of increased orc criminals or just general chaotic misconduct in Rask are becoming more common. You need to start giving them something to go fight.

The kobolds aren't so much of a problem as they tend to live underground and generally stay out of the way due to that fact. But with no war to whittle down their numbers they're breeding at a rate that's starting to worry your human subjects. You admit that with as many as the little bastards around they could become a serious threat if they ever became rebellious. Fortunately they're actually less of a problem than any of your other subjects so you're actually not worried about them yet.

Still, it seems like a logical solution to start sending large portions of both populations to tame this new continent. Of course if events dictate that you need to war with Nakol soon, then that leaves you with less soldiers on the home front and you're also fighting a two front war.

There's also another factor to consider that the new Eternals will be ready next year. Brenda's training has ensured that most of them survived and they are already displaying the eagerness to serve the Empire. Elam's also been working with the gnomes to perfect the automatons.

You make your decision that with these other factors in play that you're relatively safe in sending your orcs and kobolds to this new continent. However, you're going to need disciplined leaders though for this task.

For the orcs you look for the highest ranked and most respected by his people. The only name that catches your attention when looking through the records is Flog. Flog apparently served most of his military career in Rask fighting ogres, giants and the old barbarian tribes even during the Felkan War. He also served under Kane and was spoken highly of in a few old reports. Kane mentioned that besides Captain Gruz he never encountered an orc almost as intelligent. Apparently he's been doing a lot of breeding after the Felkan War. He has many children.

As for kobolds, the records are much sketchier. Kobolds may be loyal and contributing members of Empire society, but none of them really seem to stand out much and if they do, they all died in battle. Plus due to their numbers they probably have many of their kind that could be considered "leaders" within various circles. Eventually you settle on one that distinguished herself during the Tor War. Snilkez'ka managed to take out a manticore all by herself and lead a successful underground sneak attack against a band of minotaurs with only a few casualties. Given the size difference in both cases not to mention that even human officers had problems accomplishing such things, its safe to say that she comes the closest to being a hero among her people. In fact you're wondering why she was never brought to your attention before.

Of course you can't just send these two races out on ships to a new continent, which you barely have any control over so you're going to need at least one company of "normal" humans to keep a semblance of order or rather someone better than a human.

The only choice would be Decena. She's a well-respected leader by all and more than proven herself. While not having Decena immediately available here will be something you'll have to compensate for, you'll at least have confidence that she'll keep things orderly on this new continent.

Having made your decision you meet up with the three to explain the situation, their reactions are varied.

"Flog will serve all powerful Emperor, but not fooled by intentions. You trying to get rid of orcs again, just like in Felkan War." Flog says.
"Flog if I was trying to get rid of the orcs, I'd just have you all strung up and be done with it. I'm sure you're aware that's within my power to do so. I'm not even sending all of the orcs anyway, just most of them. I need tough soldiers that can withstand this harsher continent and its equally harsh inhabitants. I already sent humans and you see how well that worked out. Quite frankly I think your people would be best suited for this type of thing. You get to prove just how orcly you actually are. You are an orc aren't you? Are you not looking forward to the possibility of killing several enemies or dying in a glorious battle?" you say.
"Killing enemies yes, dying not so much. It is a misconception that orcs deliberately seek death in battle. Flog however is getting old, so death is close anyway. Either death in battle, death by children who will inevitably challenge Flog, or death by old age. The last is the least preferable, so perhaps this will be an opportunity. Not sure about the little scaly runts you're sending. Never fought along side them before, but Flog has heard of their great viciousness in battle. Also heard many glorious things of General Decena and her many victories. Will be an honor to fight along side her."

At this point the kobold leader, Snilkez'ka makes a small hissing growl like sound at Flog, probably due to his runt comment.

"Don't worry about us orc. Small we may be, but we'll be here long after the enemy has already butchered your old greenskin ass." Snilkez'ka remarks, which causes a chuckle from Flog who merely states that perhaps he'll enjoy fighting alongside her people after all.

Snilkez'ka doesn't look as amused, but says nothing else other than to directly address you and say that she will make sure that she will bring the fear of the Empire into the hearts of the enemy. You nod and say you know that she will. Always nice to have loyalty and enthusiasm. She's very well spoken for a kobold.

The latter one of those traits seems to be lost on your last leader, Decena who isn't saying anything and only succeeds in looking slightly troubled by her new assignment.

"Decena, is there anything you'd like to say? You're going to be in charge of this campaign." You ask.
"No. Nothing except I look forward to leading the Empire into victory and claiming this new continent in your name, my Emperor."

That sounded very… formal. Granted that's a good thing, especially in front of the other two leaders to keep it professional. Still, you know something is wrong and you know it has something to do with your past relationship. If you were the cautious sort you'd just leave it be, but if something is going to be a major problem you need to know now.

"Good, you'll all be shipping out in about a week. Everyone is dismissed, though I want to speak to you Decena about something." You say calmly and wait for the other two leave.

Now it's just you and Decena alone in the room. This hasn't occurred in years, and this situation is very different. Decena however maintains a very formal stance and does not falter from it.

"I sense something is wrong." You say.
"There is nothing wrong my Emperor." Decena remarks.
"Okay stop with the stiff soldier act, it's just us here."

This remark breaks Decena's facade of being "okay."

"I don't understand what you want from me my Emperor. You told me we were to remain just subordinate and master. I am carrying out this order to the best of my abilities."
"Oh no, do not attempt to play word games, you know what I mean. You're obviously upset about this assignment."
"…I'm obeying orders aren't I? Isn't that all that is required of me?" Decena says with an exasperated tone.
"For you? No. I need you to do more than just obey, I need you to be thrilled with this assignment. Like you USED to be. Remember?"
"Apologies, but I don't think I can given the situation."
"What situation? Us? Look Decena I know you're still upset about that, but you're going to have to be an Eternal and get over it."
"Oh yes, I'm an Eternal alright, at least until next year. Might as well sweep me away to a far off land now and be done with it." Decena remarks.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the new Eternals that are scheduled to be ready next year! They'll be the new thing and I'll just be old news off in some forsaken land surrounded by scalies and green skinned idiots. In the meantime perhaps you'll even find another young girl like I was and take her under your guidance too…"
"Decena…"
"Well I suppose at least she'll be happy for a few years even if she'll be a naïve fool the entire time."

"Decena STOP! Just stop right now!" you say.

Decena does so, but her eyes say it all. You knew she was probably going to be upset for a while, but it's turned into bitterness.

You pace a bit and exhale rubbing your hand over your face.

"Decena, your beliefs that you're going to be somehow replaced next year are far from the truth. First of all, I'm not giving any of them any extra training because obviously I'm a lousy teacher given what happened between us."

Decena stays silent.

"Second of all I picked you for this mission because you're the only one I trust to carry it out. Just like I trusted you to continue your battles against the Torites and you saw to their practical extinction. I know you can get this job done and you're not going to be over there forever you know. I anticipate war with the Nakol Kingdom at some point and when that happens who do you think is going to have to lead all the baby eternals into battle? You of course. For now though I need you where you're going to be the most invaluable and that's in this new land."

You reach out to Decena and lift her face up to look into her eyes.

"I need you for this just like I'm always going to need you. You will never be replaced."

Decena's expression turns back to one of sorrow. Her eyes water, but she does not cry out.

"I…I'm sorry my Emperor…I shouldn't…have…"
"Forget it Decena you don't need to apologize. (Sigh) If anything I should be apologizing to you. As I said, I still feel you're the best person for this mission, but if you wish, you may decline this mission and I will find someone else. And there is no need to worry, this will not be a bad reflection on you in any way. If it's going to make you happier to stay here, then I'd rather you be happy since it'll make you a better leader. Won't do anyone any good if you don't have the best mindset."

Decena shakes her head.

"No, I'll go. For the good of the Empire I'll go. Staying here would serve no purpose for what I really want is not to be no matter what the situation. I suppose I just overreacted. And you weren't a lousy teacher. Anyone would be lucky to learn under you. I was." Decena says.
"Yes, well as I said, nobody ever will again. You were my first and last pupil. You'll always be special in that regard. Now are you absolutely sure, you're going to be okay with this assignment?" you ask.
"I will my Emperor. And I will bring glory to the Empire." Decena remarks.
"Good. I knew you were strong enough to see this through and I know you'll do the Empire and me proud."

You end you comment with a small kiss to her cheek. It's only a shadow of what she really desires, but it'll be enough to get her through this.

After Decena leaves, you think about how you've permanently damaged that girl due to your poor judgment and lack of willpower all those years ago. You then think about how easy it is to convince her into anything due to that same lack of willpower years ago. She still worships and loves you and probably always will no matter what. Despite everything, your conditioning was successful.

By the end of the week your fleet to the new continent (you're calling it Nyttrus) is on its way to properly claim it for the Empire. You don't know how long the Iznac are going to be able to stand up against your forces, but hopefully if your people break them, the other tribes will fall in line.
Year 52

"The Sorcerer King still wants to meet with you my Emperor, he says he really wants to visit Empire lands and wishes to reassure you that there doesn't need to be any increasing animosity between the two nations." Kivan says.
"(Sigh) Again? That's what like the sixth letter he's sent? Never have I known a leader whose country isn't on the verge of destruction so eager to be friends. And even when said countries have been on that verge of destruction some have preferred death over surrender. Makes me suspicious of him on general principle." You say.
"Yes, I can see where you would be apprehensive my Emperor. Nevertheless I believe you should at least give a response this time rather than ignoring him. Uh, just a suggestion though. You may of course do what you wish as is your will."

Kivan's right in that you probably should respond; it's been long enough. You just wonder if its time to respond with force. The time is starting to feel right. The new Eternals are finally done with their training and are eager to be given their purpose. Elam and the gnomes have just finished working on their new inventions. It would seem now would be as good as time as any to strike. It's just unfortunate that Decena is still in Nyttrus since you could use her here.

However you're still somewhat intrigued by this Sorcerer King who also claims "immortality" in his official title.

You wonder if he is like Casimir in some way. Perhaps another necromancer from Mortos? You haven't thought about it for a while, but age is starting to catch up to you. While you're still fit and stronger than the average person your age, you're starting to feel the aches at times. The idea of "immortality" is starting to appeal to you especially considering you've accomplished so much. Are you to just lose it all due to the ravages of old age? You don't even have the benefit of a long life span, you might be a powerful wizard in your own right and you might be more than human, but when it comes down to it, you're going to have much limited life span than Casimir did.

Of course he most certainly won't be forth coming with any such secret to extending one's life span, but maybe you can at the very least get a good idea of who you're dealing with. (And it may just be a "boastful" title anyway and he's not actually immortal which would be good to know as well)

"Kivan, let the sorcerer king know that I'll be making arrangements to meet with him and allowing him safe passage to visit, but there are going to be some stipulations…"

Basically you tell the sorcerer king that he can bring some of his personal guard, as well as whatever belongings he feels is necessary.

The sorcerer king returns your message with a gleeful acceptance and states that he wishes to come by ship within the week and dock at your biggest port in Nalin, from there he will meet you and you can travel to the capital together. You return that message and state that will be fine.

With this meeting underway you get things prepared for extra defense. Naturally Warrick and the Eyes work hard to make sure everything vital is extra secured, but you also have Galen and what few mages remain posted in various areas to act as magic monitors since your visitor is supposed to be a powerful wizard and all.

To be quite honest you aren't sure what to expect yourself, as you have no real knowledge of the man or what he's capable of save for rumors. You spend some time honing your own spell abilities just in case.

On the day of the arrival, you have Brenda and Warrick (And several soldiers) accompany you near the docks in the Nalin city of Pivod. It's probably the first time all three of you have been together since the new eternals completed their training.

"I'm surprised you're agreeing to this meeting. When the new Eternals were done with their training last year I thought for sure we'd be going to war with Nakol soon." Brenda remarks.
"I probably would have, but Nakol isn't going to be an easy conquest. It's going to be costly. I wanted to make sure we had that extra resource influx and gold income coming from Nyttrus. Plus the gnomes were working on their new inventions, which would contribute greatly to an upcoming war effort. Thought it might be best to wait until we had all our forces brought to the table. This meeting though, well might as well get a good idea of who we'll be dealing with."
"But won't he be doing the same thing?"
"True, but it hardly matters. He's not going to have access to anything sensitive. All that stuff is in New Dessel. He already knows he's potentially facing a losing situation. The fact remains that even if the war was costly for us, we'd still win. He may be a wizard of great power. Perhaps even as great as the old Emperor, but there is nothing implying that the rest of his nation is anything else than average at best. As I've heard, he's the only wizard he even allows in his nation. Smart in some ways I suppose as it prevents anyone else from becoming as powerful as him, but it cripples his resources in the long run and displays to me a man who is very fearful of losing his advantage. They've only just recently created their own gunpowder weapons. They have no airships, they have nothing like any of our technological wonders."
"Hrm, what about their fleet?" Warrick says and points to a large ship approaching which can only be the Sorcerer King. It is much bigger than the sea going ships you have. Even the ones you sent to Nyttrus weren't as large. This "King's Ship" is ridiculous. You don't think it's going to fit in the damn harbor.

As it gets closer, the ship is also well armed with cannons, but also lavishly decorated. You don't really see the point in decorating a ship, which is obviously designed with war in mind. Then again you've also heard of how Nakol tends to place visual aesthetics over practical ones most of the time. Truly a sign of frivolousness and decadence.

Fortunately the giant ship manages to dock without destroying them and the gangplank lowers. You can't even see who is aboard the ship due to its great height, but a fancy dressed individual walks down with two trumpeters behind him.

"And now it is your privledge and honor to receive the Immortal Sorcerer King of the Great Nation of Nakol and all his glory!" the man shouts and the trumpeters begin to play.

A line of people begins to march down the plank. First it's the guards who are dressed in some sort of ceremonial armor that is obviously for show. Then some other people come down. They don't look like soldiers or even advisors, they're barely dressed and they consist of young males and females. They even down a little dance in front of the lot of you.

"What the hell? Who are all these people?" Warrick asks.
"If I had to guess, probably some sort of pleasure girls and boys." You say.
"I thought you told him to keep his entourage light?" Brenda asks.
"I did, but as you can see, the fool has got to have his fun. The man himself better come out soon, because I'm not waiting around here for my health."

Sure enough right after you make that statement a figure appears at the edge of the ship. He's a swarthy man wearing a very luxurious looking robe and a crown encrusted with jewels. A pair of servants hold his robe as he makes his way down the plank.

He certainly carries an air of self-importance and royalty about him. When he approaches, you get a closer look at him. You imagine that he has to be at least as old or maybe even older than you, but his face does not display any signs of age. The only outwardly strange thing about him is that his eyes are an odd purple color. He may or may not be immortal, but he's certainly using some sort of magic to make himself look young.

And here you are looking almost the exact opposite. You're wearing practical armor, have a sword hanging by your side and absolutely no frills. When you and the Sorcerer King finally come face to face, he looks you up and down in a way that almost implies he's attracted to you.

"Well, Emperor of the East at last we meet. So stoic and rugged! I heard that about you. I like it. Not my taste, but I believe it works for you. And my, look at all your little soldiers set out just for my arrival. I also detect a few…yes three mages in the nearby area. Guess you want to make sure I don't secretly cast any aggressive spells eh? Smart. I'm flattered that you believe me so dangerous, but all of this was hardly necessary, as I said I only wish for peace between our two nations." The Sorcerer King says while using a lot of flamboyant hand gestures.

He hasn't been here a few seconds and already he's starting to irritate you.

"Yes, well we'll speak on that later, right now you're going to have all your little concubines and some of your soldiers to get right back aboard that ship. I told you that you could have a personal guard not a small company and a few personal belongings." You say.
"But these lovelies ARE my personal belongings. Was I wrong in believing that the Empire does not engage in such institutions?" the sorcerer king asks holding on to one of his young male "belongings."
"If you're referring to slavery, we've reserved it to criminal scum and prisoners of war nowadays as punishment for defying or insulting the Empire with their dissention or outright hostility. In any case I'm not having extra people running around and having to worry about them being a security risk, they stay on board your ship."

The Sorcerer King frowns a bit.

"(Sigh) Very well I understand your concerns for security, but I must say you're being a terribly dull and inflexible host right now. What about my two closest servants? Surely you would not deny me them?"
"You are seriously testing my already uncharacteristic hospitality. (Sigh) Fine, you can have your two robe carriers, or whatever they are to you."
"Well I thank you for your permissiveness in this regard."

At this point the Sorcerer King tells most of his people to get back on the ship and reassuring them that he'll make it up to all of them later. You on the other hand tell Warrick that you want that ship closely watched and if anyone is seen trying to exit it, they're to be shot immediately. Both Warrick and Brenda leave your company to attend to their other duties. No reason for all of you to suffer this fop.

What transpires for the rest of the day is putting up with the Sorcerer King's annoying demeanor. He speaks and acts in a way that you dislike intensely. The man only seems to primarily discuss his sexual habits and you have to keep the conversation back on topic many times.

Despite his evasiveness (or rather his obsession with his sex life) you do manage to get something out of him. He says that he's never been to the "mythical" Island of Mortos having lived in Nakol all his life. (After you mention a bit about it, he says it sounds like an awful place that he hopes to never set foot on) He also admits that he knows the Empire is much stronger than his own nation, but still hopes that it doesn't come to war as he claims he's a lover not a fighter. He even says he's willing to work out some sort of agreement as long as he can stay in power of Nakol.

"Perhaps, if we paid some sort of tribute? I heard that you worked out a similar agreement with what are those adorable little mustached men that build all sorts of strange gadgets? Oh yes, the gnomes." The sorcerer king says.
"Hrmm. Well one thing you need to take into consideration. New Dessel is a single city. Granted it's a mountain, but its still a single location that we keep a very close eye on. There is also the fact that there aren't many of them. However the most important thing in their favor is that they have a useful trade that contributes to the Empire greatly. Great enough that I'm willing to let them have a little extra autonomy."

The Sorcerer King listens with apprehension, as he knows you're going to now explain why you're less willing to make the same deal with Nakol.

"Nakol on the other hand is a very large nation with a very large population. Call me paranoid, but I'm far from comfortable from giving something that much freedom. And your nation despite being large offers nothing really save for your resources, territory and obviously fat treasury. And I'd rather have those without having to ask at all. Face it, this is beginning of the end for Nakol independence. However there is one thing that stands out that would at least save your own skin and let you keep your position in this upcoming new order."
"Oh? And what is that?"
"Your immortality, well at least your supposed immortality. I have my doubts. I imagine the only way to truly test such a thing would be to well…kill you."

With a few eye glances to your own soldiers and a couple of swift punches and kicks, you get the sorcerer king to the floor and hold your dagger to his throat. His personal guard are slaughtered and two Eyes hold the sorcerer king's arms just in case he tries to cast a spell.

"Utter anything that remotely sounds like an incantation and your tongue is the first thing I cut off." You say.
"Stop! Stop! Please don't kill me!" the sorcerer king exclaims.
"The fear on you is overwhelming. You're not immortal. Guess I have just been wasting my time…" you say.
"No! Wait! (gasp) Maybe (wheeze) I'm not immortal, but I do have knowledge of obscure arts that can keep you young! I mean surely that must be worth something?"

You relax your blade a bit.

"Speak quickly sorcerer."
"Thank you. (Whew) Yes, it's true that I do not have proper immortality, but I do have eternal youth and what commoners really know the difference right? It's a very complex ritual though. The type of magic involved hasn't been practiced in who knows when. When I was genuinely a younger man a century ago, and first found the scrolls in some forgotten cave I only half believed of the power they would bring. I nearly died in the process and I paid a price, but it was worth it as you can see the results."

You're still a little leery…

"Please! I'm telling the truth! Look, we can perform the ritual right here if you want! I can tell you what to do and get, but we're still going to have to wait until tomorrow at least since the ritual must be done at a certain time of night and that time has currently past unfortunately."
"All right, you've bought yourself a little time, but I'm not going into this blind. Tomorrow you are going to tell me EVERYTHING about this ritual and the price you had to pay, because let's just say I'm not a stranger to complex rituals and the repercussions involved."

You have the sorcerer king shown to his room. You also have him bound, gagged AND watched by several Eyes and a couple of mages. You are not taking any chances.

You don't get to sleep that night in your own room; you're still pondering what this eternal youth ritual might entail. Casimir knew something similar to it, but that was due to necromantic magic and that obviously still had its limits. This apparently is different, you wonder how though.

"Mmm, there he is, my ambitious little Eternal desperately trying to unlock the secret to immortality so that he may truly live up to his name. If you wanted to know so bad, you should've just asked mommy." You hear a voice say behind you, which causes you to freeze.

It's Semra, and she's in your room.

This isn't an "illusion" either. You know it isn't because you just felt her hot breath in your ear followed by a gentle lick.

How she managed to actually sneak in here is irrelevant. You're in an unsafe position and you can only imagine that this has something to do with the sorcerer king. This whole visit might finally be showing its true colors…

You attack quickly

You've got one chance…

You move your slam the back of your head into Semra's face. You're fairly certain you at least hurt the side of her face even if you didn't manage to break her nose.

You pull out your dagger and attempt to follow up your attack, but Semra has already jumped back out of your reach.

"Foreplay is it? Okay then!" Semra says and pulls out her own weapon.

The pair of you clash which results in several light scratches and superficial wounds for both of you all within the course of a few minutes. Semra is playing with you, but you're not playing anymore, and the next time you're able, you cast a lightning bolt at her, though she blocks it with her own magic field.

"Enough! I'm not here to kill you, you id…" Semra starts to say, but you're done listening to her and press forward with another attack. Semra casts a holding spell at you in attempt to stop your advance, but you're not a sixteen-year-old apprentice anymore. You feel the affects and it slows you down, but with your own magic you shake off the affects and tackle Semra to the floor.

"Nice to see you've learned, but you still don't know shit compared to me!" Semra exclaims and she drops her guard completely which results in you stabbing her in the stomach, however she puts her hands to her mouth and with a blowing motion some sort of gas emanates and you are hit directly in the face with it."

Poisonous gas always has been something you've been a little susceptible to, even if the poison itself isn't enough to kill you, it's still enough to cause you discomfort and gag. This is no exception, but it's a little worse this time.

You roll off of Semra gagging. You start coughing up blood, though you can't see that you are, because the gas has completely blinded you. In between the coughing you go back to trying to grab at Semra who is having her own problems with a dagger in her stomach.

"Let me go you fucking crazy…" Semra starts to say, but your wild swings and grabs connect with her mouth, unfortunately this also results in a bite from her. You manage to avoid losing a couple of fingers completely by blindly (and luckily) connecting your other fist with her face. You're blind and still having breathing difficulties but you manage to wrap your hands around Semra's neck.

"Get OFF of me!" Semra says and you feel a burning heat engulf your head. You scream and futilely try to beat the flames out that are now destroying your face.

"And I'm sure that will have alerted the guards." You hear Semra say as she manages to crawl away from you at last.

"I came here to fucking help you! As I ALWAYS do! (Sigh) Fuck…my stom…(groan) y'know what? I'm done with trying to help you, you've never been grateful and I can see you never will be. You'll always be short sighted and never learn from your mistakes. I can do this without your help and you wouldn't be much good in your current condition anyway. Might as well carry out Mortimer's original assignment. Hope that effeminate little fop has gotten away by now."


You are still howling in pain and making incoherent groans, but you try to focus on healing yourself. It isn't to be however. Healing such grievous wounds would take time and that isn't time you have right now.

Semra finishes you off by giving her dagger back to you, which results in it going through your neck.