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Region: The Celestial Empire

A New Era
Nhasa, Capital of the Celestial Empire
January 16, 1912 (AH 1)

The emperor slumped in his great throne. Drowning in a sea of blue silks Ren Osarrus XXV sat quietly, if uncomfortably, as his court arranged itself under the watchful eyes of the Supreme Regent. Jesse stood near the throne, though never next to it. During important audiences the emperor was often seated behind him, a quiet yet oppressive presence. Jesse stood, as he always did, in a tailored grey suit that let him blend into the tiled courtyards outside the Hall of Earthly Unity. So advantageous was this simple disguise that he was able to catch many a courtier and eunuch off guard upon the palace grounds.

Jesse never once turned to face the emperor. When he entered he would bow low, though never kowtow as everyone else was expected to do. His Excellency would then stand upon the first step to the heavenly emperor’s throne and remain with his back turned until the day’s work was done. Ren Osarrus, for all his youth, would fidget as most toddlers would, and sometimes shout, though never whine. Jesse never was a believer in the gods, his mind made up when he was a child that it was chance that formed his universe. Chance again guided him and his province to a position of prominence is a flailing empire. A chaotic chance only accentuated by the mythical probability seated behind him.

Sean approached the throne now, his spindly appendages creaking as he performed the customary kowtow before the emperor. He rose effortlessly, as if he’d become grace itself. Jesse suppressed a grimace at his pale complexion. Even the emperor looked away as Sean swept his beady eyes over the Temrisians. His yellowed teeth, narrow and almost twice in number as the average man, danced in a greasy grin as Sean prepared to speak. “Your Excellency,” he said, bowing to Jesse, “and Your Exalted Majesty, the court has arrived, as have as many lords as can attend this most wondrous of occasions.”

A chill shot down Jesse’s spine. Sean clung to the final syllable of his announcement for far too long. Even some of the nearby lords shied away. Jesse nodded, as he adjusted his glasses, using his hand to blot Sean from his vision. As his hand returned to his side Sean vanished. Suppressing the alarm that jolted his heart, Jesse cleared his throat. His hand then moved toward the scroll his other had been holding, its crimson bow a sharp contrast to his drab outfit.

“Honorable representatives of the Empire,” Jesse began, untying the bow, “I appear before you as a loyal servant of the crown, His Exalted Majesty, and of the Empire. For two years I have served as Chief Lord, and for a single year as Supreme Regent. During these two years we have gone a single year without an emperor, and two under the era name of the twenty-fourth incarnation of the god Ren.”

“Praise to the Exalted God of Men,” the crowd proclaimed. Jesse remained silent.

“Throughout these last sixteen, almost seventeen, years we have dwelt in the era of New Life. And while no one could have imagined at its dawning the bloodshed that would end it, I appear before you now, on the day of our emperor’s second birthday, to announce the beginning of a new era.” Jesse unraveled the scroll. As one the crowd leaned forward, their expectant breath caught in their throats. “To honor the coalition that united in the face of adversity, to recognize that we are one Empire and many peoples, to remind all that we stand united or fall divided, His Exalted Majesty has chosen the era name Auspicious Harmony.”

The subdued jubilation of the crowd came as a welcome surprise to Jesse. His narrowed eyes swept the room. Many clapped, others whispered to each other. Everyone knew the irony of the name. The era of New Life was over. In its place rose Auspicious Harmony, and the Empire’s greatest trials.

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