Public The Beast Beyond The Gate [Vandemar]

[Palatine Courier]

For the first time since the opening of the Planeshift, the Hegemony of Vandemar invites outlanders beyond its borders. A grand gathering is proclaimed at a fortified estate near the new hyperlane: part diplomatic reception, part martial celebration and part declaration that Vandemar has returned to the wider galaxy.

Yet the occasion coincides with troubling reports from the surrounding wilds. Settlements have been abandoned, patrols have disappeared and an unknown beast has been sighted moving toward the gathering. While some guests remain within the safety of the court, others are sent into the frontier to discover what is approaching.

Objective I: The Court of the First Horn

Attend the Hegemony's public reception and establish relations with Vandemar.

The Hegemony receives foreign dignitaries, merchants, scholars, military representatives and other interested visitors beneath the banners of its noble houses. Guests may seek audiences, negotiate agreements, display foreign wares, investigate Vandemarian technology or simply observe the unfamiliar customs of the Hegemony.

The gathering also provides opportunities for espionage, political manoeuvring and personal rivalry. Vandemarian nobles compete for influence, Techwrights cautiously present selected inventions and representatives of the Hegemon quietly assess every visitor.

Objective II: The Hunt Beyond the Walls

Enter the Vandemarian frontier and locate the creature approaching the gathering.

Knights of Vandemar lead a hunting expedition into the forests and mountains surrounding the estate. Outsiders are permitted to accompany them, whether as honoured guests, hired specialists or volunteers seeking reputation and reward.

The expedition must locate missing patrols, track the creature and determine why it has abandoned the deeper wilds. Participants may encounter dangerous wildlife, abandoned ruins, damaged reconnaissance equipment and signs that the beast is itself wounded or fleeing from something else.

 

[Aurelian Sigismund]

Aurelian

Hegemon · Lord Indomitus · Dragonknight

✠ Griffin of Vandemar ✠

✠ Directive ✠

Objective I
The Court of the First Horn

✠ Sector ✠

Vandemar · Royal Estate

✠ Wargear ✠

Armor · Sword

Aurelian had arrived at the Royal Estate several hours earlier, overseeing final preparations himself against the better advice of his aids to not waste time with it and trust them in making all the necessary arrangements. He could not help it. Not to interfere or distrust their judgement, but to satisfy his own mind raging with calculations and needs of perfection.

The Estate had a vast landing field prepared on its surrounding green pastures, lushly settled against a soft incline on which the fortified site sat. It was a castle, an Aethr, in all but name but was not designated as such due to its lacking military importance. It was more a retreat for the Hegemon himself than an official embassy, palace or government building. Carved from light grey rock, build with perfect tiles of blue tone and many lights to guide and provide for any visitors and inhabitants. The great hall was from similar stone but much more refined with fine rugs and carpets, chandeliers and hearths that offered an ambience of almost primitive luxury. Large windowed doors opened to a terrace with flawlessly maintained shrubberies and small trees, overlooking the vast valleys and plains of Vandemar to one side and offering a threatening darkness in the ancient forests to the other.

The Hegemon was wearing a gray-blue long doublet, buttoned on one side with silver buttons depicting a griffin, high brown leather boots that extended almost to his knees. At his side hung Valoris, sheathed in a scabbard adorned with fine engravings of various beasts of the Vandemar, a belt of blue with silver plates holding it in place. Aurelian carried an aura of threatening nobility, measured authority and cold logistics, especially when one looked into the bedrock grey eyes.

It was time. Guards of the Palatine Praetorians were posted along walls and entrances to provide security, servants, chefs, waiters and pages were ready to attend their duties to make this occasion a noteworthy one.

A memorable festivity.

✠ Dispatch Directed To ✠

@OPEN

Eternal Duty · Eternal Loyalty · Eternal Order

 

[Achilleon Utraen]

ACHILLEON UTRAEN

KNIGHT OF VANDEMAR · HOUSE UTRAEN

Something was amiss.

Achilleon felt it the moment he arrived at the settlement. The air was thicker than it should be, a tension lay within every breath, notable even for him who used additional oxygen tanks integrated into his armour. It was the smell, it was not right. He had the scent of the forest, of the wilds, of various parts of Vandemar in his nose for many, many years, and even for more hunts, but this was not how it was supposed to be.

The settlement, Caeren, was empty. It should have had a population of almost two thousand hunters, woodworkers, merchants and attendants of the nearby Royal Estate and yet it was completely deserted. There should have been at least a lance of Knights here, waiting for the outlanders to show them into the woods, to partake in a hunt of maybe an Varkhai or Azhvor if the hunters had a scent and track, but this was different.

With a swift move his leg came around and he dismounted Saenyan, his Demigryph, landing on the concrete of the road with a shattering clank of his armour. Instinctively his hand moved to his sheathed sword, the thumb slightly loosening the weapon in it as the son of House Utraen looked around. The Vaelgryph next to him gave an aggressive chirp, a disapproving noise that her dear rider continued on foot.

Behind him, his own lance of Knights waited, alerted by the situation as much as by the behaviour of their Paladin-Lieutenant.

Something was amiss.

OBJECTIVE // 2: The Hunt Beyond The Walls
LOCATION // Settlement Caeren

PARTICIPANTS // @Open

 

[Liin Terallo]

The journey to Vandemar had afforded ample time for reflection. As the transport descended through the clear morning skies, I watched sunlight sweep across forests that seemed almost impossibly untouched. Rivers wound between broad valleys like polished ribbons of silver, while ancient stone fortifications crowned distant hills with the quiet confidence of civilizations that had endured. It was peaceful.

My little biomass companion had claimed the window long before I had. Perched comfortably upon the edge of the seat, he watched the landscape pass beneath us with the tireless curiosity that seemed to define every new world we visited. Every so often he would chirp softly, tilting his head as another stretch of woodland or distant settlement drifted into view.

"I know," I murmured with a small smile. "It's rather beautiful." Perhaps that was why Aurelian had chosen this place. Not merely to impress his guests, although it certainly possessed that quality. There was something quietly symbolic about holding discussions of governance amidst a landscape that appeared so carefully preserved. Order was easier to believe in when surrounded by evidence that it could endure.

The transport settled gently upon the prepared landing field. Beyond the transparisteel viewport I could already see attendants moving with practiced efficiency, while ranks of Palatine Praetorians stood watch with the disciplined stillness of soldiers who expected neither surprise nor disorder. The estate itself rose beyond them, elegant without seeming ostentatious. Built of pale stone beneath blue roofs, it seemed less concerned with displaying wealth than permanence. I found myself approving of that.

After collecting my satchel and field case, I paused only long enough for my small companion to climb effortlessly onto my shoulder before stepping down the boarding ramp. The air carried the scent of fresh grass. It had been some time since I had visited a world that smelled so alive. My attention drifted briefly across the surrounding countryside before returning to the estate itself. Every detail seemed intentional. The carefully maintained grounds. The symmetry of the architecture. Even the placement of the lights appeared designed to guide rather than simply illuminate. There was an engineer's mind behind much of it. Or perhaps someone who simply appreciated systems. Either way, I understood the instinct.

As I approached the entrance, my pace remained unhurried. I had attended enough diplomatic receptions to recognize the quiet choreography unfolding around me. Nobles would speak with nobles. Military leaders would measure one another without ever acknowledging they were doing so. Alliances would be strengthened over pleasant conversation and carefully selected wine. That had never been my talent. I wasn't here to compete for influence, nor to cultivate admiration. I had come because New Cov remained occupied. Because promises, however sincere, required tending if they were to survive beyond the moment in which they were spoken. My earlier conversation with Aurelian returned to me then. We had reached an understanding; not one born of sentiment, but of shared interests. It was, I believed, an honest foundation. Honest foundations were surprisingly rare in politics. Whether that understanding would endure; that was why I had accepted his invitation.

My fingers rested lightly against the strap of my satchel as I entered the great hall, taking in the warmth of the chandeliers, the polished stone, and the quiet murmur of conversation already beginning to fill the estate. For a brief moment I simply observed. Scientists often entered unfamiliar environments by watching before acting. Politics, I had found, benefited from much the same approach.

Tags: Aurelian Sigismund @OPEN