A PHOENIX NEVER FALTERS

[AndrewTech 2815]

✵ A PHOENIX NEVER FALTERS ✵

 

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The End of the World

c. 1925

 

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The refugee camps of Failor were bustling with activity. Thousands had been displaced from their homes, driven into an exodus through the underdarks which had connected two different worlds together.

 

It was not uncommon for friends and family members to be missing, for many had died at the hands of the Mori. With the bodies of the fallen seemingly innumerable, it seemed as though everyone had lost someone. Yet more and more were being discovered every day as survivors emerged from the caverns below, finding sanctuary in Failor as a new path was scouted ahead.

 

But there was a notable absence among the remnants of a small, humble nation. Huddled around a campfire, the elders among the Petrans whispered to each other about the notable absence of a single individual. For even as the times changed, one person never did…

 

…But change is always inevitable.

 

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An old woman gazed out at the storms that were brewing on the horizon.

 

Dame Catherine of Furnestock had led a quiet life since the disastrous peace summit that she had attempted to negotiate many years before. It was remarkable that a woman, an elf, and a priest had nearly managed to avert a war in the heartlands successfully for the first time since the collapse of the Empire, but their efforts were to be in vain.

 

Since then, Catherine had led a solitary life. Retirement had been something she had sought for ages, and it was at the Phoenixspire where she spent it.

 

There was a reason that she had chosen this place, of all places, to build the keep that had served as her continental home. From here, she could see the entire basin of the Petran River Valley, and beyond that basin the vastness of the entire heartlands.

 

At 87 years of age, Catherine was old enough to remember when the lands of her forefathers were prosperous and stable. For nearly half a century, that peace had eluded the heartlands. In her mind the collapse of the Eighth Empire, which had so successfully tamed the chaos of the heartlands that had been left in the wake of the Troubles, had ushered in a dark age of the likes unseen since the Courlandic hegemony.

 

But despite the blunders of her siblings, Catherine had resolved never to give up. It was not proper for a daughter of Godfrey to throw in the towel, nor was it proper for her to abandon the people of the heartlands who had nowhere else to go.

 

She and Paul Temesch had carved something out of the former lands of Mardon despite the odds. Giving the refugees who had settled in the Petran River Valley a decent life was a worthy cause, and it was out of this wilderness within the Harvest Confederacy that they had carved something. 

 

It was something new, a republic rooted in the principles of chivalry. And as they gained their independence, a phoenix had arisen from the greater ashes of a shattered heartland.

 

These lands, the lands of a fallen empire, those of her forefathers, were inexplicably linked to her. It was for that reason that she could never leave them. But at least she wouldn’t have to spend her last days alone.

 

“I wonder if they managed to escape?”

 

A voice came from behind as she stood atop of the observatory tower. Catherine had repositioned her telescope to gaze southward, in the entirely vain hope that she might catch something of Savoy. Slowly turning to her companion, Catherine sighed.

 

“I do not know…” She merely replied, her gaze returning to the lens. “...But the story is always the same.”

 

Her companion raised an eyebrow, though said nothing, so Catherine continued.

 

“First, there is fire. The world falls apart around one’s self as they face ruination,” She spoke, continuing to stare at the horizon.

 

“And then comes the ashes. From that fire are a series of unrecognizable remains,” The old woman grumbled, pulling back now as she moved to cross her arms. “And then-”
 

“-There is rebirth?” The companion that had kept her company at the world’s end interjected, the figure smiling ever so faintly.

 

And Catherine couldn’t help but to smile back.

 

“The entire world is but a phoenix,” She simply replied. “We can only hope that whatever arises from this calamity is for the better.”

 

 

---

 

An old servant of Catherine’s family had been entrusted with administering her final will and testament. A series of letters had been left in the courier’s possession and were thusly distributed:

 

Spoiler

“To Renilde I, @tilly

 

I have already said my goodbyes, but you must remain strong during these trying times. I leave the Commonwealth with a fair few of my trinkets to be kept as part of the Petran Crown Jewels, while others shall be placed in the hands of my cousins in Balian and in the hands of the Northern Geographical Society. Your father and I faced plenty of adversity, and though things may not look so bright at the moment, there are two ways to live.

 

It was long ago that I learned that you may live your life as either a lioness, or as a lamb. Lionesses are unceasing as they seek to provide for their pride. Lambs, on the other hand, are prone to simply laying down and dying when the shepherd of their flock deserts them.

 

It is necessary to ask yourself which of these you are, Renilde. And you must also remember what I told you in San Luciano, that lesson that I taught you when you were a child so many years ago.

 

With Regards,

Dame Catherine of Furnestock”

 

Spoiler

“To Franz, @Matheaww

 

I’m glad that your family is prospering, and I am ever so proud of you for carrying on throughout the years. Try to impart to your children and grandchildren the lessons that I taught you and your sisters.

 

Please be at peace knowing that I will be happy in my last days, and that I pass with all the dignity and honor that a daughter of Godfrey should. I will not die alone, and I am glad to spend these last days as I am. Furthermore, I leave to you a selection of my most prized paintings to be hung on the walls of that grand estate that you have designed for your family to one day live in.

 

Finally, it would warm my heart if you would do something to remember me in your new homestead. A bust perhaps, that the Sarkozics of Balian might not forget about me. I know that my name may not be the most beloved in those lands, but I never took up arms against any of my family during the civil war and I have always wished the best for them. Please set the record straight should anyone seek to claim that I was a villain.

 

I am sorry for not coming with you or your sisters, but honor dictated that I remain in the heartlands to try to build something for those who could not flee. I am proud of you for what you have built without me though. You and your descendants shall live a good life, and with this I am well pleased.

 

With Love,

Mum”

 

Spoiler

“To Irene, @Carson

 

I’m glad that you have led such a cozy life in the North, and I hope that you will continue to prosper there as you grow old.

 

I was always, and always have been, so proud of you. You are smart, you are kind, and you do not bow to authority blindly. The love that you have shown for everyone, including those different from yourself, is without bounds. Love is the greatest of all the virtues in the world, and it is by love that I have done everything that I have ever sought to do.

 

Hatred ruined my brothers, and it will continue to ruin our world so long as we let it. Your good nature is a testament unto yourself. Do not judge a book by its cover, ever.

 

And lastly, you are, like myself, a princess. You were not born into royalty, and thus I did not raise you to know what that means. You represent something greater than yourself in your station, and you must use love to be a light unto the common man. Do not treat the subjects of your family as lesser, but as wards with whose charge you have been entrusted.

 

As you were not born a princess, I will leave with the executioner of my estate some of my jewelry for your own use. Much of it must be protected in the collections of crown jewels or in museums, but there are a few personal things of mine that I can part with.

 

I hope you live a wonderfully happy life. I love you.

 

With Love,

Mum”

 

Spoiler

“To Theodora, @TheIchorDruid

 

When I had nothing left, you were there to bring me joy. As I taught you the Emperor’s Common, you taught me a language which I had long forgotten. 

 

You taught me how to feel something within again.

 

I know that you wanted Solun to feel something for me, and that you likewise wanted me to feel something for him. A Hexer’s lot is a life of pain and suffering, much akin to my own. But know that regardless I am not alone, and that I have found happiness to last out my final years.

 

You have cared for me in my old age, a debt I must repay. As my final gift to you, I give unto you something that I was fortunate enough to have but which I lost. You are no longer Theodora of Nowhere, but Theodora of Furnestock. I hope that you will visit the islands of my birth someday to learn what that means.

 

I leave unto you my prized guitar, the Herald of the Tapestry. It served me well throughout the Cragenmarch. I hope that you will sing many songs and live many centuries as a daughter of Malin who will guide children of Horen. I only ask in return that you do not let my song go unsung.

 

Though you are legally my ward, I have always seen you as more than that. You have been a daughter unto me, and I love you. Rise to do something great with your life.

 

With Love,

Mum”

 

Spoiler

“To Solun, Maiyun, and the Other Almarisian Hexers, @SpaceOddity @Maiyun

 

I know that you are not particularly fond of words, and so I shall be brief. You were good friends and I hope that whatever is left of your order is faring well. I have seen amazing things beyond the wildest dreams of most descendants thanks to you, and I thank you for your comradery over the years.

 

I fear that despite my advanced age, my death shall likely be a death akin to one of your own. Perhaps it is fitting that I pass in this way, for I learned long ago that running from one's problems is never the answer. Please try to stay safe as you perform your duties to protect humanity and the descendant races at large, for I know that the world will call upon you again one day soon to do so.

 

With Regards,
Catherine”

 

Spoiler

“To Viceroy Strickland,

 

If you are receiving this letter, then you should presume that I am deceased.

 

As per my last will and testimony, the Furnestock Islands are to functionally become a republic now that I have passed. The title of the Duchy of Furnestock is to thusly be laid to rest, for it is an ancient title that no extant realm may rightly, nor should, lay claim to at present.

 

The rest of my will is to be followed to the letter in the form of the already drafted Edict of Ulyssa. Do be aware that Reginald and the assembly have also received a copy of this letter and will make sure that you follow through.

 

Sincerely,

C. N.”

 

 

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✵ DAME CATHERINE OF FURNESTOCK ✵

Princess Imperial, First Chancellor of Petra, &

Duchess of Furnestock

(1838 - 1926)

 

 

 

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Spoiler

OOC:

 

Not much to say here except that Catherine was probably one of my favorite characters of all time. Having lived a full life at 87 years old, she represented the culmination of a nearly 10 year journey for me and definitely lands in the top 5-6 favorite characters that I've played.

 

When I was a noob in 2.0 and 3.0, I used to wonder what it would be like to play 1.) a senior member of the Carrion bloodline, and 2.) a senior member of the imperial family. I've now had the opportunity to do both, the first in the form of King Andrik IV and the second in the form of Princess Catherine, and I am both humbled and grateful for the opportunities given to me to have been able to do so.

 

Though Oren was a big part of her first 30 years or so, Catherine's life ended up evolving so much beyond it. I therefore also owe a special thanks to the Petran community and the Hexers for making her life special and unique. There's been a lot of conflict throughout her life that I never expected to happen and I've done my best to remain true to her character throughout as per the deck of cards she's been dealt. I hope that those I've interacted with on her politically can respect that. 

 

In any case, I hope those I've RPed with enjoyed our interactions and I look forward to roleplaying with people on other characters in the future as I continue to wind down on the server.

 

[Carson 939]

Irena Barbanov, Duchess of the Rothswoods wept for the one person she truly ever loved. Catherine was not a perfect mom, she was absent much of the time, but Irena's devotion to her verged on fanaticism. Catherine could do no wrong. No one came close to her for Irena, not her husband, not even her own children. In a way, she was stunted, her mental state in this specific instance never advancing beyond an idealistic child who wanted more than anything for her mother to be around. Even when she had grown up, Irena kept Catherine on a vaulted pedestal, never seeing her as a fellow adult but as a figure of divine proportions. Someone so moral, so just, and Irena's mirror image.

 

This was the first time Irena had cried in decades, even though she had tried for Sergei. She had grown numb to the feelings of the world, not like she ever had a solid grasp of them to begin with. What plagued her the most was the knowledge she would never join her family in the afterlife, for she was destined for far worse places.

 

 

Meanwhile, Catherine's teacher, the Mali'ame who had watched her grow up all the while staying predictably ageless, also cried unreservedly. Yet there was less certainty on her end, as she made plans to touch base in the future. Death could not keep her from reaching her loved ones.

[Nectorist 7423]

Philip Amadeus hastily begins to construct another beach house in the Skies. He awaits his beloved daughter's arrival at any moment now. Cat had lived a long life, one that veered on being a curse rather than a blessing, and for it she deserved mai-tais and surfboarding for the rest of her eternal life.

[tilly 3672]

“Dame Catherine, how I love you so. I remain with a vision of you watching over the River Petra and protecting the heartlands from the Mori ‘til your final breath. I will cherish our time together forevermore.”

[Minuvas 2888]

The Elf Minuvas noticed the regretable number of Imperials coming to their end, and with it a visible end to an era. Though he forwarded the latest pronouncement to his father, Maelgar, who had been stewarding the considerable Imperial Archives the once Archchancellor had tucked away in an old estate. For a later time and for another elf, he bemused as he returned to humming a canticle to Malin. 

 

[Sefardi 1501]

Emilio d'Anpalais greets Catherine in the Seven Skies. 

[Fie 2521]

The companion smiled, a hand placed upon the shoulder of the aged princess.
Neither of them would be alone as they stayed behind.

They were not afraid, for they had one another in their last days.

[Eryane 3629]

As she had clutched her daughter with such tightness, long withheld - and long-awaited - tears streamed down against Anastasia's cheeks. She embraced her daughter with all the might a mother could, and did not let go with fear that it should be the last time again - for without her children, she would always be a troubled soul.

 

Spoiler

Thank you for playing Catherine, especially so beautifully as you did. Her story is amazing, my favorite character on this game. Hope you are doing well :)

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Eryane

[Mattiii 1109]

Franz folds his Mother's last letter. "You shan't be forgotten, Mama." He whispered, holding back tears.

[Phoebe202 638]

Laetitia offered a smile to her stepgrandmother; finally having met Catherine in the Seven Skies.