Age of Heroes

01 SEEDMONTH 1023

It was the beginning of the year as the last snow melted disappeared from Arrandian soil and Arial problem has lessened. 

It is a morning like any other. At least it is supposed to be but the peace did not last long. The morning was to be shocked by the delegation from the Office of the Holies.

The attendants ran to the chamber and knock it with such urgency that someone might think the attendants is attacking the huge and heavy door. 

'Enter' Arial command. 

The attendant enters the great chamber and look as he sees the great persona of the region. 

Lord Barden Whitebush, the Chief Treasurer of the Council, Derwin Watertree, the Lawkeeper, the Knight Commander of the House, Ser Massey Errol and his cousin Lord Robert Errol sitting beside him with a gaunt face, his counselor, Fenwick Arant, a great friend of Silas Perigord, and the Spymaster of Arrandy, Oliver Crom and beside him his son, Leander Crom fiddling with the pen.

There is also the ecclesiastics bunch, people of the church from both Faction of belief, one that will surely feel overjoyed by the news that the attendants will bring them. 

'What are you looking at boy?' Massey barked. 

'Say your message!' Massey ordered.

'Yes…y..es my lord' the attendants stuttered intimidated with the yelling of Massey.

'There is a delegation from the Office of the Holies waiting outside the castle gate with five thousand of them waiting for permission to enter.' 

He said, his word still stuttering surrounded by this many great men of the realm. The pressure of being around them is enough to make any lowborn like him feel small.

'Speak calmly courier' Arial order calmly trying to ease the nervousness of the courier. The courier nodded.

'This is his letter to you, great lord' the attendants said as he approaches the duke which is blocked by Massey. 

'I will take that.' 

��Yes, my lord' the attendant said. 

Massey took it and presents the letter to Arial. 

'Thank you, Massey.' Arial made a gesture to the attendants to exit the chamber and the attendant quickly obey, and release a relieved sigh.

Arial open the letter and read it. 

In it, it describes the Supreme Papnoticon intention to support Arial effort and presented Arial a parchment from the Papnoticon which gave Arial formal authority to take possession of the Vanguan crown and in it the Papnoticon office also have more gifts to be given.

Knowing that this gift, whatever it is, must come from the delegation on the front gate Arial order the council to be dismissed as they rush to the castle gate. 

The moment Arial arrived there is murmuring among the soldiers and they anticipate what the delegation would do.

'Lord Arial, you have come. We are honored.' the delegation leader of the church bowed his head towards Arial. 

'Yes? Who are you? State your intention' Arial order the leader, his presence imposing and majestic.

'I am Prince Articon Josh and I came here bearing the banner of the church to aid you cause as I have been instructed by the Office of the Church.'

Arial looks at the long and flowing banner. 

The banner was of costly and elegant workmanship; its value, however, did not consist in its elegance or its cost, but in a solemn benediction which His Holiness pronounced over it, by which it was rendered sacred and inviolable. 

The banner, thus blessed, was forwarded to Arial by the Prince Articon Josh with great care. Arial now know that this is a great honor to be presented with such aid, kneel as it was respectful, not to the banner or even to Prince Articon but to the Church itself. 

This itself shows to the people of Lucellian belief that Arial is a very pious man, at least that is what they believe about the character of Arial Vermont.

Arial kneel as his lord; Massey took it for their lord behalf.

'I, Lord Arial am thankful for the church aid. I am filled with admiration and gratitude.' The Prince Articon seem pleased.

'This is His Holiness gifts towards you, O great lord of Arrandy. A troop of five thousand people dedicated to your cause as intended by God. And His Holiness also wanted me to give you this, one of the many, churches treasures.' 

As Prince Articon Josh gesture some servants to bring him a big box which is then laid in front of him. 

He then opens it and retrieve a few things from the box. Arial took it while kneeling as this is clearly the churches treasures. 

Arial rarely kneel but now watched by all of his subjects, whose main belief is the Lucellian belief, showing respect to the greatest authority of the religions shows that Arial is a humble and pious person…. a personality play he has mastered.

Then the Prince Articon present Arial the ring.

Bishop Paul and Priest Luke, the ecclesiastic from Vern Orthodox look in awe and with gaping mouth as Arial received the ring.

The ring is of pure gold, and it contained a diamond of great value. 

The gold and the diamond both, however, served only as a setting to preserve and honor something of far greater value than that. 

It is because of the next gift. 

They look and they gasped. A treasure has been given from the church to the Vermont family, one that none of the royalty in the Human continent ever receives before.

Everyone knew this from the common folk to the noble birth. Everyone knew the story. Everyone at least has heard about it in the Book of Light sermons.

This choice treasure was a vial of blood encased in clear glass, a blood from the wound of the Apostle Diana.

A sacred relic of miraculous virtue and of inestimable value. This and the church approval of the war, with the banner, the ring and the vial of blood, produced a great and universal excitement among the people of Arrandy.

���Our lord is blessed by the Heavens'

'Praise the Light' the other yelled. Some come from the common folks some from the noble lords.

'The Blood of the Apostle. What honor!' another exclaimed.

Most of Arial council member is delighted with this open endorsement by the church. Arial understand how significant this endorsement to his war effort.

To have bestowed upon Arial enterprise of conquest, emphatically given the solemn sanction of the great spiritual head of the Church, to whom the great mass of the people looked up with an awe and a reverence almost divine, was to seal indissolubly the rightfulness of the venture and to insure its success. 

There was thenceforward no difficulty in procuring men or means. And this makes Arial smile from cheek to cheek.

He understands the limit of relying on his reputation which is why he borrows the Church reputation.

Everybody was eager to share in the glory, and to obtain the rewards, of an enterprise thus commended by an authority duly commissioned to express, in all such cases, the judgment of Heaven.

Who wouldn't want forgiveness from the Lord Above? Who wouldn't want glory and the fame and the piety they would gain from the Church?

Arial still kneeling and then he spoke without vanity or pride 

'I, Lord Arial Vermont am honored to be presented with such gift from the Holiness. The Church and the Vermont's have always been close and with this gift certainly there is no one that could cast doubt on my claim upon Vangua territory anymore.'

Hearing this Arial inner circles loudly cheer, agreeing with their lord statement. 

'Yes, my lord. This is the intention of the Holiness. Please get up now my lord. Your devotion fills me with admiration.' 

Arial get up, not dusting the soil and dust that dirtied his knees and order his Commander 

'Please escort these man of God to the barracks.' 

Massey nodded and quickly he brought them to the barracks escorting them while Arial return back to his council for his next plan.

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