Codex: The City of Gods as the Holy City of the Holy Arcadia Empire
Anor Londo, the City of Gods, ruled by the Holy Imperator personally and the Imperial House. It was built by the Lord of Cinder and Sunlight, Lord Gwyn, in the first Age of Lordran; to this day, it remains the most important place within Lordran and is the symbol of the power and majesties of the Imperial House and Holy Imperator.
Yharnam, the Holy City of Old Blood, the spiritual center of The Empire that is ruled by the Healing Church, with the title of High Lord Magistrate being always held by the Grand Theoganist of the Healing Church.
Cainhurst, the City of Silver, the birthplace of the Order of Hunters, ruled by House Vileblood for countless generations. The City of Silver has a very prevalent Military Culture and Warrior Culture mixed up together.
Faut, the City of Miracles, a place where the Byrgenwerth resides together with its Eight Colleges of Magic, it is the Magical center of The Empire. Today, the Faust is responsible for most of the Magical and Arkanotek development of the Imperium.
***
3rd POV
Somewhere in the Athel Loren, the inner area of the Athel Loren, G-1 Mobile Base, Several Days Later
After several days passed since Karl Franz and his entourage found Cirilla, who was being pursued by the Wild Hunt. To the surprise of the Holy Imperator, not even after they annihilated the entire Squadron of the Wild Hunt, there were no traces of the Wild Hunt.
That was somewhat surprising because practically everyone predicted that the Wild Hunt would come to this world once again, but it seemed that they chose to refrain from taking such an action this time around.
In the end, after a few more days, Karl Franz decided that it was already time to return to the Anor Londo. Part of the reason was the threat of the Wild Hunt that was looming over their heads, it was logical to retreat back to the Anor Londo.
In the end, that place was far better protected than the Athel Loren that had a bunch of Stormcast Eternals within the Athel Loren. Even though the Stormcast Eternals were as vigilant as ever, the protections that were in the Anor Londo were impregnable for any foe.
The journey to the Anor Londo was rather fast, not only because the Athel Loren was relatively close to the Holy Imperial Capital of the Anor Londo but also because they were going at the top speed that the G-1 Mobile Base was capable of exerting.
In this area, Cirila was especially excited at the idea of going into the Holy Imperial Capital of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Not many times has she been able to go into such cities when she visited the worlds where she had arrived.
She also knew the significance of the Anor Londo, not only from the political meaning but also for the Religion of the Holy Arcadia Empire. Anor Londo had tremendous religious meaning for the Imperial Citizens.
"We are already nearing the Imperial Capital."
Karl Franz remarked when they were nearing the Holy Imperial Capital of the Anor Londo, from the top of the G-1 Mobile Base. They were approaching the Holy Imperial Capital very fast, together with the Stormcast Eternals that were protecting the G-1 Mobile Base.
"Now, for your old question about my social status in this world. Well, I am Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor, the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire and ruler of these lands."
Contrary to what one could expect, Cirilla wasn't as surprised as Karl Franz expected; she was rather smart to figure out that the people who found her didn't have ordinary status within this world and were, for certain, part of the upper castes of society in this new world.
"I have already expected this much... this kind of luxury is something that only the most powerful could have, and if there is something that I learned across many worlds, luxuries are typically only in the hands of the powerful."
It wasn't that surprising, even for Karl Franz, as he knew that she was smart enough to figure out his identity or to have some suspicion about this.
"And the other two? Maria and Cersei? They too should be part of the nobility..."
Ciri already noticed that both of the women also belonged to rather high nobility among the social circles, both albeit pretty much different in their behavior.
It was rather interesting because Ciri did not have many good experiences with people of noble birth, starting from her own biological father to the other people in power who wanted to use her for their own devices.
"Maria Vileblood, Heiress to the Cainhurst, one of the City-States of the Holy Arcadia Empire and its future Lord High Magistrate and Cersei Lannister, daughter of Lord of the Westerlands of the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, a nation from another continent across the Sunset Sea."
Cirilla nodded, hearing that both of her assumptions were correct. If there was one thing that she learned during her travel through countless worlds, it was to read people and judge them rather easily.
"We will soon reach the Anor Lodno. The moment we reach the Holy Imperial Capital, you will be in the safest place in the entire world. So, if the Wild Hunt decided to attack the Holy Imperial Capital, then they would just meet their doom here. Though Maria and Cersei would be returning to the Cainhurst, both of them have some duties within the Cainhurst, but Maria will return a few days later after she finishes the matters up there."
Karl Franz stated that because he knew that there wouldn't be many familiar people within the Anor Londo when they arrived there, basically, Ciri knew only three of them in the known world of Azyr.
Though, now that Maria was named as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals, she was forced to spend most of the time in the Anor Londo.
Due to being in the post, she was right now spending most of her time at the Anor Londo, contrary to the previous state, when she was running around here and there.
Previously, Maria was spending most of her time in the wilderness, hunting for the powerful Danger Beasts or powerful foes, especially Orks and other foes of the Holy Imperium. It was certainly a welcomed change for Karl Franz that she was finally spending more time within the Imperial Capital.
Even her mother was increasingly pleased by this because her daughter finally had some duties and was doing something productive. Obviously, her mother, Annalise Vileblood, didn't really consider hunting the Dangers Beasts to be even remotely useful or productive.
"The city is magnificent..."
Cirilla muttered as she looked through the windows of the G-1 Mobile Base at the Holy Imperial Capital of Anor Londo. The look at the Holy Imperial Capital Anor Londo was something splendid and magnificent, especially for the people who were seeing it for the first time in their lives.
She had visited several worlds and seen many things, but she had to admit that the place was one of the most magnificent and beautiful that she had seen in her whole life. Even from a distance, the place was majestic, and even the tall walls that were protecting the Anor Londo were a unique piece of craftsmanship.
"Even though the Anor Londo is the Imperial Capital of the Holy Arcadia Empire, the city itself has a very low population, technically speaking. Obtaining a permit to own a house or to have a permanent residence within the Anor Londo is very hard and is normally reserved only for the members of the Imperial Nobility, Officers of the Imperial Military, powerful warriors, Magic Users of the Empire, and some other important personnel of the Imperium. Thus, the city itself has a permanent population numbering in a few tens of thousands. Other people are not allowed to set foot in the Anor Londo, not even temporarily."
Karl Franz explained some peculiarities of the Anor Londo to Ciri, who would be living in the Holy Imperial Capital for the foreseeable future.
Yeah, compared to the overpopulated cities of Westeros, Free Cities of Essos, or even other Capitals of the Grand Provinces of the Holy Imperium, Anor Londo seemed to be rather deserted.
Living in the Anor Londo was probably one of the biggest credits to the status that the person could obtain within the Holy Arcadia Empire. Having property in the city was something akin to a noble status itself, due to how strict the conditions were to obtain the permit to live in the Anor Londo.
Soon enough, the G-1 Mobile Base passed through the Celestial Dragon Gate, one of the main entrances to the Holy Imperial Capital, and headed directly towards the Imperial Palace of the Anor Londo.
"We will be disembarking from the G-1 Mobile Base as soon as we reach the gatepoints to the Wall Maria."
Karl Franz said to Ciri, who was looking at everything in the streets of the Holy Imperial Capital Anor Londo in wonder, like a child who is introduced to a wider world for the first time, as everything had a certain magic to her.
She could see that there were indeed very few people in the streets of the Anor Londo, even though the city itself was humongous, even bigger than some of the biggest metropolises in that techno world she visited.
Such a large city could easily house millions, yet only a small fraction of that number actually lived here.
Though she could see that every person who lived there, every woman and man who walked through the streets of the Anor Londo, was certainly powerful, each of them gave her a weird feeling of danger.
Many of them had powerful magical signatures, signifying powerful magical capabilities, which was another sign of the heritage of the Anor Londo. Every single house or building built within the city couldn't be classified as less than a luxurious manor. One of the perks of living in the Holy Imperial Capital was that every person who lived here lived in absolute luxury.
This was apparently just a district for the commoners and warriors of lesser renown. Those who were truly powerful lived in a separate district of the Anor Londo that was closer to the Imperial Palace.
That was where the Bloodline Lineage Aristocratic Families had their residence or where truly powerful warriors, Magicians, and other Professionals who were the true backbone of the Imperium dwelled.
"When it comes to the Anor Londo, not even members of the Imperial Nobiltiy have a free pass to the Capital; the conditions are the same to the nobles and commoners alike. Though, the Nobiltiy of the Holy Arcadia Empire has more privileges, mostly due to their superior Lineages that gives them an edge over the equally ranked Professionals of the simple origin."
The rule of entrance to the Holy Imperial Capital Anor Londo was ultimate: to the solider, to civilian, to noble, to commoner, to royal, to everyone.
Nobody without sufficient strength, power and contribution to the Imperium is actually allowed to live in the Holy Arcadia Empire. This was the ultimate rule of entrance to the Holy Imperial Capital.
There were only two exceptions to the rule, one of them was the spouse of the said person who already had the permit, and another was the direct descendant of the said person. However, when it came to the descendants, they were then required to leave the Anor Londo to enlist in one of the Academies of the Imperium and then enlist in the Imperial Army.
Children of powerful Professionals or prominent Nobility could visit once per day for one day, that was all that was allowed within the Anor Londo.
And that was all...
Even Ciri was rather puzzled by the many rules imposed on one city.
Soon enough, they arrived in front of the checkpoint, where they were forced to disembark from the G-1 Mobile Base, Sacred Imperial Dragon, because the G-1 Mobile Base couldn't pass through the trio of walls.
"What are those walls?"
She asked as she saw walls separating the enormous building complex that stood on the top of a small hill, or it would be more precise to call it a small mountain or whatever, from the rest of the city.
"Those are the Walls of Maria, Rose and Sina... they are the final defense of the Imperial Palace in case the Anor Londo has fallen to the enemy. Because the Imperial Palace was built by Lord Gwyn on the top of the Ashen Mountains, we have decided to build three sets of walls to separate the Imperial Palace from the rest of the city."
The Walls Maria, Rose, and Sina were one of the engineering marvels of the Anor Londo, constructed by the top engineers, blacksmiths, and stonemasons of the Holy Arcadia Empire during the timespan of several decades.
"We are going to disembark from the G-1 Mobile Base..."
Karl Franz stated when the G-1 Mobile Base stopped in its tracks before the entrance to the Wall Maria, which was already surrounded by the Stormcast Eternals donned in their characteristic blue-colored armors and wearing golden masks over their faces.
Maria and Cersei have already gotten down from the G-1 Mobile Base, waiting for Karl Franz and Cirilla to exit the portable fortress. They had just returned from the very long trip to Athel Loren, and both of them were rather glad to be back.
However, it was clear that Cersei was far more happier being back because she had acclimated to the high standards of the Imperial aristocratic life very fast and greatly enjoyed the luxuries and comforts of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
"Don't look at everything with a jaw-dropping look; it is getting annoying already..."
The Holy Imperator stated as Cirilla frowned a bit but nevertheless stopped looking at everything with such a dumb look. She understood that such behavior would make a rather poor first impression on many people, considering the status of Karl Franz and his female companions in this world.
"Your Holy Majesty."
One of the Stormcast Eternals said, indicating that he was the leader of the detachment. He wasn't an ordinary leader of the Stormcast Eternals; he was Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple of the Stormcast Eternals, Atreus Atreides.
"Lord Celestant Prime."
Karl Franz gave him a nod as Cersei quietly found her way to him, interlocking her arms with his own, as they were led by the detachment of the Reiksgarde Stormcast Eternals through the Walls Maria, Rose, and Sina.
Passing through the Maria, Rose, and Sina was always rather experience, especially for Cirilla, who saw the engineering marvels of the dwarves of the Holy Arcadia Empire. The interlocked three sets of walls, various defenses, and other fortifications were all meticulously built and placed to achieve maximum effectiveness.
"It is beautiful... rather marvelous. Are you saying all of this was made by the dwarves?"
The young witcher looked at everything in absolute wonder.
Considering the sheer fact that in her home world, the dwarves faced heavy discrimination like the rest of the non-human species, they never had the opportunity to showcase their skills properly.
"Not only the dwarves, but also the other species, namely there was a good number of Gnomes participating on this and also many humans of the Lordran participating in this endeavor."
Karl Franz explained the origins of the Walls as they passed the first Wall, the Wall Maria and were currently on the bridge connecting the Walls Maria and Rose.
"It is rather to see a world where so many races could coexist in harmony... unfortunately, in my homeworld, such a thing would be considered impossible."
In her world, humans heavily discriminated against non-human species; only the Nilfgaardian Empire was better in the area, despite its motives for such policy and other things. In the end, only in the Nilfgaardian Empire the non-humans, such as dwarves, elves, or dryads were given the same or similar rights as their human contemporaries.
It was also due to that reason the Northern Realms were in a state of danger from the non-human species because most of them were keen to join the Nilfgaardians when the Niflgaard was attacking the Northern Kingdoms of the Continent.
This was very shocking and surprising, but in the Northern Realms, the status of non-humans was very bad.
The pogroms on the non-humans were rather common, and they faced discrimination and harsh treatment always everywhere where they went.
Meanwhile, the Nilfgaard Empire rather smartly utilized the non-human races, and for freedom and rights, they obtained experience from the non-human races. The engineering and blacksmithing capabilities of the dwarves, the stealth and assassination skills of the elven rangers, and so on were all in the hands of the Nilfgaard.
The Northern Kingdoms could survive the attack of the Nilfgaard only by banding together and fighting the Nilfgaard Empire together as one, but even that was proving to be futile...
With each war that the Niflgaard Empire launched on the Northern Kingdoms, more and more from their territories became part of the Empire, and more of the nations that belonged to the Northern Realms fell to the Nilfgaardian Empire.
"Even in the Lordran and the Imperium, the fusion wasn't easy, but in the end, it happened with enough time. In the early years of the Imperial age and the formation of the Eternal Imperium, there were a lot of radicals on each side who were firmly against the formation of a nation where basically every species was equal, and the only thing that mattered was loyalty to the nation and citizenship."
Karl Franz reminisced about the formation years of the Holy Arcadia Empire and the early challenges from the human and vampire supremacists, dwarven conservatives, and gnomish isolationists.
It required a lot of effort to pull off mutual understanding, and resources to quell all resistance from various interest groups among many species that were creating the Holy Arcadia Empire... another thing that was required was a lot of time and mutual understanding.
The thing that there was a looming threat above the head of every single person living in the Lands of the Ancient Lords, either from the Orks living in the Orklands, Drukhari in the Naggaroth, the Daemons in the Dark Lands, or the Chaos Cultists that were dwelling among the citizens of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Unity through the constant threats from the outside was something that united the people of the Holy Arcadia Empire eight hundred years ago.
***
In the grand, majestic hall, part of the Imperial Palace, the main hall was illuminated by warm, golden light streaming through high windows. The hall was vast, with towering arches and ornate decorations.
Statues of regal figures line the walls, adding to the sense of grandeur. Most of them were significant figures of the Holy Arcadia Empire; either they were statues of the Heroes of the Imperial Pantheon, important figures of history, or the Imperial Saints.
A long, blue carpet runs down the center of the hall, leading to an elevated area at the far end. In the foreground, four figures were walking down the carpet; Karl Franz was showing Cirilla the premises of the Imperial Palace, who was marveling at everything around her.
The structures and architecture of the Imperial Palace were so beautiful and majestic that it was breathtaking, truth to be told.
The hall was filled with people this time, contrary to the usual silent appearance of the Imperial Palace, where only the members of the Stormcast Eternals and staff of the Imperial Palace walked through these majestic halls.
Most of them were officers from the Imperial Military or representatives of the Imperial Nobility because it was the date for the ceremony, probably for something that Karl Franz had already forgotten about.
The crowd was dressed in period-appropriate garments, all appropriate for the Imperial Throne, the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight that was at the end of the long hallway in the Throne Room.
"Does anyone remember what is taking place here?"
Karl Franz asked as he looked at Maria, who shook her head in denial, not knowing what was going on at the Imperial Palace.
"No, but the Grand Chamberlain would probably know, judging by the presence of the various military officers, is it time for the Military Awards Ceremony for the Holy Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos in the Badlands."
Most of the Imperator's schedule was in the hands of the Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace, so most of the time, he didn't really have an overview of things that he needed to do or the events that he needed to attend.
"Hmm... we will take care of it at a later date... now let's come..."
Soon enough, their little group of four arrived at the throne room, where the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight was located. The Throne Room was even more grandiose than the rest of the Imperial Place, based on what Ciri has seen up till now.
When she looked at the Imperial Throne, she noticed a very weird feeling stirring deep inside her, something that she hadn't felt till now. It was some sort of very primal feeling, deep in her very own bloodline.
Like the Elder Blood within her body was reacting to the weird aura that the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight was releasing. It was rather subtle, but the Dine Throne of Blood and Sunlight didn't have the word "Divine" in its name for nothing.
As the primordial artifact created by the Lord Gwyn himself, the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight was created by the Lord Gwyn with several materials that couldn't be found on the material plane, and it also contained traces of the Divinity of the Lord Gwyn himself.
"What is that thing being released from the Throne?"
Cirilla asked the Holy Imperator as she looked at the Divine Throne while gulping down nervously because the weird feeling within her body was increasing with each moment, and she could feel her blood boiling a bit.
The effect of the Divinities that were left by Lord Gwyn on the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight seemed to stir up something within the previously dormant Elder Blood in her body.
"When the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight was made by Lord Gwyn, he made use of remains of several beings that could be deemed as Demigods and even Gods... in the end, after the end of the Age of Ancients when Lord Gwyn ascended to the Higher Dimensional Being, he infused his Divinities into the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight, giving it the properties of the Sunlight. And after the beginning of the Age of Strife, when the Old Blood was discovered under the Yharnam, sometime after, someone discovered the Divine Throne of Sunlight and infused the Old Blood into the Divine Throne it... and at the end of the unification of the Lordran, I personally used the corpse of the fledgling of the Great One and Pthumerian Queen to elevate it to the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight."
Karl Franz explained the origins of the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight that was formatted and evolved through the millenias, until it evolved into the status and form it was today, a sentient artifact of unparalleled power.
"The Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight is more than just a fancy decoration in the Imperial Palace or just an average symbol of the power and authority of the Emperor. It is a powerful artifact that is able to tremendously enhance the power of the person bonded to the Throne itself, enhancing the Magical Potential several times over, not to mention it was also capable of awakening the dormant potential of the people aside from the other and other functions."
The Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight was the most crucial artifact of the Holy Arcadia Empire that was the cornerstone of the entire Holy Arcadia Empire. Every person of significance was bound to the will of the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight, ensuring their undying loyalty towards the Holy Imperium.
The existence of the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight was one of the reasons why there was zero to none corruption, traitors and failures in the higher administration of the Holy Imperium.
"Fascinating... so the feeling I am getting is from the Divine Throne? It seems to be resonating with my Elder Blood..."
Karl Franz knew that the Divine Throne must have a pretty strong stimulating effect on the Elder Blood within her body; though such a short time of exposure to the Divine Throne wouldn't be enough to trigger a complete awakening of the Elder Blood; it was clear that the process had slowly begun.
He estimated that the longer time she spent around the proximity of the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight, the more probable it became that the Elder Blood would awaken entirely in her body.
"Yes indeed... it is highly possible that prolonged exposure of the Divine Throne's aura would entirely awaken the Elder Blood in your body to complete state, though I have a bit of feeling that it would require more than that..."
He said, though he almost muttered the last part silently because he was aware that she had some sort of block when it came to the Elder Blood. Due to the especially strong presence of the Elder Blood, it was rather intriguing and confusing that the Elder Blood was still dormant, especially at this age.
Not to mention, she visited several high-magic worlds, as it seemed the Elder Blood should have awakened a long time ago, probably the first time she visited some really powerful magical world, and yet the Elder Blood was still dormant.
So the only explanation was the fact that she had some sort of mental block...
Nevertheless, now it wasn't time to dwell on these matters.
"When you are done talking, perhaps we can continue to the personal areas of the Sanctus Imperialis?"
The Sanctum Imperialis is the heart of the Inner Palace, the Hall of the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight, deep within the Inner Palace past the Eternity Gate, which they passed only a few moments ago when they arrived at the Throne Room.
Only the members of the Stormcast Eternals and a few select Imperial servants are allowed to pass through the Inner Palace's Eternity Gate and enter the presence of the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire.
Just like the Ultimate Gate separated the Outer Area of the Imperial Palace from the Inner Area of the Imperial Palace, the Eternity Gate separated the more public areas of the Sancuts Imperialis from the rest of the Throne Room, the personal chambers of the Imperial House, and other restricted areas of the Sanctus Imperialis to which only a selected few had access.
"We are going... though, you had to admit that to the people seeing it for the first time, seeing the Divine Throne in real life is rather shocking..."
Karl Franz muttered almost silently as he took the last look at the Divine Throne of Blood and Sunlight.
***
Several hours later, in the evening, the terrace of the Imperator's chambers
The rest of the day was rather hectic because tomorrow was the Military Awards Ceremony, so after he parted with Maria, Cerseia, and Cirilla, he went to the office of the Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace, Sebas Tian, to discuss the program for tomorrow and finish some of the latest preparations.
Similar ceremonies were very important within the Holy Arcadia Empire, because of the Imperial Militaristic and Warrior culture; being awarded the medals or something for their service was very important, and it was always a big thing.
It took a rather long to discuss all matters regarding the Imperial Military Awards Ceremony because, this time, he would be awarding Military Awards for the achievements done in the Holy Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos.
After finishing the matters, he returned back to his chambers to rest from the long journey and a lot of administrative work that he had done in the afternoon. Cirilla was shown to her room by Maria; her room was not that far from his own, in the inner heart of the Sanctus Imperialis.
Even though this place was enough to accommodate a few hundred people, the actual number could be counted on one hand. Aside from Karl Franz and Maria, Cersei recently got her room within the residential part of the Sanctus Imperialis, and Cirilla also got one of the rooms.
On top of them, there were several rooms reserved for a very limited number of people, including the High Chancellor of the Landsraad and a few ministers of the High Council of the Imperium.
"You are looking more gloomy today compared to the usual..."
He heard a female voice coming from the back while he was observing the night panorama of the Anor Londo, the Holy Imperial Capital of the Empire. The night panorama of the Anor Londo was something beautiful, with all of the lights across the city being lit up...
Maria Vileblood strode to him, hugging her fianceé from behind, gently pressing her head on his shoulder as they watched the night panorama of the Anor Londo. Even Maria had to admit that the peaceful sight of the Anor Londo was nice, and they had a rather romantic magic moment.
"Partially... just pondering over the matters and the future."
He muttered as he patted her head gently, as they together observed the night panorama of the Anor Londo.
"You should relax more; you are becoming more and more workaholic with each passing day... and the levels of stress are not good for you too..."