Ciprilu

Ciprilu Saxon (ciprilu28), or just Cip, was a well known leader in the Western hemisphere of Rathnir and is best-known for serving as the Third Monarch of Alda until his death in 90 AH (16th September 2022), aged 49. He was a Politician, Royal, Lord, Revolutionary Leader, Soldier and Businessman from the Kingdom of Alda and originally from the Kingdom of Sanctuary. He was the son of Hiroshi Saxon and Shoko Saxon and father of Fumiko Saxon and Charlemagne Saxon.

In Alda, Ciprilu was the King of Alda and Founder of the City of Kala as well as the Counselor of Aldan Culture. He was the Duke of Westmarch and Vice-Duke of Westmarch, under Duke Perry Saxon, as well as a Senator of Alda before the first Senate's disbandment. Along with this, Ciprilu was one of the four founders of the Aldan Clan, House Saxon.

In Sanctuary, Ciprilu was the Duke of the Duchy of Reverence as well as the Governor and Founder of his town of Traveller's Pass, the Duchy of Reverence's Capital. He was also the founder of the Revolutionary Organisation, The Uldarashi Eye. He was exiled from Second Empire of Uldarash and the Kingdom of Sanctuary in February 2022.

= History =

Early Life
Ciprilu was born in the dwarven city of Kal-Thax in 41 AH. His parents passed away when he was very young and was looked over by the people of the town as he learned to grow up by himself in his parents' old home in the outskirts of Kal-Thax. He befriended the Count of Kal-Thax and Duke of Sanctified, Refuge at the time, FlintTheDwarf and they worked on a project to build a bridge across two points of the town. As an adolescent, Ciprilu set up his small shop next to his house and sold ores that he found in his private mine as well as other items. One day, his shop was attacked by a small group of bandits, Ciprilu came out to defend it but was overwhelmed. One of the bandits swung his sword, slashing Ciprilu's eye, causing him to lose it. After this attack, Ciprilu then enlisted himself into the Sanctuary and Uldarash military to train, swearing to destroy the bandits.

Founding of Traveller's pass
When he concluded that he was old enough to set out on his own journey, Ciprilu left the town of Kal-Thax for the first time. While exploring his home nation, Ciprilu decided that he would create a fortress town. He asked the Queen of the Kingdom of Sanctuary, Queen ScotchKnight, for permission to build his fortress town along Sanctuary Loyalty Road. He called it Traveller's Pass, with its purpose to create a place where travellers going along the Loyalty Road pass protected and have a place for them to buy food as well as rest. On top of this, the fortress could be used by the Sanctuary Military at any point in time if they required an outpost in the North. Ciprilu built a long cobblestone wall which would surround the town and then went on to create the Town Hall, houses and other buildings. After successfully building the fortress town, he appointed himself Daimyo of Traveller's Pass. With the town now established and recognised by the Sanctuary State, Ciprilu became a Count and was now involved in national government affairs.

Isentou-Uldarashi War
After he founded Traveller's Pass, life for Ciprilu was rather peaceful. He had created a growing, strong community and the town was expanding nicely. Although, a month after Traveller's Pass was built, the Isentou-Uldarashi War broke out just south of the fortress town. Ciprilu was forced to close the Western Gate for the first time and the Guard of the Fortress were on standby. Luckily, the war never escalated into a battle were Ciprilu was involved in and life continued as it was. Along with the rest of the Lords of Sanctuary, Ciprilu discussed the future of Isentou but a conclusion was never drawn until weeks later and the city of Isentou remained a ghost-town with its citizens evacuating after the end of the war. During the discussion, Ciprilu proposed a plan along with Perry, which was to take Isentou under the two's wing and create a third 'Traveller' city which connected the sister towns. But, the proposition was rejected by the rest of the council and the plan would be that Duke Thomas of Refuge, who was the Duke of Sacred at the time, would take over the town as its new Count.

Discovery of his heritage
After the war and after properly establishing his town, Ciprilu wanted explore further, explore outside of Sanctuary. He requested GameOnFinn a tour of the neighbouring country of Alfheim. Along this tour, Ciprilu was presented with the town of Sagan Tosu. The town's beauty and architecture greatly appealed to Ciprilu, he was given a tour of the town by the Shogun himself. After the tour, Ciprilu continued to look around a bit more by himself. He stumbled across a house with a sign above the door where the words 'House Saxon' was written. Ciprilu was curious by this so decided to enter the house in search of more information. The house was a wreck. It was worn-down, dirty and abandoned. He found a desk and inside its drawer was a book. Ciprilu opened the book. It seemed almost like a scrapbook, with many notes in them, a journal perhaps. Indeed it was a journal, but not any journal. It was the journal of his father. The journal explained everything about Ciprilu's parents, Shoko and Hiroshi Saxon. They fled to Sagan Tosu from an unnamed nation and settled there for years until they fled once again to Sanctuary shortly before Ciprilu's birth. His parents quickly befriended the dwarves and settled in their town of Kal-Thax. After stating that Ciprilu was born, the journal's pages were empty. On the other side of the room was a complete set of samurai armour on a stand; it had belonged to his father Hiroshi Saxon. Ciprilu then wore it for himself, in honour of his lost family.

Venturing into diplomacy
After experiencing and being intrigued by culture outside of Sanctuary, Ciprilu wanted to venture into diplomacy. He sent an application to be a diplomat for the Second Empire of Uldarash and waited for it to be reviewed. In the meantime, Ciprilu set up a new house and office in his parents' old home in Sagan Tosu, a place to work and stay if he had business in Alfheim. He waited a month but the response for the diplomat application never came so he changed his sights towards his own town of Traveller's Pass, looking to develop it further.

Half-Brother, Perry
When Ciprilu was 29 years old, the Duke of Asylum, Perry, came knocking on the door of his Traveller's Pass home one morning. Ciprilu immediately let the Duke inside to spare him from the harsh cold of Sanctuary's winter. It was an unexpected visit. As Perry sat down on one of the large leather chairs of the living room, Ciprilu went to the kitchen to grab the tea that he had offered the Duke. As the tea touched the spruce coffee table, Perry starting talking.

He told Ciprilu that he had heard that a Governor from the North had family ties to him. Perry didn't believe such a thing, but his curiosity could not be held back. He decided to travel around the Empire in search for some more answers. Then, on one of his treks, Perry stumbled into the town of Sagan Tosu. Just as Ciprilu did, Perry discovered the wreckage of a house with a sign saying 'House Saxon' above the door. Perry entered the home and looked through the withering desks and cabinets, hoping to find something of use, but they were all empty. As he turned, disappointed, to leave the house, an empty armour stand caught his eye. The stand was very familiar to Perry, he remembered his father having a very similar model when he was just a child. Although, his father's stand had a very small wooden drawer on the back of the base. Perry began to slowly walk towards it. He kneeled down and reached his arm behind the stand. To his surprise, there was in fact a drawer, just like the one he remembered as a child. He opened the drawer and placed his hand on the bottom to find a small, square-shaped piece of paper. Perry took it out and peered at it. It was a photo. A photo of his father. But alongside him, there was a woman Perry didn't recognise. He took the photo and put it in his robes' pocket. Perry slept in Sagan Tosu that night and journeyed to Traveller's Pass the following morning, which brought him to where he was now.

Ciprilu stared at the Duke with a completely stunned look. Perry reached his hand out of his pocket to pull out the same photo from the armour stand in Sagan Tosu and showed it to Ciprilu. He immediately got out of his chair and ran to his room, grabbing the journal he also found in Sagan Tosu. Ciprilu turned to the page in which a replica of the photo was in. It was the exact same one that Duke Perry had. 'Are we...brothers?', Ciprilu asked. But Perry didn't recognise the woman that was next to his father. Despite the mystery surrounding Ciprilu and Perry's parents, they were half-brothers.

Return of the Duchy of Reverence
On the 3rd February 2022, the High Council of Sanctuary announced that the Duchies of the nation were to be remade and relocated. Before this announcement, Ciprilu's town, Traveller's Pass, was found in the Duchy of Refuge along with his hometown of Kal-Thax. But now, Refuge was split into two; the Duchy of Sanctified and the Duchy of Reverence, with the name Refuge to be moved to a Southern Duchy. With Traveller's Pass now being the largest settlement in Reverence, it was automatically made the Capital of the Duchy. These new changes increased the amount of Duchies in Sanctuary from 4 to 7, meaning that there were open positions, The Duke of Reverence being one of them. Ciprilu saw this as a massive opportunity to climb the ranks and become a Duke, he was already the Count of the biggest settlement in the Duchy so he thought his chances were high. The next day he submitted his application and was interviewed for an hour, now all that was left to do was wait.

Duke Ciprilu
Ciprilu waited a week for his application and interview to be reviewed and on the 9th February 2022, he received the great news that he was accepted to be the Duke of Reverence. Ciprilu was elated, swearing that he'll try his best and won't let the Kingdom down. He now served in the Sanctuary High Council and had ultimate power, second only to the Queen.

Resignation of Duke Perry of Asylum
A few days earlier Ciprilu became a Duke, his half-brother Perry, who was also the Governor of Ciprilu's Town sister town Traveler's Watch, resigned from all positions he held in Sanctuary. Perry was sick of the corruption of Uldarash and wanted to leave the Empire for good. Ciprilu begged Perry not to leave, vowing that together they could help make Sanctuary a better place, but his mind was already made up. Despite this, Ciprilu also sympathised with Perry, he had also experienced mistreatment and unfairness throughout Sanctuary and Uldarash but it wasn't enough to make him leave. Perry told Ciprilu that he had eyes on the lands of the Kingdom of Alda and had already discussed with their leader, Uneasy, about creating a new province. Perry didn't want to leave his brother behind and Ciprilu didn't want to part ways either, so Ciprilu gained a dual-citizenship and went along with him.

A New Land, Welcome to Alda
Ciprilu and Perry sailed for a month, from Sanctuary to Alda in the North. The Kingdom of Alda was made up of refugees from Uldarash, mostly from Savernia. They, similarly to Ciprilu and Perry, they had also been mistreated or even exiled from the Empire. Perry was assigned a large plot of land in the South-West of Alda to create his province; he called it Westmarch. Ciprilu, being Perry's brother and right-hand-man, was given the rank of Vice-Duke of Westmarch. He also set up a house in Alda's Capital City of Haleos, near the plaza.

Founding of Kala
On the 9th of February 2022, Ciprilu and Perry Co-Founded the city of Kala. Kala was to be the Capital of Westmarch and was located on a nice cove slightly North-East. They decided to give the City a coastal theme to match the Savannah Biome and warm waters. All of the citizens of Traveler's Watch came over to Alda in support of Perry and everyone quickly got to work. In a matter of just days, Kala already had 6 apartments, a grand warehouse, Kala Builder's Guild HQ and a tavern that Ciprilu and Zaklj had built and owned.

Aldan Senate
Alda was to elect its first ever Senate on the 12th of February. The Senate could come up with new laws or vote to get rid of current laws and were also in charge of the Aldan Court. Each Senator's term lasted 4 months but they could be re-elected when the time came. At the time, only 6 Senators could be elected by the citizens and about 20 ran. The competition was high and the fact that Ciprilu sent his application the day before the election did not help his campaign. But, the next day, the results were in. Ciprilu came in 3rd place! He was now on the Aldan Senate.

Ciprilu the Exile
4 days after the founding of Kala, Uldarashi spies notified their High Council that they heard Ciprilu talking about starting a revolution against the Second Empire of Uldarash. After being presented this, the Council forced Ciprilu to give up his titles of Duke of Reverence and Count of Traveller's Pass and was no longer welcome in Uldarash. He was given 1 week to decide the new Count of his beloved town. Ciprilu, like Perry and the Aldans, was sick and tired of the Second Empire of Uldarash's tyranny, corruption and unfairness. His ultimate plan was for a revolution to occur in Uldarash and for the Empire to become a Republic, he loved it too much to see it burn in its current condition. With his true feelings now in the light, Ciprilu created the organisation called The Uldarashi Eye. The purpose of the eye was to spread propaganda anonymously throughout Uldarash, in hope that the people who had been blinded would truly see how cruel the Empire was.

Uldarashi Eye
The Eye was a grand success during its first couple days. Ciprilu had gathered dozens of anonymous members from all across Rathnir who shared the same views towards Uldarash. Ciprilu and two other members built a large underground headquarters in a secret location and produced many banners with the design of The Uldarashi Eye's flag. But, on the 15th February 2022, Uneasy, the Lord of Alda, contacted Ciprilu about the organisation.

Senate Will Decide Your Fate
Uneasy told Ciprilu that he had to disband The Eye or his rank of Senator would be removed. He was confused but nevertheless, he did his King's bidding. That afternoon, Uneasy, exiled Ciprilu from the Kingdom of Alda without a trial. Ciprilu was outraged and demanded a hearing, Uneasy was reluctant but with help from Perry, they persuaded him. On the 22nd, while the war with Kiesaria commenced, the trial took place. Ciprilu was accused with breaking the Aldan Constitution and attempting to draw Alda into an unwanted war. He was told that he wrote a remarkable defence speech but even so, the Aldan Senate pronounced Ciprilu as guilty. Despite being proven guilty, the Senate believed that an exile was too harsh, they decided that Ciprilu would pay 50k in reparations to Uldarash and that he would lose his ranks of Senator of Alda and Vice-Duke of Westmarch.

Recovery
After almost being exiled, Ciprilu desperately tried to mend relations with Alda and its citizens. He loved the nation and the people so he decided that he would go spend more time in Haleos, Alda's capital city. Ciprilu made friends with the likes of the Amakiirs, Ministers and Senators of Alda, they fought bandits together and went on many adventures around the nation. Ciprilu also attended Uneasy's coronation, sitting in the front row alongside his very good friend from Traveller's Pass, Taven Johan. He would go on to further develop his pub in Kala, which he built with Zaklj, and began to brew drinks and decorate the place, making it a hub for the citizens of Kala. A few days later, Ciprilu also celebrated the Aldan national holiday of the Day of Devotion, where he even placed third in a fashion competition. During this period of time, Ciprilu got enlisted within the Aldan military, although he was getting older, he was experienced and of course wanted to defend his beloved nation.



House Saxon
Along with Perry, Taven Johan and Cabbage, Ciprilu founded the Aldan clan of House Saxon, the ruling family of Westmarch. A day later after the founding, the young Sir Faby of Kala was adopted by Perry, joining House Saxon and bringing in an official Aldan noble. The Clan House itself, was a giant airship, docked at the Kala airship port. To be accepted into the Saxon clan, challengers must partake and pass 4 secret trials, each held by the founders. If the challenger passes, an acceptance ceremony shall be hosted as well as a party in the Setting Sun and the new clan member would change their surname.

Marriage
On the 12th March 2022, Ciprilu announced his marriage with Taven Saxon-Johan, his good friend which he knew for 12 years at the time. After all the emotional experiences they shared in the past, they began to form a strong romantic feeling for each other. The pair married a week later in the city of Greenhaven, off the coast of Alda. Many fellow Aldans and foreign friends showed up for the ceremony and took part in classic Aldan games.

Rejection
After the collapse of the Second Empire of Uldarash, Ciprilu felt like there would be no more need to be exiled from his country of origin, Sanctuary, now the Hearthstone Union. He applied to once again become a citizen of the Union for boulderist pilgrimages, but, Ciprilu was rejected. He was told that he was still an exile, even if the Uldarash was gone. This confused and frustrated Ciprilu as he felt betrayed by his former nation. He decided that if they didn't want a part of him, neither would he, so he abandoned his religion of Boulderism, the one he followed and worshipped for so long.

Declaration
On the 20th March 2022, rebels in Huitca formed and alliance and declared war against the Federation. Ciprilu, being from Alda (a vassal of Huitca), was automatically involved. Straight after the Rebel Alliance declared war, King Uneasy of Alda announced that Alda would be, of course, supporting Huitca and shall fight against the rebels. Ciprilu immediately got to crafting and enchanting a war armour set for himself as well as purchasing potions. The next day, Alda's neighbouring country to the West, Dreondor, declared their support for the Rebels but half an hour later, redacted their announcement. Westmarch was on high lookout.

Dreondor Aggression
Even if Dreondor were no longer at war with Alda, the Council of Westmarch was still sceptical and didn't feel safe. Earlier that day, two of their bandits infiltrated Haleos port. The council planned to create a line of bamboo across the whole border, a wall behind it and then a second wall around Westmarch's Capital, Kala. While planting bamboo along the southern part of the border, a man named Vladimir, who had full enchanted diamond armour, starting following Ciprilu. They both questioned each other, with Ciprilu learning that Vladimir was from Dreondor. He asked why he was following him, with which Vlad replied saying that he was just following orders. Ciprilu found this very suspicious, it would be unlikely for Vladimir to have received such orders and if he had then Dreondor would just be aggravating the situation. Then, Vladimir began interfering with the bamboo planting, he crouched on blocks, preventing Ciprilu from placing, and started breaking the bamboo shoots too. Ciprilu warned him, stating that if he obstructed his works anymore, reinforcements would be contacted. Vladimir immediately punched Ciprilu's jaw, causing him to spit out blood. He was terrified, Vlad was wearing an excellently forged set of armour, there would be no way he could win this fight. Therefore, Ciprilu frantically contacted his good friend Yanni Amakiir, who was in Kala at the time, informing him of the situation. Yanni quickly put his armour on and gathered a squadron to support Ciprilu. Vladimir, on seeing the squadron show up, quickly sprinted across the border and headed towards Kala. A Dreondorian in an Aldan city at this time of crisis, was not good. Yanni and his squad chased Vladimir down, severely wounding him but let him go as soon as he crossed the border back into Dreondor. Matters were greatly escalating. After the attack, Ciprilu announced that he advised the citizens of Westmarch to wear their armour at all times.

Kala Attacks
After the encounter with Vladimir, a Dreondorian terrorist organisation became enraged. The next few days, terrorist fighters infiltrated and raided Kala, killing innocent civilians, sparking the start of the Kala Attacks. In response, supported by the Aldan Ministry of Defence, Ciprilu and the Westmarch Council declared a wall to built along the border, preventing further raids. For many months, Ciprilu was stationed on the wall along with his husband and other familiars of House Saxon as the raids persisted. After daily confrontations with the terrorists, the Aldan government grew sick and Dreondor declared war.

Battle of Zerith
The Aldan Military began to arm itself in preparation for the war. Then, with the assistance of foreign soldiers, Ciprilu and the military marched towards Dreondor's capital of Zerith. The troops were met with minimal resistance and after a few short hours, Ciprilu and the Aldans captured the city. The Dreondorian government then issued an announcement of surrender and split into three parts. Kunze Ravirac, one of the three leaders was the only politician who condemned the raids on Kala and the eventual war. After a meeting with King Uneasy, Kunze signed a document which would integrate all Dreondorian lands into Alda, more specifically Westmarch. Peace was finally achieved and the Dreondorian aggressors fled the old nation.

Peace, At Last
Months had past and new relationships with the former Dreondorians were made. As the new Governor of Zerith, Kunze and Ciprilu began a blossoming friendship and together they assisted each other in rebuilding their respective towns. Alda had entered a new era of long lasting serenity as it seeked out alliances with other nations.

From the Airships of House Saxon: A Noble Birth
During this time of peace, Ciprilu and Taven celebrated the birth of their first child and a new generation of the Saxon family as they welcomed Fumiko.

Diplomatic Missions
After displaying his extreme loyalty to Alda during the war and to take weight off his brother's shoulders, Ciprilu's King, Uneasy, invited him on many diplomatic missions to several different nations, including Ombria, Duchy of Cordenia and Daelyria. It was during this time that back at home, his spouse Taven had given birth to their second child: Charlemagne Saxon. On the mission to Ombria, Ciprilu, Uneasy and the rest of the company, visited the small town of Jeolban. The architecture of the houses reminded him of his parents' town of Sagan Tosu. A rush of nostalgia swept over him. The following nights, Ciprilu had a hard time sleeping. He couldn't stop thinking about his years spent in Uldarash and the guilt of leaving behind his parents' legacy. Coincidentally, a morning soon after, Ciprilu discovered a letter coated in gold and redstone on one of the tables of his tavern. He was familiar of this kind of document, it was the one often sent out by the Sanctuarian High Council. Ciprilu carefully removed the seal and opened the letter, it read:

Dear Ciprilu Saxon of Westmarch,

After careful consideration, the Ashannus and Ashans have concluded that you are no longer an exile of the Hearthstone Yuldai.

Signed Ashannu Scotch Knight.

Although frustrated by how Hearthstone had previously treated him, Ciprilu was somewhat relieved. He felt safe returning to all the successor Uldarashi nations, despite only being exiled from Sanctuary. A couple days later, Uneasy asked Ciprilu to accompany him to another diplomatic mission, this time to Alfheim and Montroig, as the King understood that Ciprilu knew those lands very well. For the first time in 7 years, he visited Sagan Tosu. A feeling of fulfilment came over Ciprilu, he finally felt that he wasn't disregarding his parents' story.

His diplomatic mission to Haven would be his last, as Ciprilu returned home to his husband and two children for good and resumed developing the society of Westmarch.

Duke Ciprilu Saxon of Westmarch
It had been quite a few long years since Perry had been made Duke of Westmarch, but that was about to change. During the talks among the Royal Council of Alda, it had been decided that Perry Saxon was to retire from his position. He was getting old and wanted to spend more time with his family and friends rather than in an office. But with Perry stepping down, someone had to be put in charge of Westmarch. So, the Royal Council elected Ciprilu, the Vice-Duke, as the new Duke of Westmarch. Perry had agreed to this as well, which meant no bad blood between the brothers.

As soon as Ciprilu Saxon was made Duke, he got to work quickly. He had quickly attended to things previously ignored by Perry, which had already faced him in the right direction. He had also elected the new Vice-Duke to be his husband, Taven Saxon-Johan, who was also very good at his job, making Ciprilu an already excellent Duke of Westmarch.

Tragedy
Shortly after the election of the second Duke, while going out from the port of Kala in his boat, Perry hadn't taken into account the severity of the wind that day, and it had knocked his boat into a group of rock onto his side. Since he was taking some time off for himself, he hadn't told anyone he was going out, so while the ship sank, no one noticed, as it was early in the morning and he was too far out to be heard. As the boat filled up with water, another strong gust of wind blowed again, and this time, the mast of his small sail cracked, due to it being an old boat and unused for so long, coupled with the strong winds, and trapped Perry under it. As he sank, he could only see in the distance his town of Kala disappearing before him.

News arrived to Ciprilu that no one had heard from his brother in several days, not even his own son, Faby. This, understandably, greatly concerned the Duke and immediately sent a large search party to sweep the entire Duchy. Late at night, 3 days after the party was launched, a man burst into Ciprilu's office.

'Duke, you're gonna want to see this.' he exclaimed.

Ciprilu immediately stormed out of the Kala Castle, following the man to the rocks of the cove. There he witnessed the effects of the travesty that occurred, the lifeless body of his own brother. Ciprilu was utterly distraught, they had gone through so much together, even since the days of Sanctuary and had felt that a large part of himself was stripped away. The following week post a grieving period, a large funerary ceremony took place in the Westmarch Castle as people from across Syltor, Ummarnu and Haven flocked to pay their respects.

Declaration
3 years after Ciprilu's elevation to Duke, Alda absorbed the Huitca Federation and its peace started to become contested. Tensions began to rise between Ciprilu's nation and Duty, an alliance collective of multiple nations, with many of its citizens being migrants from the annexed Kiesaria and Dreondor. Duty, backed by Kartek and the Horde then declared war on Alda, demanding the return of conquered lands to its original owners. The then Queen of Alda, Maria Dusksworn, would not have this and began preparing her nation's defences. A major project underwent was the construction of the city of Sil'rae. Designed by the Minister of Architecture and good friend of Ciprilu's, Helena Amakiir, the city would serve as Alda's fortress against Duty, an impenetrable town with the nation's most prestigious soldiers protecting it. Devoted to the cause, Ciprilu greatly aided the swift construction of Sil'rae and prepared for war.

Assassination
The night Sil'rae had been completed, several Duty assassins entered the Aldan capital of Haleos protected by the dark. As a devastating consequence, Queen Maria Dusksworn, Helena and the Amakiirs who were in the manor had been killed in cold blood. Believing this major blow to be the end of Alda, Duty retracted it forces and claims.

Royal Assembly
The following morning in Kala, Ciprilu received the news of the previous night. The Duke was utterly distraught as his close friends and Queen had been cruely snatched from him in a glimpse, another tragedy just a few years after the death of his brother. Despite this, Ciprilu had no time to grieve, Alda was in complete disarray and the government was in shambles. The remaining Royal Council members swiftly assembled in Haleos Castle to discuss the reconstruction of the state. With the loss of Queen Maria, a new leader had to be elected. Ciprilu then conversed with Seo-Yeon Amakiir and they agreed on a joint Diarchy, then that subsequent afternoon, the pair were elected as the new King and Queen of Alda. Soon after, Alda was rebuilt as the nation mourned its heavy losses and the threat of Duty distinguished.

The King
Alongside Queen Seo-Yeon, King Ciprilu wrote and signed the Greenhaven Accords upon their election, establishing the new and stable government of Alda. The Diarchs then hosted many diplomatic meetings, signing MDPs and NAPs from across the world, building up their lists of alliances and friendships. Alda once again seemed at peace; Kunze was instated as the Duke of Westmarch in place of Ciprilu and House Saxon became a Royal Family. It was during this time that Ciprilu created and built Hiroshi Island and its temple to honour his father and train his daughter in Sagan Tosu's martial arts. Ciprilu and Seo-Yeon then signed Alda into the Imperial Federation of Uldarash, their closest ally, as a member state to guarantee further protection from the possibility of Duty's return.

Death
15 minutes after midnight. Ciprilu was lying asleep on his leather sofa in his office. The Westmarch Castle was like a second home to him, work consumed his days. It was too late to return to the Saxon Manor. It was a frequent occurrence. The calm breaking of the early morning waves of the Kalan cove was the only sound to be heard that night. Despite the chaos around him, something that was so simple brought him so much tranquillity. It was soft. It was peaceful. Though, Ciprilu heard a different noise. Someone was at the gates.

His eyes sprang open. Ciprilu’s instinct told him to get up, investigate, but he had worked so hard that day. Drowsiness swept over him as his head hit the pillow once again, losing consciousness. He drifted asleep, dreaming of his children. Every time he thought about them even more joy was sparked. They were his everything, he couldn’t imagine a life without Fumiko and Charle. Another noise. This time it was louder, it was closer. Ciprilu frantically sat up, this wasn’t just some coincidence, something was wrong. The spruce door to his office began to rattle, moving more violently as time passed. It stopped. An eerie silence filled the room.

Suddenly, the window behind him smashed into the chamber, the shattered shards sliced the air as the crashing sound pierced Ciprilu’s ears. A cloaked male figure dressed solely in black flew inside, his boots slamming onto the floor boards. Ciprilu was stunned. He couldn’t comprehend what was occurring right in front of his eyes. The cloaked man immediately rushed towards him. His right arm began to swiftly raise upwards, revealing an unsheathed dagger. The man hastily hurled his gripped hand towards the King, the blade pointed directly to his heart. Ciprilu briskly flung out his own hand, attempting to block the dagger. It was too late. The old man was too slow.

Ciprilu squinted in pain, blinding himself. He let out an agonising shriek. Almost half the city was awakened upon hearing the commotion. Taven recognised this scream, although he had hoped to never hear it again. Instantly, he sprung out of his home as he shouted for his brother Pepsi to protect his beloved children while he left. The heaving stomps of his footsteps imitated his hammering heartbeat as he ran. With each tread Taven took, he knew he was getting closer to tragedy as he struggled to wipe away the tears off his face. Arriving at the castle, he burst open the door to Ciprilu’s office. Taven collapsed down to his knees. He screamed in terror at the sight of his husband. Ciprilu was laying in his own puddle of blood, the streams painting the couch a dark red. Hearing Taven’s cries, Pepsi rushed into the room, gripping Fumiko and Charlemagne’s hands tightly.

Without turning, Taven yelled at his brother, ordering him to get the Hexasens. Pepsi ran out of the castle just as fast as he entered, leaving the children in the room, determined to find the required people before it was too late. Hitting his knees on the ground, Charle continued to weep alongside his father. Fumiko was not crying though, not a single tear rolled down her cheek. She stood firmly, unwavered. Her pupils had completely diminished, seeming even more emotionless than Ciprilu’s corpse.

Breaking the eerie ambience, the Hexasens frantically entered the office, with Pepsi trailing behind them. Runar immediately attempted to halt the gushing blood flowing out of Ciprilu’s body while his brother ruffled through his satchel in search for the purified Hexaphite potion they had brought. Zaynion grabbed Ciprilu’s jaw and opened it, urging the King to summon the slightest amount of energy to drink the potion. His body was motionless. Unresponsive. Runar snatched the bottle out of his brother’s hand and forcefully poured it down the King’s throat.

They waited. A silence pierced their ears. Nothing. It was futile. Taven completely crumbled down to the ground. His husband was dead. The King was dead.

Pepsi turned around. Fumiko wasn’t there. The door was left ajar. She had disappeared, gone.

= Personality and Trivia =

Personality
Ciprilu was known to be a caring man who always wanted the best for his people. When he was younger, he was fierce, willing to do anything for justice and freedom. As he grew older, he became more contained, calm and serious, working on structuring the society of Westmarch. Despite his ageing, Ciprilu was always curious about history as well as politics, and when he wasn't working, he spent his time studying them.

Trivia

 * Ciprilu had a strong connection and love for his fellow clan members of House Saxon.
 * His favourite place in Rathnir was the calm shores of the Kalan Cove.
 * Ciprilu enjoyed practicing sword fighting with his husband, Taven Saxon-Johan, in the gardens of Kala
 * A lover of alcohol and a pub owner, his favourite drink was Royal Aldan Wine.
 * Ciprilu secretly loved to paint.
 * His children were his only other living blood relatives at the time of his death.