@plasmapriestess | @verodrath
The plaza outside Tempest’s capital can scarcely fit another body, a sea of vibrant colors flowing into one. The Jennerit people turn out in force for the announcement, as she knows they would. Their road had been long, tiresome – and the promise of a change lifts their spirits. She can discern no particular face in the crowd, far too many for such a thing, but she does know this: curious eyes sweep over all of them upon the platform.
Deande stands at the crystalline podium, her hands gingerly folded against it. Her dress is elaborate, indicative of the ceremonial nature of their gathering – deep red, trimmed close, and a bustling train to require any number of assistance when navigating the stairs. The last part, a bit unpractical, she feels, but the Jennerit are fond of their formalities, and after all this time, she feels as though it would be a return to normalcy. Behind her sit the honorees of the evening: Matron of the Sustaining Order and guardian of Sustainment, Claudia Ambralia Divia, and Keeper of the Blade loyal to the Empress and master swordsman, Verod Rath, their high-backed chairs lined with blooms freshly cut from Deande’s own garden.
“Citizens of the New Jennerit Empire–”
The hush is instant, the crowd jostling as one.
“Look around. Take in the faces of your neighbors, friends, those who you have never seen before this moment. Strangers or not, we have all shared that perilous road. But we stand beneath a beating, living star – one every person present here has had a hand in fighting for. It is our place to no longer live in fear of it. It is our duty to guard it. It falls to us to return the foundations of our Empire. We take those first, bold steps today, together, as a united people – to lay down the arms we were incited to lift against our brethren and remember what it is to be Jennerit.
“This is a foundation none of us can lay down alone. We do not share our dear Empress Lenore’s insight or brilliance; neither can we ever aim to replace her. Instead, we seek to exemplify what she represented and use that as our compass, that we may never stray off course in these troubled waters.
“We begin that, today, by calling our venerated to our side and inviting them home once more. No one’s pawn. No one’s conduit. Tempest is where we will hang our banners, build our lives, and pick up these fragile pieces – bent but never shattered beyond repair.
“We move forward. We move with the guidance of a High Priestess of the Sustaining Order. We move with the Warmaster of the New Jennerit Military. We add their seats to our council. We rejoice.
“Claudia Ambralia Divia. Verod Rath. Please, step forward. Take your vows.”
Rath remains respectfully silent, his hands folded across his lap for the majority of the speech. It’s not as if he’s never been part of a proper ceremony before, the speeches, the vows, and the pageantry that comes with it. Still, something akin to nervous anticipation claws at his insides. This is different. This will change everything for him.
He rises, his ceremonial garb lined with crimson and black. There are streaks of silver amongst it—giving the impression of light armor. Let it never be said that Rath is unprepared for battle. With grace and control that can only be given to someone who has spent as long as he serving the empire, he kneels before Deande.
Deande. She is not an empress. She would never dare take the title. But in that moment she reminds him of Lenore, looking up at her as he does. She carries the same power, the same grace, and the same air of authority that it seems natural. Rath bows his head.
“I swear myself to the New Jennerit Empire. I swear myself to protecting the lives of the citizens and our allies. I swear to never abuse my position for personal gain.” His mind immediately flies to Rendain. He will not be him. He will not. “Until I am unfit or unable to continue my position, I will serve. This I swear today before you all.”
And his eyes flick up, bright and glowing red. He means every word of it. There is nothing hollow in his vow. With the same intensity in which he hunted down the Keepers of the Blade and Rendain himself, he will expend to protect the remnants of their once great empire. In the light of the last star, he swears this to himself as his own personal vow.
