r/ImaginaryArmor

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All stories end.

This is where idealists are disillusioned, where a dream is burnt down, where heroes die, where an oath is forsaken, where an era ends.

Yes…all stories end, but this one ends with blood, with iron, and with one last fight.

I killed Sir Godfrey of La’moneir, hero of the vermillion gate.

I killed Sir Tentos of Gallante, one of the first to scale the Scarlet Rock.

I killed Sir Patrost of Tenfors, the Giant slayer.

I killed Sir Turan the kind, bane of the Morlin-Khan hordes.

I killed Captain Torfosk-Karan, the black bear.

I saw Tribune Aurelian fell as he took a blown from a poleaxe from the back, being swarmed by a dozen Maxonni Knight and Man at arms.

I killed Hendrick of Belianos, knight of swans. My blade snapped on his bevor as the armour breaker runes run dry on mana, so I drove the shattered tip under his sallet, I can feel the bones of his face cracked as i forced my weight on the blade.

And came Sir Al’touran, hero of the Red field. He caught me on the visor with his great axe. It sheer through the thin plating as my footing was a moment too slow.

I returned a blow with my mace that sent his body spinning to his side. Before he could regain his footing I gave him another strike, and another to the back of his helm, and another as my mace bends steels and break bones.

He laid died. Blood and brains pooled out of his helm， it took me some effort to extract the mace head that was embedded deep.

And I continued to kill.

I killed many more, all of them, all heroes, all righteous in their mind, once they all fought for the sake of a free Servannia, and they still believe so when as my mace and blade shattered their armor and severed their flesh.

I was once fought alongside them with great honor and pride. All they served now is greed and ignorance.

So I continued to kill.

This is the last stand of Augustus, last Legatus of the Schola Praetoria.

The Schola is the last semblance of the Old Servannia, the last connection between the current Confederation and the Old Empire that all Servannians were once united. A sect of idealist who cling on to a unified Servannian race after the fall of the old empire shattered the land. They retained knowledge of old times and protected it for centuries, trained themselves in all arts including combat, and cooperating with existing regimes as long as the goal aligns with the benefits of the land.

All for a prophecy, where one day “A true king will return, with a hair of silver and eyes of gold, with a blade of fire that will cleanse the land of greed and illness, reuniting the people and make Servannia whole once more.”

The Confederation was the regime that finally reassemble some sort of semi unified government that held the many small kingdoms and city states that survived the era of consistent warring state post imperial collapse.

It was established three centuries ago due to the threat of the Koprun Jihad marching from the south , forcing the long running civil war to a halt and everyone decided it was best interest to beat the foreign invaders up before resuming killing each other in a thousand year long happy civil war.

The alliance, though shaky time to time, endured as the continent became more politically unstable. The Giants of the north wish to reclaim old territories, Witch-king of East plan to march east, mid-land elves and black-mountain dwarfs lust for the mana-lane that pulse under Servannia.

However, as time passes, the fracture within this oath bounded alliance grew larger, the eastern states Holian identity pushes themselves away from the Amborn population that dominated the rest of Servannia.

The political battle between unionist and separatist within the confederation grew larger and larger as one saw it as the only way for Servannia to progress and the other see reunification was a shackled to their freedom.

Then there was the economic division where Southern burgher capitalism is outcompeting northern manor economy, slowly destroying it.

Finally, everything spiralled downhill as the confederation, under influential of Firrebotae, a major southern state member, join the war in Kirith-Yarin, a client state of Koprun Empire seeking independence, in order to secure confederal southern boarders. The battles against the Imperials was hard but victorious, however, the Northerners see this as an escalation of southern power usurpation and dragging the confederation into decisions where the north never agreed.

So, it snapped. Under disguise of “troop relocation and supply transfer”, the North, under leadership of Maxony, the major northern state, initiated a Coup, even do so far as ally with former enemies with the giants to destroy the “shackle” — the central confederal diet, and impose their own rule over Servannian, while majority of Southern and Central states’ troops still remained in Kirith-Yarin.

And the art above was the depiction of the final moment where the Schola Praetoria, disguised as Central Councillor guards to better blend in with the current society while cooperating with the central Servannian states (Allandae), fought in the underground great dungeon that contained a secret gate leading out of the city, as well as the library of the Old Servannian Empire.

In which a few of council members from different state, most importantly the spouse of Duke Firrebotae, Lady Jeanne , and an infant still in her arms, were attempting to escape through.

Hope you like it 😄