Chapter 67 - Wailing Widow

The climbing steps to the Wailing Widow was tiring work, but thanks to the story of Maeda the foraging party were able to kill the boredom.Aden and the party arrived at the Wailing Widow pass, they were presented with a path barely two spears span wide, with ridges and bedrock on each side. The path was also winding, ascending to the mountain with a hook peak.They caught a breath and took a deep sigh while looking at the bedrock and the mountain wall, it was scattered with foliage and mountain trees growing out of the gap and crack on each side of the mountain wall.They had to go deeper to the Wailing Widow pass to get the herbs.As Aden stepped into the mouth of the Wailing Widow pass, the drizzle became torrent, and the ground trembled with each step, as if the very earth itself quivered in anticipation of the tempest to come. The air was charged with electric energy, sending shivers down his spine. The sky above was a maelstrom of roiling clouds, their dark masses swirling with an intensity that mirrored the churning sea below.The wind howled like a vengeful spirit, its fury carrying the scent of rain and damp earth. The trees that clung desperately to the bedrock were bent and twisted by the constant onslaught, their branches swaying in a wild dance that mirrored the chaos above. Occasionally, a blinding flash of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the landscape with an eerie brilliance.The thunder crashed like the roar of a beast, echoing through the valleys and reverberating within Aden's chest. The mountainside was streaked with rivulets of water, carving their paths with fierce determination. As he ascended, the rain became a torrent, drenching him to the bone. But there was a strange exhilaration amid the storm's fury, a feeling of being connected to something primal and untamed.The lightning strikes were both awe-inspiring and terrifying. They cleaved the air with a searing brightness, momentarily turning night into day. Occasionally, they found their mark among the towering trees, splintering trunks and setting the forest ablaze in an instant. The ground itself became a battleground, where bolts of lightning struck with the force of a titan's wrath.At the mountain's summit, the chaos reached its crescendo. The winds whipped with an intensity that threatened to tear Aden from his feet. The air was charged with an almost palpable tension as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling. The lightning strikes here were more frequent, more ferocious, casting an ethereal glow upon the jagged peaks and the world below.Amidst the fury, there was a strange kind of beauty that emerged. The clash of elements, the dance of lightning and thunder, the relentless rain—it all wove together into a tapestry of nature's primal might. In the heart of Stormsteps Mountain, Aden became a witness to a spectacle that transcended the boundaries of the mundane world, where the very forces of nature seemed to come alive with a fierce and untamed spirit.Walking at the front of the group, Ser Percival led the way, his face stern as if battling an internal conflict unknown to the others. The story of Maeda's actions had been weighing on the knight's mind since they entered this perilous mountain pass. As a knight and a student of law from the Regalyon Academy, he could not ignore the ethical dilemma."We don't have such things as war crimes or a Code of Conduct until recently," Ser Percival said, his voice breaking the uneasy silence as he opened up another conversation.The others listened intently, their curiosity piqued by the learned knight's words."About two thousand years ago, when the oracle Yuad escorted our people out of the Damned City, they were attacked by the people of Biha. When they finally settled in a safe place, his God commanded him to take over their city and kill every man, married woman, child, and infant, bashing the babes against the rocks. They were to slaughter their livestock and..." Ser Percival paused, his jaw tightening. "And rape their virgin girls."A heavy silence fell over the group as the weight of Ser Percival's words sank in. The atrocities he described seemed unthinkable, yet they were rooted in the very foundations of their faith.Aden shifted uncomfortably, his grip tightening on his spear as he struggled to reconcile such brutality with such beliefs rooted in the same belief of God of Many Names.Gilbert's face paled, and he found himself questioning the tenets he had long accepted without doubt.Even Hjalmar, a warrior to his core, could not mask the unease that flickered across his rugged features.Only Maeda remained impassive, his expression unreadable as he listened to the knight's words."So, what happened?" asked Hjalmar, he vaulted a steep rock to keep up with the party as the path was narrow and only accommodated four people walking side by side."Oracle Yuad proceeded. his people split into two. the one who followed oracle Yuad took over the city and did succeed. After Yuad's people's attack succeeded and fell back to regroup, the one who refused to attack the city later came into the city and did what believed to be God commanded led by Simira.""Believed to be?" Aden raised his brows. in the Lua Light version, oracle Yuad only got the command to attack their city. there was nothing about overkilling the innocents in the Biha's city.Ser Percival regarding the Chedaim prophet's teaching, "There were different narration between the High Reveri.""Some justify Simira that the Biha people would be back with reinforcement and thus they have to be finished entirely, while the other against what Simira did because it was not commanded by god." Ser Percival shared his view on Chedaism. "Some said it was Simira who added God's command about the killing every married woman, and children, bash their infants to the rock, kill their livestock, and rape their virgin girls.""And what narration was considered canon?" Gilbert asked, he knew this story like the back of his hands because his family is a devoted Aionian but he never heard such another version of the narration, thus he asked."Simira Witness narration." Ser Percival answered shortly. "The Chedaim and church of Aione believe in Simira Witness as canon."Ser Percival looked up at the bleak, rain-drizzled sky. "It is days like this when the purpose of the New Way feels clearer than ever," he remarked. "Bringing humanity and compassion back to these lands after so many generations of ceaseless, senseless war."He was referencing the progressive movement in recent decades to establish ethical norms around warfare - a movement that culminated some years ago in the ratification of the Sacraterra Conventions by most dominions and lordships on the Wessen continent.Drafted and signed during an assembly of delegates in Sacraterra city, the revered home of the Albion Papal Principality, these accords outlined principles for the ethical treatment of civilians and prisoners of war alike. In the era preceding the Conventions, destruction of villages, pillaging of temples, torturing of helpless peasants for strategic advantage or mere sport - such wanton violence had become commonplace, numbing warriors' souls.But the Conventions strictly prohibited these practices and more amongst adhering factions. Standards for habitable detention camps, the timely burial of the dead, and safe treatment of the wounded and their caregivers in neutral healing shelters - such policies offered care and dignity even amid conflict. Perhaps most meaningfully, they forbade the desecration of orphanages, granaries, and villages unlucky enough to be caught in warring territories - saving countless innocents from the worst depredations.Ironically, all of them were already implemented by the Ruhimis hundreds of years earlier way before the series of Great Crusades began.By enshrining these humanitarian rules as law enforced by the Pontiff's own tribunals, the Sacraterra Conventions injected morals into mortal disputes. As rain ran down his brow, Ser Percival smiled proudly at this accomplishment from an era he helped shape. "This is why the New Way was born," he remarked."Wait, you said most of the dominions in the Wessen?" Aden asked, his curiosity piqued about which dominion was excluded from the Sacraterra Conventions."Haretz Ark," Ser Percival replied with a tone half-shamed. "Haretz Ark is the only dominion which doesn't abide by the convention."Gilbert nodded. "Haretz Ark is a domain exclusive for chedaims on the former territory of Valueldor after they were hunted and killed by the Valuel King and army. They settled in the Ivory Mesa and established the dominion named Haretz Ark on that mesa."He paused before continuing carefully, "The Chosen People...relocated the Dyonys people who were the original inhabitants of the Ivory Mesa."Ser Percival shifted his glance toward the plump acolyte. Gilbert used the word 'relocate' to downplay what truly happened - the Yeva, or the chedaims, or the Chosen People, slaughtered and drove off every Dyon denizen, killing those who refused to surrender their property to the new settlers.The chedaims were expelling and massacring the very Dyon people who had welcomed them with open arms, providing safety and shelter in their time of need.This safe haven of the Chedaims, who claimed to be God's chosen people, the blood of God from the Church of Aione, the gods who walked the earth, the original people of the ark - was known as Haretz Ark. Located near the eastern coast on a towering flat-topped mountain shaped like an ark, it was a fertile, strategic place where the Seven Springs originated.Unlike in the Median peninsula, in the Wessen continent, the chedaim were exclusive and of a higher class than even the emperor himself. They had their own laws and rules, and no local authority could take action against them in the Wessen dominions.The memory of Ralph, that annoying donkey who somehow held a grudge against Aden, came back - certain people were simply born to such privilege."What are the Seven Springs?" Aden asked curiously as he plucked an herb from a rocky crevice."The source of the seven major rivers across the Wessen continent," Gilbert replied with pride. "Every dominion and territory depends on those seven rivers.""Why was Valueldor killing the chedaims?" Aden pressed.Gilbert's face darkened. "The chedaims were accused of conspiring against the Valuel king and attempting on his life.""What were the chedaims after?" Hjalmar chimed in."They were accused of wanting the Ivory Mesa," Ser Percival added. "Rumor was they tried to purchase it from Valueldor, but the king refused as it was the territory of the Duke of Dyon - not Valuel's to give what they didn't possess.""But the Dyon Duchy was a Valueldor vassal territory," Gilbert countered."The accounts differ," Ser Percival stated. "One said that the Duke of Dyon demanded the chedaim people be expelled from Valueldor for even asking about the Ivory Mesa, and Valueldor followed through by killing them. Another claimed that after failing to purchase the Ivory Mesa from the Valuel King, the chedaims sent assassins in several attempts on the King's life. When that failed, they tried to usurp him and install a new king who would give them the mesa."Gilbert nodded grimly. "Long story short, the holy alliance of Ruslengard and the Regalia Empirium banded together and defeated the mighty Valueldor."Aden knew this part of the story well - the infamous Valuel King screaming his innocence and vowing he wouldn't let any grass grow on his grave if he was wrongly accused. Before the executioner's blade fell before the masses, he stated he had separated his crown which held the location of the Valuel Gate where Valueldor's great treasury lay.Everyone wanted to get their hands on the Crown's pieces.This sparked the Valuel Rush some 80 years ago and also ushered in the Age of Mercenaries.The great war against Valueldor had cost both Ruslengard and the Regalia Empirium dearly. They couldn't even replenish their manpower to this day, having lost so many men they now relied on mercenaries from within and without the continent to fight over Valueldor's former territories.Located at the heart of the Wessen, after Valueldor's downfall, its lands became a delicious cake ripe for claiming. Ruslengard and the Regalia Empirium agreed to grant the Ivory Mesa - territory belonging to the Duke of Dyon - to the chedaims. Yet the two superpowers disagreed on how to carve up the rest of Valueldor's former holdings.Furthermore, internal conflict had split the Regalia Empirium into five dominions, with the Regalia Empirium left as a shadow of its former self known today as the Regalyon Empire. Ruslengard saw this as an opportunity to claim Valueldor's northern territories for themselves, absorbing each vassal lord under their banner.The remaining five Regalian dominions didn't want to be left behind either. With mercenary help, they too marched on the Wessen's heart to stake claims on Valueldor's lands and those of its former vassal lords."Why was that place so important to them?" Aden asked, plucking a herb that just came to his sight."The prophecy," Ser Percival replied. "The chedaim believed their Messiah would appear once they established dominion, descending on the white mountain atop a white mount."Aden knew that part well too. They believed the Final Prophecy would conclude with the coming of their own Great Prophet's descendant, named Ruhim.According to Lua Light tradition, because Ruhim was born of Median blood, the chedaim rejected him, especially after the God of Many Names demoted them to equal status with all peoples. Thus they accused Ruhim of speaking not for The One True God, but out of himself.To this day, the chedaim awaited their prophesied Messiah and the return of their Great Prophet Ruhim to appear among their ranks.⁕⁕⁕Thanks to the downfall of the triarchy crusader superpowers - Edenreach, Valueldor, and the Regalia Empirium - the Fourth Crusade War went up in smoke. The Median world could breathe easy once more. The Jinns, who had prepared for battle against the Wessen Crusaders with their hundred-thousand-strong forces, found themselves out of a job. They returned to mundane lives, while others headed north to the Wessen to seek their fortunes and test their mettle on the Valuel Front."The mercenary business boomed after that," Hjalmar chimed in, ever the opportunist pirate. "With the old powers in disarray, every upstart lord and Lady Jane started hiring blades to carve out their own pie slices."Aden nodded, recalling the chaotic period that birthed the Age of Mercenaries. "Easy coin for skilled fighters when there's more work than hands.""Aye, the good old days," Ser Percival said wistfully. "Before the Companies muscled out the solo operators and turned it all into a racket."As they delved deeper into the winding trail of the Wailing Widow Pass, Hjalmar picked up the tale. "The fall of Valueldor left a power vacuum fiercer than a winter wolf pack fighting over a kill. Ruslengard and the remnants of the Regalia Empirium were like two starving beasts, each seeking to consume the most succulent morsels of land and riches.""But they couldn't agree who got what?" Aden surmised."Exactly," Ser Percival confirmed with a mirthless chuckle. "And rather than parley, they let the matter be settled by whichever dominion could field the most blades. The land brokers became the true powers, signing on merc bands as proxies for their feuds.""While we lined our pockets," Hjalmar added with a sly grin, "getting paid from both sides to fight their squabbles."As the banter continued, Maeda remained silent, his gaze fixed on the looming, hook-shaped mountain peak ahead. A specter from his past that drew him inexorably down this path, for better or worse.When the foraging party made arrived at the part of the pass where herbs were growing in abundance, their senses on high alert for any signs of danger, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and foreboding. The pass was known for its treacherous terrain and its eerie reputation, with stories of ghostly apparitions and supernatural occurrences."Spread out and start foraging! watch your surroundings, don't go far from the others, keep it within two spears span to each other," Ser Percival addressing the task. The two-spear span was the standard protocol in reconnaissance corps when they dive into enemy territory, scout the unknown territory, or infiltrate behind the enemy's line."fill the basket as much as you can! we need to get out of this pass soon," Ser Percival aware that the Wailing Widow pass was in between two ridges, a perfect place for ambush.Aden, Hjalmar, Maeda, and Gilbert started to pluck the herb plants.Ser Percival's anxiety was not out of nowhere. Bandits used to ambush travelers in this pass. He didn't want to scare the party.After a family of four was found killed by bandits on this pass thirty years ago, the previous village chief decided to close this pass while the Crown made an alternative route from the mountain's foothill.The Wailing Widow pass was not very popular for economic and geographical purposes, not even nearby lords would claim this pass under their territory. Why would they need to walk the pass if they could just circle around it with a ship? It was not economically wise. The village had to rely on the Crown when some incident happened, which would take time way longer than having a local lord to answer their distress.⁕⁕⁕