A Reiter Laid to Rest

[Chase 3793]

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

The sun dipped below the horizon, bidding farewell to yet another peaceful day for the knight. The Vallberg lands were simple, a keep near the shore, with a pier. It was quaint and out of the way, sporting banners reminiscent of the Vrakai Keep upon Atlas.

 

One hundred and five years, the Vallberg had been alive. Sixty three years ago, the Siege of Helena had proved Renatian valor in times of war. Twenty five years prior, he served as an imperial legionnaire. Through trials and tribulations, he was knighted as a member of the Order of Pertinax at the height of the War of Two Emperors. 

 

Now, his life was nearing its end, and he knew this. His days spent upon the planks of the pier adjacent to the keep, always sporting a tackle-box of lures and bait nearby. Oftentimes, the aged man accompanied by an ‘aheral accomplice, Ilaeri Elervathar, whom he met after she stumbled upon the keep in a bout of insomnia-driven wandering.

 

 

---

 

Upon the eve of 9th of Horen’s Calling, Conan laid within his bed. Ilaeri within the adjacent kitchen, cleaning up after a night of cards, war stories, and drinking. His mind raced.

 

At the young age of 16, he had joined the legion as a civilian aid to put down Priorist Blackshirts amidst a political riot. The snarling visage of Renna Talraen during their brief clash replayed in his mind for the months to come following the comeuppance. A week after the riots, he formally enlisted.

 

During the waning years of his adolescence, he was relentlessly harassed by his cousin, Cato Darius af Mórr, for enlisting instead of becoming a mercenary, the family trade. He remembered his adventures with Amelia Philippa and Stefen Morovic, roving the Atlasian roads in search of something to do.

 

Nearing the age of 19, he watched as his close friend was married off to Cassius Horen, a man who soon became his commanding officer within the legion. Morovic pursued knighthood, and the Vallberg took up the rank of a Reiter mercenary under heavy pressure from his cousin. During this time, Conan sired a bastard child with Amelia. Born under the cover of night, the child was raised in Belevitz, kept distant from his prominent mother to avoid the swell of rumours his existence would certainly encourage. Though Hadrian remained unremarkable - unlike his namesake half-brother - he continued the Vallberg lineage.

 

Conan served dutifully for half a century before retiring, under the impression that his work was done. However, with the Orenian rebellion brutally thrusting the realm into a state of war, his soldiering was far from over. 

 

During the War of Two Emperors, he was accepted into the Order of Pertinaxi as a Renatian knight, outfitting himself with the title of ‘Ser’. He worked tirelessly to prepare fortifications for the pending Siege of Helena, and fought alongside his comrades during such. His efforts in preparation earned him the title of ‘Draughtsman of Renatus’.

Now he laid within his bed, a spare glance shot towards his desk, where his last will and testaments were kept, neatly penned years in advance.

 

”Ilaeri.” Came his voice, cracked and broken, far from what it once was capable of.

 

”Ti?” The ‘aheral swiftly entered the room, nearing the bed and looking to the man.

 

”Live well,” he paused to raspily cough, “- and keep safe. Ave Renatus.”

 

The aged knight had lost the battle to keep his eyelids open. He brought his hands to clasp atop his abdomen neatly, before drawing in a breath which would prove to be his last.

 

 

Ser Conan Vallberg af Mórr of Vrakai

 Renatian Knight of the Pertinaxi Order, Draughtsman of Renatus, Black Reiter Mercenary
1674 - 1779

[trinn 5145]

“Get the **** out of here, I came here first.” Amelia Philippa says upon seeing the man in the Seven Skies, sipping on a cocktail with a paper parasol within it. 

[Guest]

Consus “The Giantslayer” Valentinian Vallberg greets his far-flung brother in arms with the Sun’s Smile. 

[LithiumSedai 5750]

“A good life upon those who remained. Eternal rest with the Heroes of Man for those who did not,” wished an old Renatian knight known as Corwin von Alstreim, reminiscing of his old comrades, among them the former Reiter and Draughtsman.

 

---

 

Renna Talraen trailed after Conan in the torturous afterlife known as the Seven Skies, banshee-screeching Priorist chants into his ear.

[rukio 8924]

Lily Mournstone signs the Lorraine. “May he rest well in the afterlife.”