Urahra 5359 Share Posted September 26, 2022 OOC: Continued from Part 4Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 here. You may notice that parts of the screenshots have been covered up with black boxes. I did this to edit out LOOC conversations, DMs, server notices, server announcements, troll RP, irrelevant RP, etc. Warning for some romantic dialogue, etc. No kissy emotes or FTBs though. Even so, if romance RP grosses you out, you've been warned. Recap: Spoiler Long-simmering tensions between the Adrians and the Savoyards at long last boiled into outright civil war. While the Dukes' War tore Oren in two, Jace remained locked in the dark, gloomy bowels of the de Bar fortress - Peremont. For three years, he went without seeing the sun or feeling the wind on his face. His only company in this tomb was one Asher Bridgehelm, a Vydrian order soldier who had been detained while trying to defend Vanaheim from Savoyard raiders. As months dragged on into years, Jace feared that he might never escape from his imprisonment. With news of Adria's defeat, Jace resigned himself to what he believed was an inevitable execution. When all hope seemed lost, Jace's brother, the Lord Steward Publius Bracchus, arrived to pay his ransom. Publius arranged for Jace to receive a pardon. Jace had spent the entirety of the war behind bars and thus never committed a single violent act against the Savoyard forces. In addition, Jace had remained committed to neutrality throughout. As such, Publius argued that the Crown had no reason to punish him. Jace was released at long last and allowed to return home to Vanaheim. He arrived to find the duchy of Vanaheim devastated by war. Almost every citizen had fled. The walls surrounding the town were crumbling and full of holes. Orcs and frost trolls freely roamed the icy hills. Yet the lights still glowed in the windows of the church - and Jace knew he would find his beloved Sister Lorina there. Lorina had remained steadfastly in Vanaheim to aid what few people remained in the war-torn duchy. Jace - emaciated and dirty as he was from years of imprisonment - rushed to meet her in the church. The two of them embraced passionately, sobbing into each other's arms, happy only to be reunited and alive. Though they both knew it was wrong and a flagrant violation of Sister Lorina's vows, they consummated their long-standing romantic feelings for one another that night. The war had devastated them both. They saw friends and family mutilated, kidnapped, and killed. Neither of them knew if they'd survive until tomorrow. Who could blame two desperate, exhausted people for grasping at whatever comfort they could take in such a tumultuous time? They agreed that they would never tell anyone what happened and take the secret to their graves. Perhaps God would forgive them for a momentary indiscretion, considering all the misfortune had befallen them. Jace faced an uncertain future. News came to Vanaheim that King Olivier de Savoie had passed away. Lord Chancellor Guy de Bar was set to take the throne and become King Guy de Bar. The Lord Chancellor had extended his mercy to Jace, but there was no guarantee that Jace would keep his lands under the new regime. Vanaheim had been reduced to ruins, its leaders put to the sword. Jace suspected that Percival Staunton, who betrayed Duke Vasili and defected to Savoy, would be given dominion over Vanaheim as its duke. What, then, would become of him? What would become of Lorina? The two only had each other in the wake of the war. Trembling, they could do nothing but hold each other's hands as the days ticked by, waiting to see what destiny had in store for them. EPISODE 17 The Razing of Vanaheim Spoiler News came from the capital city, Felsen, that Lord Chancellor Guy de Bar had ordered Vanaheim be razed to the ground. The Knights of St. Amyas and Guy de Bar would arrive in a few months to oversee the destruction of the duchy. Jace asked that certain parts of Vanaheim be spared - such as Lorina's church, his manor, and the town of Kraken's Watch. Guy, to Jace's surprise, agreed to let portions of the duchy remain standing. Guy de Bar also appointed Jace as the temporary steward of the northern lands. Until the duchy was razed, Jace would remain lord over the ruins of Vanaheim. Publius kept to his word and freed Asher Bridgehelm from Peremont. Asher arrived in Vanaheim some months after Jace - and pledged to help him rebuild Vanaheim. Together, Jace, Lorina, and Asher would try to revitalize the wreck of a duchy. Spoiler As they awaited for the Knights of St. Amyas to arrive and raze the city, Lorina also had news for Jace. Spoiler Lorina lead Jace upstairs. In hushed whispers, she revealed her suspicion that she might be pregnant. Jace couldn't believe what he was hearing. They never considered pregnancy a possibility, since they were both well into middle-age and Lorina was on the cusp of menopause. But Jace recalled, years ago, the conversation they'd had with her elder brother Boris. The Tuvic Carrions, it was rumored, were remarkably fertile. Tuvya, Lorina's father, had the nickname "Tuv the Fertile" and had sired purportedly hundreds of children. Lorina's mother, Mary Therving, gave birth to Lorina at age 40. Spoiler Jace was simultaneously cautious and overjoyed. It seemed like a blessing to have a child with the woman he'd loved for decades. Yet he knew that Lorina would be severely punished by the Church if it was discovered she'd not only violated her vows, but also given birth to a bastard child. They concocted a plan. Lorina had a good excuse to temporarily leave Vanaheim since it was about to be razed. Jace would pay for her to leave the duchy and go somewhere to give birth in secret. She would return with the baby in a few months, when the duchy had begun the process of rebuilding. Lorina left Vanaheim just as Guy de Bar and the Knights of St. Amyas arrived to raze the duchy. Jace had no choice but to assist in destroying the town he had worked so hard to build. Spoiler Once Guy de Bar had burned Vanaheim to the ground, though, he delivered some unexpected news. The Lord Chancellor - soon to be King of Oren - informed Jace that he would be named the new Duke of Vanaheim. The revelation shocked Jace. He expected that Percival Staunton, who remained a loyalist during the war, would be named the new Duke of Vanaheim. He couldn't fathom why he'd been chosen over Percival. Regardless, he accepted the title with humility and gratitude. It did not strike him as a great prize, to be named liege lord over a ruin. Jace felt as though he had failed the small folk who relied on him as their count. He did not deserve a title so great as Duke. Regardless, he was determined to use his new powers for good. EPISODE 18 Duke of the North Spoiler Jace suddenly found himself as the liege over all of Vanaheim, ruling as the Duke of the North. It was a position he never expected to be in. Jace had never hungered for power. He was not the sort of grasping, ambitious man that sought to claw his way up Oren's political ladder. It seemed to him that he had fallen into power almost accidentally. He had started his life as a peasant working the land. Now, he ruled over it. Jace was determined to make good use of his new position, though. He had failed his people during the war, yes. But he would rebuild Vanaheim back stronger and better than ever before. He gathered his vassals to outline a plan for the duchy's future. Spoiler The Stauntons presented a problem. Percival Staunton had defected to Savoy during the war. During his imprisonment at Peremont, Jace had seen the letter Percival wrote to King Olivier. Percival pledged his support for the crown... in exchange for the lands which Jace now held. Even Jace expected that Percival would become the new Duke of Vanaheim. Yet he, Jace, had been chosen instead. He worried about the Stauntons' envy, yet emphasized the need for them all to work together. This was not a time for jealousy or petty infighting, but for rebuilding. He hoped that the Stauntons would see sense in what he said. Jace named the Bridgehelms as dual-mayors of Kraken's Watch and assigned them the task of rebuilding the town. He hoped they could all set aside the conflicts they'd had during the war and find some common ground in improving the duchy. Spoiler Yet in this heart, he feared that the Stauntons would not take the slights against them lying down. EPISODE 19 Staunton Suspicions Spoiler Lorina returned to Vanaheim several months later with a newborn baby boy in tow. They decided to name the child Andrik. Jace planned to legitimize baby Andrik and make him heir to the dukedom. If asked, Jace would claim the mother was some anonymous serving girl who'd taken pity on him in Peremont. Plenty of noblemen sired bastard children and legitimized them, so it wouldn't raise suspicions. Jace would also appoint Lorina as his son's governess so that she could remain a presence in the child's life. It was just as Lorina had feared, though. Andrik was born with all the features that typified a Tuvic Carrion - black hair, green eyes, pale skin, Karovic bone structure. It wouldn't take a genius to deduce that Jace's son and heir was, very likely, born from the Carrion nun with whom he'd always maintained a close and intimate friendship. They had no choice but to try and make the situation work, though. No matter what, the baby was here and needed their protection as parents. Lorina, now an Abbess, intended to build a convent in Vanaheim so that she could remain close to Jace, the father of her child. Meanwhile, the security of the duchy had become a growing problem - with orcs seeing the war-weary Vanaheim as easy pickings for raiders. Spoiler Lorina's fears came true when the Bridgehelms immediately deduced that baby Andrik was actually her child with Jace. Asher Bridgehelm had spent nigh-on three years in captivity with Jace, sharing a tiny cell with no privacy for either of them. So Asher knew that Jace never had a liaison with a serving girl in Peremont. But he could see how much Jace and Lorina obviously cared for one another - and that their mutual affection went beyond the bounds of platonic friendship. Spoiler Luckily for Jace, the Bridgehelms were too loyal to dare expose the secret. They agreed to keep the truth about the baby's parentage to themselves. They all had a bigger problem to worry about, after all: the problem of the Stauntons. Percival Staunton and his ilk had always been resistant to authority. Percival's envy and hatred toward Jace had become readily apparent in the years following the year. Percival felt slighted by Guy de Bar. He was the one who'd pledged loyalty to the crown and fought on the side of the Savoyards while Jace was behind bars. Percival felt he deserved dominion over Vanaheim, not Jace. So the Stauntons flouted Jace's authority over them at every turn. The Stauntons refused to attend the yearly vassal meetings at Kraken's Watch. Strange rumors swirled about their fortress on the other side of the river. They refused to share necessary census data with Jace. Jace was left with no knowledge about what his own vassals were doing. Spoiler Jace began to suspect the Stauntons of treachery, though he could not figure out what their plans were. David Bridgehelm, Asher's brother, delivered the news that the Stauntons had been imprisoning and even torturing their citizens. They flouted Oren's laws and all of Jace's proclamations as duke. They even forcefully conscripted Asher Bridgehelm and marched him out on what was assuredly a suicide mission against a dragon - clearly an attempt to get those men loyal to Jace killed in action. Spoiler Jace realized he was backed into a corner. Ser Drake Lancefeld, who was supposed to oversee Vanaheim's military forces, had disappeared. Jace wondered if the Stauntons had assassinated Ser Lancefeld. After all, it was Ser Lancefeld who had humiliated them at the first meeting of the ducal council. If the Stauntons attempted a coup now, Jace would not have the power to resist them. It seemed to him like it was only a matter of time before the Stauntons made their play. And it was. EPISODE 20 Escape from Oren Spoiler Jace's suspicions of Staunton treachery were indeed well-founded. One morning, Jace awoke to a messenger pounding on the gates of Kraken's Watch. King Guy de Bar had been assassinated a mere three years into his reign. He had fallen victim to the Polycarp Plot. The Church of the Canon had collaborated with House Chivay, the Stauntons, and the fallen House Horen to stage a coup against Guy de Bar. John Frederick Horen - a Horen descendant from abroad - had returned to Oren to orchestrate the coup and return his family to a place of prominence. The Horens had not held the throne of Oren since the fall of King William generations ago. After the successful assassination of Guy de Bar, John Frederick Horen was crowned Holy Orenian Emperor by the church and given the name Emperor John I. The Stauntons had been promised control of Vanaheim for assisting in the Polycarp Plot. Jace realized with mounting horror that the Stauntons - backed by the new Emperor - planned to storm his keep and kill him, taking his duchy by force. He would die. His son Andrik, only two years old, would also die. Lorina, as the last living member of the Imperial Tuvic line, would also likely die. They had only a narrow window of time before the Stauntons struck. Jace called Lorina to his keep. He knew he had no choice but to run, yet he couldn't possibly leave Lorina behind. He asked her to elope with him. Jace never wanted power for himself. He sought authority only to benefit the lives of the small folk under his care. Power, he now saw, had only brought him to ruin. He would have been content just to live peacefully together with his child and the woman he loved. Maybe, he thought, he could still have that life. Away from Oren, away from the devastation, politics, and bloodshed. Spoiler Lorina agreed to go with him. She was sickened that the Church would go against its own teachings to further the bloodshed and chaos brought on by the Duke's War. This was not the Canonism that she believed in - and she would not support it. Lorina had always preached against war and violence, since it had entirely wrecked her life. She had lost countless family members across two civil wars. If the Church happily indulged in bloodshed and regicide, then it was not a church she believed in. Lorina loved God, not the flawed mortal institutions that claimed to worship Him. Jace said his last goodbyes to the Bridgehelms before he and Lorina took their child and fled from Oren forever. Spoiler EPILOGUE Spoiler So, the roleplay continued for a little bit after this, but I opted not to include it since I think this was a good end-point. What happened? Well, Jace and Lorina fled initially to the Caliphate. Their friends Tessa, Shiloh, and Neero all lived in the Caliphate. I opted not to include the Caliphate portion because I kinda ended up editing Shiloh, Neero, and Tessa out of the story. I couldn't include everything. There were lots of characters who were close/important to Jace and Lorina that I just didn't have the space to include. These posts are already insane-long. I had to cut it down to the most important stuff and edit out all the slice-of-life RP in between. However, the Church of the Canon sent inquisitors to hunt Jace and Lorina down. The Inquisitors were hot on their trail and they didn't want to endanger their friends, so they left the Caliphate and went to Urguan. Apparently, this caused a minor international incident between Oren and Urguan, though, according to the wiki? That's my LOTC claim to fame. Caused a minor international incident one time. Anyway, the Church of the Canon located them in Urguan, arrested them, and brought them back to Felsen. They were tortured by the Church inquisitors but managed to escape. Now, what do you do when you're being hunted by Oren and have nowhere to go? Yeah, they hopped a boat to Aeldin - but not before meeting up with the Bridgehelms and their friend Shiloh one final time. I like to think that they made it safely to Aeldin and lived happily ever after with their kids. We quit the server after this and decided to take a long break from roleplaying. As you can imagine, this whole situation was incredibly stressful OOC for both of us. This RP remains close to my heart because, as I said in the first post, this is the reason why my husband and I got married. We started talking to each other OOC because we had so much fun roleplaying together. We learned that we actually lived only three hours apart by car, so of course, we had to meet up IRL. The rest, they say, is history. The point where we started dating IRL was shortly after Lorina became a nun. I'm so grateful that the whole thing - every last moment - was preserved and is something I can look back on. Even though Jace and Lorina had suffered a lot, my husband and I are very happy together. :) We're coming up on eight years together and it's been the best eight years of my life. I also ended up playing a descendant of Jace and Lorina fairly recently! I'm currently on a break from the server, but maybe I will play more Jace & Lorina descendants in the future. I just wanted to share these because I was feeling really nostalgic about the RP. I just think their story is a wonderful romantic tragedy, the story of two people who remained loyal to one another even as their world fell apart around them. I hope you enjoyed it! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts