Griffonia At War

by General Soarin

The Duchess and The Count

27th of February, 1007

“The train is now departing. Stand clear!”

With a final call from the conductor, the train that had brought Gabriella to Bronzekreuz began to pull away from the outdoor station, blasting it’s whistle as it did so. Taking a moment to stretch her tired legs, the Duchess breathed the mountain air in deep, cherishing just how fresh and clean it was compared to the sometimes choking atmosphere of Griffenheim. The crisp air only complemented Bronzekreuz’s beauty however, as Gabriella awed at the amazing sight of seeing a city built into a mountain. From humble stone houses to the grand Wiesstreffen Theatre, such craftsmanship...truly only the diamond dogs were capable of making such beautiful architecture with nothing but stone.

The past two days had been...hectic for Gabriella to say the very least. After visiting the comatose Emperor in his bed, Gabriella learned that the doctors had no idea why he had fallen into a coma, only they knew was that given Grover’s underlying health conditions, they speculated that this was probably going to be the last few days of the Emperor’s life and urged Gabriella and the Archon to call a Reichsrat which was a meeting between the leaders of the Empire’s various constituent states and debate the possibility of another regency. With that information in hand, the Archon and the Duchess had quickly parted ways, moving to gain as many allies as possible before the Reichsrat convened at the end of the week. While the Archon headed south, Gabriella headed to the De Vleugels, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Featherisia where she managed to convince the Grand Duke Gerlach IVth to support her for the regency. With Gerlach and the guaranteed vote of the Council of Nobles on her side, she then travelled to the County of Bronzehill to gain the support of the diamond dogs under the leadership of Count Ignatius Bronzetail.

Spreading her wings, Gabriella took off with a powerful flap and began flying towards the entrance of Kar Friz, the famed palace that not only housed the court of the Count of Bronzehill but also opened up into a massive underground city which supported the gem mines that Bronzehill was famous for. She had never really gotten the chance to visit the palace before so part of her tingled with excitement at seeing what many considered to be the crowning jewel of Bronzekreuz, especially the famed statue of Grover II that was told to dominate the entrance to it. Yet as she flew towards Kar Friz, Gabriella could also feel a sense of unease slowly build in her.

While the diamond dogs were well known for their loyalty, the fact of the matter was that they were loyal to the Emperor and not necessarily to the Empire itself. Gabriella had no way of knowing how Count Ignatius would react to her candidacy for the regency, and she worried that the dog would take offense to the fact that there was a Reichsrat being called before the Emperor had even passed. Yet, despite her worries Gabriella knew that she had to do this. The Empire needed to have a regent before the Emperor passed, and it had to be a strong griffon like Gabriella if it was going to avoid another 978.

After a bit of flying, she finally arrived at the large golden gates that sealed off Kar Friz from the rest of Bronzekreuz. These gates were mostly for show however, as there were several entrances for diamond dogs only that were scattered throughout the city, with the main gate leading directly to the palace section of it. Landing gently in front of the gates, Gabriella made her way to one of the diamond dog guards and smiled at him before taking a scroll out from her saddlebags and handing it over. The guard quickly took the scroll and read it carefully for a few moments before rolling it back up and giving it back to Gabriella. “Welcome to Kar Friz Duchess. You’ll be happy to know that the Count did receive your letter, and is waiting for you at the foot of the Grand Statue. Just go straight through the main doors and down the entry hallway, you can’t miss it. I hope you enjoy your stay!” he explained before stepping briefly into his guard house and pulling a chain. A loud rumbling sound began to emanate from the ground beneath the golden gates before a loud thud rang out, followed by the heavy gates slowly but surely swinging inward, allowing the Duchess to return the scroll to her bag and make her way to the main doors leading to the entry hall. The guards at the main doors bowed as Gabriella reached them before pulling the doors open, allowing her to finally enter Kar Friz properly.

The inside of the entry hall wowed Gabriella so much that she had to pause upon entering the doors. Marble adorned the entirety of it, beautiful white accented by stunning gold trimmings that were interrupted by vast, eloquently carved pillars adorned with both the Imperial seal and the seal of Bronzehill. But the thing that stood out the most was the massive statue that sat at the end of the entry hall. There he was....a sixty foot tall statue of Emperor Grover II that seemingly gazed down upon Gabriella and made her feel tiny and insignificant when compared to the massive Emperor. Upon his head sat a truly massive replica of the Imperial Crown, made with velvet and gold and adorned with truly massive gemstones that truly captured the majesty of the crown. Such a magnificent statue...a true testament to the loyalty of the dogs of Bronzehill.

Soon enough, Gabriella’s gaze found itself at the foot of the statue and onto a lone gray diamond dog. Dressed in a military uniform and sporting carefully groomed brown hair, there was no way of mistaking the ever so calculating gaze of Count Ignatius Bronzetail. Making her way over to the Count, Gabriella did a quick bow before flashing him with a warm smile. “Count Bronzetail...let me start by saying thank you for taking the time out of your day to meet with me, I know you’ve been busy lately wrangling with the KPB.” she exclaimed. The Count merely chuckled as he returned the bow, bringing his eyes to peer into Gabriella’s. “It’s always a pleasure to speak with you Duchess, the KPB is nothing compared to the troubles you probably have to face on a daily basis. I wish we could meet under better circumstances, I’d have thrown a banquet to welcome you!” he replied, his voice starting off warm before trailing off towards the end.

In that moment, the mood in the room quickly turned somber as the gravity of the situation truly sank in for both nobles. They knew that crisis was around the corner, and that what they spoke about next would be crucial. However, the Count didn’t let the silence last long, as he gestured to one of the side doors leading out of the entrance hall. “Now if you’ll follow me, I’ll bring you to a room where we can discuss the details of your visit in private.” He said rather bluntly as he made his way over to the door. The Duchess followed him quietly, taking the time to think of her strategy for the upcoming negotiation. Bronzehill would have to support her if she was to be designated Regent.

After making their way for a bit through the side halls and passages of Kar Friz, the Count finally led Gabriella to a small but cozy side room. Inside were two chairs and a table seated in front of a small yet cozy fireplace, as well as a few drawers and cabinets lining the walls. Gesturing for the Duchess to take a seat, Ignatius went over to the cabinets and went rifling through it. Gabriella meanwhile took a few moments to admire the cozy space the Count had chosen before taking her seat in the left chair, enjoying how soft the cushions were as she gazed into the fireplace. After a few minutes of silence bewteen them, the Count finally returned with two glasses of wine, placing them both on the table in the middle and taking his seat next to the Duchess, letting out a groan as he did so.

“Duchess...under normal circumstances, what you’re currently doing could be called treason. Plotting a regency when the Emperor still lives...as Count of Bronzehill I could have you arrested for conspiracy to commit treason and executed. After all...you know we diamond dogs have pledged our loyalty strictly to the Emperor and not to the corrupt nobles that try to rule the Empire in his name.” he explained, turning his gaze to meet Gabriella’s, those reddish brown eyes seemingly peering into her soul. This was the test Gabriella had been waiting for, the one she had been preparing herself for ever since she left De Vleugels.

“Except you wouldn’t Count, if you intended to arrest me you’d have done so while back in the entrance hall. You know that while I love my cousin, I have a duty to uphold the Empire and ensure that it survives long enough that Grover’s son can take the throne. We both know that…” She then pauses for a moment, turning her gaze to look at the flames gently burning in the fireplace in front of them. “...that the Empire cannot survive another 978. I led the restoration of Imperial control after the Revolution and in my naive youth allowed my corrupt fellow nobles into power. That was clearly a mistake, a mistake I aim to rectify here and now by finally taking the power out of their claws and into mine. What the Empire needs is a firm, guiding claw that will act not in the best interest of the nobles or the church...but the Empire itself.”

The Count sits there in silence, soaking in Gabriella’s words for a bit as he mulled them over to himself. Taking a sip of his wine, he turned his gaze back to the fireplace as well. “Well spoken Dutchess, I see your wit hasn’t escaped you. You’re right on all counts, that the Empire faces crisis once again and that one griffon has to seize the reins and lead us through the coming storm. I’ve known you for many years, and I can tell that you speak from your heart unlike Eros.” The Count then turns his gaze back to Gabriella, finding it once again meeting the gentle yet firm gaze of the Dutchess.

“You can rest easy Gabriella...you have my full support.”

Author's Note:

Originally, this chapter was going to be two parts, with one part focusing on Gabriella while another part focused on the Archon, but after writing it I realized that it was long enough with just Gabriella's endeavours so I decided to split it into two parts.

Once gain, if you see any grammatical errors, or if you have any changes you want me to make, make sure to comment them down below and I'll get back to them as soon as possible!

Quick note before I go though...next week might be a bit chaotic for me as it's the last week of classes before summer. This means that next Friday, I may have to skip the next chapter, but I'll keep you informed on what decision I make. Thank you again for your support, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter!

Comments

[shining paladin]

awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter

[Raizuo]

And so, the dogs pledge to assist Gabriella, Bronzehill will support her claim to be reagent of the Griffon empire... and meanwhile we shall see the other side of the story and how the Archon gathers allies.

All this does is make me eager to see who in the end will be the reagent, and what happens to cut a horrible path short. Because no matter who becomes reagent, they will make an attempt upon reforming everything, from the nobility to the education of the common grif, it will be quite interesting to see the things leading up to that.

[Lunarist Screeching]

10787212
I think you took my comment the wrong way i meant if you took the path where Grover gets shot then i will stop reading the story

[General Soarin]

10814149
I was making a reference to that event actually when I said "You heartless monster", because I remember that being red text in the button descriptor for the event. I might be wrong though, but I definitely understood what you were going for. I can spoil one thing for you right now though:

I will definitely NOT be going down the Dawnclaw route. There's already a story that deals with that on the site, and truth be told, I never played it. Warring literally all of Herzland at once is definitely not a challenge I really want to tackle, it sounds absolutely painful. Plus Grover is wholesome as fuck.

[Lunarist Screeching]

10816089
I think they changed it so all of the griffon nations in your faction declare war on you when you do that so that would mean like a 6v1 as starting griffon empire. P A I N

And no There's no red writing for the event and it isn't heartless monster. Im pretty sure anyways I've only done it once and then threw the save into fucking orbit

[Fecyrineu]

Hmm, Gabriella feels a little bit OOC here, saying she has no interest in serving the nobility. While she despizes the lower nobility, she very firmly believes that the 'peers' should be the ones rulling the Empire.
Or maybe she is just saying that to get the Count on her side.