The kingdom of Icemere comprises three provinces. Zephyrcrest is managed by the Duke nobility. Dragonspire is managed by the Marquis nobility, and the last province, Andor, is managed by the Earl nobility, the lowest of the three. Each province will have from three to six cities.
Andor, the smallest of them all, comprises three cities: Lumin, Snowspell, and Riverdale. Each city is further managed by either a Viscount or a Baron. They are the lowest of the nobility, and it shows how degraded the Andor province is. And each province will have at least one head church.
A church oversees all religious matters, diplomatic relations, moral and ethical guidance, public safety, charity, healthcare, and basic education. It is where everyone turns when a problem arises in the cities of that province or nearby villages.
They are mostly answerable to the king and the god they pray to. This type of system, where each province is managed internally without the interference of another party, ensures a safe and economical advantage for the people and the kingdom.
If there is a problem in a province, it will stay in that province and be solved by the higher officials overseeing that province. With each church acting as a leader, the king won't need to address every problem unless it affects the entire kingdom.
It could be a large economic crisis, the spreading of an infectious disease, or the tension of war between the kingdoms.
For introducing this kind of system and making it a reality, the current king was hailed as "The Wise One" among the people.
And no one talks about it, but there is an air of war that is spreading over the five kingdoms currently.
Some say it is just a rumour spread by the travelling merchants, and some say it is an inevitable outcome of how things are. And what started it all? No one knows. It's just a baseless rumour spread from mouth to mouth.
The head church in Andor province is in Snowspell city. It is called "The Cathedral of the Holy Light."
Even the church didn't come forward to shed any light on the rumours that are raising tension in the public. Some blame it on being negligent, and some just don't care. It was the church's duty to manage all the internal matters that involved public safety.
The matters handled by the church became this loose after the High Pontiff, the head of the church, went missing. He was last seen around a year ago travelling to Zephyrcrest province for some urgent matter involving the king's orders. After that day, he didn't return, nor was he found anywhere.
So "The Cathedral of the Holy Light", the head church of Andor, branded it a missing case instead of declaring him dead. The priests and the hired adventurers and mercenaries never stopped searching for him, but even that stopped a few months ago under the supervision of the Archbishop of the Church.
Currently, the head church and the matters related to it are handled by the second-in-command, Archbishop Augustin. He has seen no use in spending the funds of the church on a person who could be dead already.
Everyone thought he was being cruel about that decision, but he had no other choice. The Andor province already survives on a bare minimum of resources that can't even be used during times of crisis. So he couldn't afford to lose even more. He thought at least that's what the High Pontiff would have wanted if he was alive.
From what is known to the public, the Archbishop's origins were in the Andor province. So he understood the people here better than anyone. Andor lacks the supply of the kingdom's funds and political stability because only a few people are skilled in the art of Magic and Aura.
All the people here work as labourers, farmers, or in other miscellaneous jobs. The kingdom's rule of offering something of value to get something of equal value in return applies even here. They couldn't contribute much with their meagre skills, so they get bread crumbs worth of financial support and resources.
A church usually has to demand and assign the resources, but it alone can't do anything with no rising talent from Andor. So Andor became a backwater province of Icemere. And with the High Pontiff missing, the state of affairs was hanging by a thread.
Even if the Archbishop was a miracle worker, miracles didn't happen overnight. But even then, there was a once-in-a-lifetime talent that originated from the city of Riverdale in Andor Province. She was known to the public as the strongest in the kingdom. She was hailed as one of the Five Swordsmen.
It was a name given to the five strongest swordsmen from each of the five kingdoms. Their strengths are respected even by their enemies. That's how skilled they were. Some of them even had the potential to reach heights that had never been seen before.
On this gusty night, the Archbishop completed his prayers and went into his office. It was a small room inside the church. He put on his reading glasses and went through all the documents that were placed on his desk.
As he stamped some of them, he put some aside for further verification. Usually, this would be done by the High Pontiff, but in his absence, the work went to the next in command, Archbishop Augustin.
This was the reason higher government officials always stayed cooped up in their rooms. They inspect and decide the state of affairs just through documents.
"I think it's enough for the day." As his daily quota of work was completed, he decided to go out. When he looked outside the window, the weather was acting up. So it was better to leave now.
"Knock! Knock!" The door opened after the knock.
"Sir Archbishop, a couple is waiting for you." He said those words, and without waiting for his reply, the priest closed the door. "Slam!"
He thought he had enough for the day, but it didn't look like it.
"Sigh~" With a deep sigh, he checked his clothing before going into the chapel of the church.
He was tired, but his job was to give guidance to those who sought it. It could be any time of the day. That was his job as the messenger of the gods.
Normally, this kind of menial work would be dealt with by other priests and a bishop, but he came to understand why he was needed here when he looked at the seated couple.
He looked at the priest beside the couple. He was the one who informed him of their arrival, but he didn't disclose their identities.
"Don't be angry at him, sir Augustin. It was we who told him not to tell our names." The man spoke.
They were none other than Nathan Winters, the viscount of Riverdale, and his wife, Isadora Winters. Riverdale is the city on the east border of the Andor Province. Half of the city's land is connected to Lumin, another city in Andor, and the other half is connected to one of the most dangerous seas around these parts, the Red Sea.
The other side of the Red Sea is covered by a land named Myrthia. It is a land unknown to many and isolated from the rest of the world. As there is no kingdom directly connected to the Andor Province, it is one of the safest borders of the entire Icemere because of its geography.
So even if the place was poor economically because of the minimal trade routes connected through the land, it survived because of its peaceful infrastructure. In the end, Andor is something that isn't degrading or moving towards development in the long run. It was just stagnant.
"Welcome, Viscount Nathan and Lady Isadora. I was just surprised to see you both, that's all." He greeted them with a smile.
The viscount is a tall and imposing man with broad shoulders and a commanding presence. He has short, dark hair that is always perfectly groomed, and a well-groomed beard that adds to his distinguished appearance. His sharp, angular features are softened by his deep-set blue eyes, which are often filled with warmth and humour.
But the only thing currently visible on that face was a grim look. He tried to hide it, but the dark circles under his eyes gave it away.
Isadora, the wife of Viscount, was a previous baroness. She is a woman of great elegance and grace, with long, curly hair that falls in loose waves around her face. Her eyes, a deep shade of emerald, are full of warmth and compassion. Her poise and manners are impeccable, a testament to her noble upbringing, and she carries herself with confidence and dignity.
She is known for her kind heart and gentle nature and is always looking for ways to help those in need. But that compassion was absent from her face today.
The Archbishop didn't know what was happening or what the reason for their dull moods was.