Death of a Bastard

[Eddywilson2 2117]

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

“Orcs on the road! Orcs on the road! They’re attacking Haensemen,” cried the rider as he came through the gates of New Reza at full gallop. A daily occurence in Haense as the eternal war raged on– but for Tiberius, it was an excuse to get out of the palace and back on the field where he belonged. His comrades, Rennard Amador and Ser Siegmund Wick, were with him. Together, they armored up to drive the raiders from their home.

 

As soon as the orcs saw them, they turned heel and ran towards Helena. The rescue party made chase, cutting an orc down in the process. The soldiers grinned amongst each other as they realized they had once again removed the threat from Haense and made its roads safe once more. Tiberius turned towards Rennard as they were about to head back to the city “We’ll need to get a drink after this,” he said with a smile. It quickly vanished as the sound of a war horn blared across the countryside, followed by the command:

 

“Kill the Haensemen!”

 

The shield bash nearly knocked Tiberius off of his feet. Twirling away from it, he got a quick read of the situation. Morsgradians, six in number, pushed their way through the group. Already, men were falling and seeing it as a hopeless situation, Tiberius called out the order.

 

“Fall back! Fall back to Helena!”

 

Sweat dripped down Tiberius’ face as the group fought a retreat back towards Helena. However, an earthquake, seeming more and more frequent in these lands, caused Tiberius to stumble. A Morsgradi took advantage of it and all went dark as the flat of the bandit’s blade connected with Tiberius’ helm.

 

He awoke in a cramped cell. Agitated voices filled the cell as Tiberius struggled to orientate himself. The smell of piss and **** wafted into his nose, causing him to gag. Rubern. There was no doubt about it. To his left, he could hear Rennard speaking with the captors. Tiberius sat up, rubbing his face with his sleeve as he looked at his stump. Courtesy of the High Elves. He wondered if he’d be tortured like them again.

 

His voice came out in a croak. “Ale,” he said to his captors. They treated him as well as one could expect in such a situation, and his request was granted. He brought the liquid to his lips, drinking deeply. He did not know if it would be his last.

 

The captors began to look between one another as shouts came from above. “Soldiers at the gates,” a cry came from above! The jail quickly emptied as the captors scrambled up to man the walls. “Rennard, can you manage to free yourself?” he called as he lowered his shoulder against the door that kept him from freedom. They tried to break down their doors, but fate was not on their side as both doors jammed out of place.

 

Tiberius paced in his cell as he heard the fighting above. The shouts and screams began to fade as the fighting moved further away from Rubern. It was some time before only a few of the captors returned. It seemed the Orenians had killed many.

 

“Get him to his feet,” the voice called from outside. Two bandits entered the cells, moving to drag Tiberius out of the cell. Shaking his head, Tiberius held out his hand to stop them. He’d walk on his own two feet. They brought him to a gallows where a lone noose swayed in the breeze. He smiled, not at the situation, but as he saw Rennard being released. At least, his friend would live on another day.

 

The horsehair rope scrapped against Tiberius’ neck in discomfort. A temporary thing, as he would soon be free of all pain. The voice called up to Tiberius.

 

“Do you have any final words?”

 

Tiberius looked up at the sky as he took one last breath of the cooling air of the Highlands.

 

“Long live Haense! Long live the Empire!”

 

The board beneath his feet dropped, and the rope went taut.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There would be no letters for Tiberius’ family or loved ones as he had none. He only had Haense.

 

TIBERIUS BARROW
1719-1754
 

[Eryane 3698]

Maya locked herself in her room as soon as she received the news of his execution. She could hardly begin to count the amount of people who she had mourned over anymore. The pain didn’t numb any, but only worsened each time she lost another family member– but in this case, another friend.

 

---

 

“I feel like I have hardly ever gotten to speak with you until now, if I'm honest.” A smile was wide across Maya’s countenance as she spoke, seated directly across Ser Tiberius within the Ekaterinburg gardens. She had never truly gotten to meet him until then– something she regretted not doing sooner. 

 

“The feeling is mutual. An opportunity that I will certainly try to take advantage of in the future,” he had said and sat back within his seat. 

 

“What all is there to know about the one and only, Lord Regent, Ser Tiberius?” Both of her brows had risen as she kept up her smile of genuinity. It had been a great while since she was able to have a casual conversation with someone and it came as a larger relief than she’d imagined. 

 

Tiberius shifted his weight and looked out toward the rest of the garden. “There is little to know besides being a servant to Haense.” His modesty only increased the respect she had for him; as he was the man who helped keep the kingdom together after the death of Andrik. There was not enough time in the world for her to give the thanks and appreciation for all that he had done for Haense. 

 

“You don’t have a favorite color, or a preference in weather? Simply, a servant to Haense?” Maya had drummed her fingers along the table then as she let out a small laugh of her own.

 

He had kept his gaze to the nature. The rain had been pouring for quite some time then, which led the both of them to be seated directly under the canopy. “Well, I guess you heard my preference in weather when I said I missed the snow.” There was a pause before he turned back to her. “I have lived a. . difficult life. Focus on my service helps me carry on with those burdens.”

 

---

 

For once, she had felt as though someone understood her; someone whose past had haunted them. She hadn’t laughed as much as she did that evening. It was like she was listening to herself speak throughout the rest of their conversation, with his undeniable love of Haense on top of everything else they spoke of. She would’ve given anything to have just one more talk with him.  

 

Her hand grasped the pot upon her desk at a corner of her room and threw it at the wall, letting out a scream she could no longer suppress as soon as the tears streamed down. Maya fell to her knees as she stared at the shattered pieces that were splayed across the floor.

 

---

 

“We are all in this fight together,” were her final words of their conversation, to Tiberius– a friend she wished she could have known better, or spoken to more.

 

“That we are. That we are.”

[winterblood 11181]

Alexandria Karina Barbanov sat within the narrow archways overlooking the Grand Hall of the Royal Palace in Reza, quietly watching over the hastily moving guardsmen and servants as they prepared themselves for the raid, hurriedly making their ways out from the palace grounds and toward the city’s southern gates.  ”Those Ruberni Rats have our Lord Regent!” a voice yelled from the courtyard.  ”Rally the men, we must free him from their clutches!”  The young princess was growing anxious from all of the shouting, which was eventually accompanied by the clangor of bells to summon able-bodied fighters.  She retreated to her room and prayed.

[Nathan_Barnett36 1564]

“Should’ve made me Lord Speaker!” he’d say, grumbling to himself

[Drew2_dude 2636]

Upon hearing the news, Sigmar Baruch remains in his room for days in solitude where he prays for his beloved friend’s soul. He thinks back to all that wars have cost him. His parents, King Marius II, his mentors Georg Stanimar and Leopold Stafyr, Andrik III, and now  the Lord Regent Tiberius. “When will these Troubles end...”

[Ryloth 4321]

“About time!” The High Aelkos scoffs, surprised.

((rip tiberius he a good fighter

[Askuzai 505]

Chadmyr frowns as his suspicions were confirmed – For he did not get to see the execution. His wound had too great of a need for care. It is a sad thing that he wont ever get to speak with Tiberius again. Sad to say that he never did learn the name of the man past his title of Regent, but at the very least he hoped that he gave some last comforts to the now hanged regent with their chat – and his flask of Ale. ”Hopefully you didnt end up where that uncle ******* ***** went, Haense Regent.” he said to the skies with a chuckle, To whatever place Tiberius’ soul had ended up, truly they had shared a very short time together. 

[Imperium 3495]

Siguine recalls seeing the Lord Regent not long before his death, “A shame, he honored House Ruthern. I pray I can repay my debt to him one day.”

[Kalehart 1096]

Peter carries a set of tankards out from the tavern in Reza, his brow creased in a deep frown and his eyes shifting briefly to the sky. With a quiet sigh, the man upturns one of the tankards to pour its contents onto the ground. 

 

"Meet 'im in the skies, Aleksandr. The man shared yer spirit, an' carried yer legacy. Give 'im the welcome he deserves, aye?"

 

After watching the ale soak into the earth, he turns and settles himself at a table to down a few large gulps of alcohol. Closing his eyes for a moment, the old bastard gives a slight nod, then fixes a steeled glare straight ahead into the distance.

[moosehunter123 1081]

Reserved

[koanda 620]

Charlotte understood war, she spent endless hours reading through tomes that told of age old battles, and lovesick widows, but nothing prepared her for the reality of it. The news of his death reawakened a sense of guilt in her, looking toward the moon as a single tear rolled down her cheek...

“I never did buy you that drink. I hope it’s alright to wait a little longer.”

[Elite Snipes 3563]

Targoth Korgahk’Gorkil the Honorable would slightly grin at hearing the death of Tiberius. “Deze Ashes ahm flatting lyk Dohgs. Leyt him feehl pain agh agony for flattin mi bruddaz. Agh May Ehnrok Bless uhs wif Victori agh Avenge ouhr flatted Bruddaz. WAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!”

[Novastral 582]

Reserved