1780 Y.S.K. (Year of the Sun King), Sanctuary of the Rising Sun, Aureliana
I. The Gilded Peace and the Worms in the Shadows
May Eternal Solarius illuminate these words, so that no lie or shadow may taint them.
We live in days of fragile gold. In Aureliana, the harvests of the Campi Dorati still fill the royal granaries, and the people still kneel at dawn to sing hymns to the Radiant King. Yet there is unease in the air, like the scent of a storm before the first thunderclap.
The drought in Vigneto Vecchio has lasted three seasons. The peasants – those forgotten children of Solarius – arrive at the city gates with cracked lips and eyes hollow with hunger.'If the land will not give us bread, then let them give us the forests of the heretics!'they cry. The nobles, those well-dressed vultures, rub their hands – some because they see war as a path to riches, others because they fear starvation will reach their palaces before the fields.
King Alaric, blessed be his wisdom, resists. But even a golden throne trembles when the starving come knocking.
II. The Seven Kingdoms and Their Sins
On Marellia, the Serpent of the Sea
The Maritime Republic drifts like a rudderless ship. Doge Luciano, as old as the anchors of his galleons, can no longer contain the rebellion growing among the merchants. Lady Sofia Perladoro, nowsheis a master of the game – her pearls buy more than adornments; they buy silence and daggers. They say her son Matteo already dreams of the title of Doge... and of tearing up the treaty that binds us. If they do, may Solarius burn them in the sea they so adore.
On Ferralia, the Kingdom of Iron and Blood
In the northern mountains, the smoke of the forges never fades. High Lord Magno Ferroforte battles an enemy he cannot crush – Dante Ferroso, the rebel of Minierossa. Five years of guerrilla warfare, and the stench of betrayal now taints even the halls of Ferrumia. Worse still: some say the Silvanian druids fuel this revolt. If true, may fire purify those cursed forests.
On Solterra, the Empire That Burns
Ah, Solterra! Once an empire so vast the sun never set upon its lands, now it is but a desert of shame. Emperor Solario Ignifer hides behind the walls of Arenosa, cursing the day he underestimated Marellia. The drought that consumes them is divine punishment, no doubt – but is it from Solarius, or from that so-calledLunara, whom the desperate now worship at the Cratera Stellare?
III. The Heresy That Grows in the Shadows
Let us speak of the Silvanians, those tree-worshippers. Archdruidess Líra spreads her lies like seeds in the wind: she speaks of the 'Elder Tree' as if it were a god, and of their 'Codex of Roots' as if it were holy scripture. Their Forest Rangers are assassins who hide behind leaves, and the Bosco Antico is a tumour that must be cut away.
Yet, what troubles me most are the whispers within our own walls. In the taverns of Aureliana and the alleys of Porto Dourado, the nameLunarais now murmured. They say she appeared in the waters of the crater, that she saved the damned from the scorching sands. Lies, of course! And yet... why do even some of our own faithful glance at the moon with doubt?
IV. The Path Ahead
The Cult of the Eternal Sun must not waver. If the Silvanian heretics must burn, the traitors within our walls must be crushed first. High Priest Solano Igniferro has decreed it: any mention of Lunara or the Elder Tree is blasphemy punishable by fire.
As for King Alaric, may Solarius grant him strength. If he yields to the nobles, war with Silvania will begin – and though victory is certain, no blood spilled in heretic forests will feed our people. If he yields to the people, the royal granaries will empty, and famine will do the rest.
Conclusion: The Light That Must Never Fade
I write these words by the light of the last candle, as the sun sets behind Aureliana's golden rooftops. I remember the words of the First Canticle:'So long as the sun rises, truth shall shine.'
May it be so. For if the Eternal Sun one day fails to rise, only darkness will remain – and the whispers of the Moon.
– Father Lucinius, of the Sanctuary of the Rising Sun
(P.S.: The fishermen's tales of 'blue lights' in the sea near Azuria are surely drunkards' fantasies. And yet... perhaps it would be wise to send a deacon to investigate.Discreetly.)