Enemy at the Gates: The Pharaoh's Dilemma

[Severisen Montresor]

Pharaoh Severisen awoke from a restless sleep at dawn, and sprung out of bed as he did every day.

Well, I still seem to be alive, he thought. I'm not sure about the rest of my people.

His attendant brought him his robe, and he threw it over his shoulders. He admired the colors of house Isaraider: a rich maroon, gilded with the finest gold thread in all of Osiris. That he was wearing this robe at this hour meant only one thing--there was troubling movement in the kingdom, and the people awaited the response of their leader.

Severisen drew the robe closed and secured it with the wolf brooch, a gift from his father, given the day before his father's death. The wolf was the symbol of House Isaraider, and he wore it with a bittersweet pride. It had been one year last week. If only he could see me now. First a Nomarch of Osiris, and now its Pharaoh? No one, least of all him, ever expected to see an Isaraider on the throne. He snapped to, realizing that little time was available to be wasted.

He exited his bedchambers and entered the council room, standing before the large stone table where the Nomarchs of Osiris should be seated to discuss the business of the kingdom. Instead, today, the room stood before him empty and cold. He glanced at the empty chairs, one by one. House Somerset, the seat to his right, reserved for the Vizier, Grand-Maester of Karnak. House BrightAxe, the seat of the Warrior Pharaoh, set a little higher than the rest, Lord of Giza and first Pharaoh and founder of the Fratenal era. House Koth, Lord of the Weathered Citadel of Kadesh, also served as first Pharaoh and founder of the Fraternal era. House North, home to Abacathea, Lord Archon of Abydos. House Valkyrie, Lord Prussia Valkyrie. House Dreizehn, ruled by the Lord of Shadows, hailing from the Holy Island of Philae, and finally, directly to his left, House Ravenclaw, an ancient house of Osiris, ruled by the Arch-Magister of Alexandria, second Pharaoh of the Fraternal era.

He glanced down at the note before him, wax seal still in tact with the Ravenclaw crest hastily pressed in. Hardly a fortnight had passed since his ascension to the throne, and two since Lord Ravenclaw's abdication thereof. He removed the dagger from the sheath hanging from his belt. Carefully, he cut the seal and opened the missive. House Ravenclaw had called for help. House Somerset, BrightAxe and Koth had raised an army and were marching north to Alexandria. Presumably, the force had already taken Schroedenberg. House North had not responded to the call.

"Alexandria must be in a desperate situation if Lord Ravenclaw is now calling upon House Isaraider for assistance. I was under the impression Alexandria had an animosity toward Terenuthis, and now Memphis." The silence of the room was broken as the Pharaoh spoke his first words of the day.

Severisen called for his messenger. He sent a directive to the Lieutenent General of the Sekhmet Legion, ordering him to move the Legion to the Melda Arch. He would have sent the order to Lord Bluteisen, Marshal General of the Legion, but with Lord Bluteisen being of the house Ravenclaw, the Pharaoh temporarily put the control of the Legion in the hands of the Lieutenent.

Lieutenent,

It has come to my attention that Alexandria will soon be under seige from the combined forces of Houses Somerset, BrightAxe, and Koth. Deploy the Legion immediately to the Melda Arch. Fly the flags of Osiris, of the Sekhmet, and of House Isaraider. DO NOT position your troops for offense or defense, yet. Further orders will be sent to you by falcon, as is my family tradition.

"Osiris shall not fall while I am its Pharaoh. Whether that means taking Alexandria, or defending her, is yet to be seen."

~To be continued~

[Severisen Montresor]

The Pharaoh began to turn away from the table, but a glint of white caught his eye in the seat of the chair of House Somerset.

Moving to the right side of the table, he picked up a letter that had been left behind. It seemed as though it had been intentionally hidden. The seal of House Somerset had been broken and a less-than-careful attempt was made to reseal it.

Severisen opened the letter and glanced at it quickly. Somerset's words left no doubt in his mind that his actions were deliberate and that there was an obvious choice as to which side the Pharaoh should support if he desired to retain his seat, or worse--his life.

The Guardian Pharaoh, as he had been known, was not in the habit of being intimidated, nor was he in the habit of making rash judgements based solely on the words of others without finding out all angles of the story. Unfortunately, there was little time for adequate reflection in such situations.

"So it's war Cormac wants, is it? I do believe he'll have it yet." At this utterance, Severisen called for his diplomats to assess the situation abroad. Surely Lord Ravenclaw has called upon his allies from other parts of the world. One does not build such a reputation and relationship with foreign powers without intending on using them in a time of great need. I'd be willing to bet The East Pacific will assist Alexandria, as Rassana, Lord Ravenclaw's betrothed, is the sister of Xoriet, the delightful Erelim General.

Severisen first became acquainted with Xoriet while Lord Ravenclaw was still Pharaoh. Pharaoh BrightAxe had appointed Severisen the first Marshal General of the Osiris Fraternal Order, and Raven had retained his services under his reign. It was, in fact, at Raven's behest that the Eastern Pacific Sovereign Army work with The Sekhmet Legion. Naturally, Severisen and Xoriet became close allies as a result--a friendship he hoped would long endure.

"Andros, find out which other regions in the area have pledged support to Alexandria and which to Karmak, post haste! Time and discretion is of the greatest importance. Tell no one of your mission, and send your reply by whatever means necessary."

At his departure, Severisen looked at a map of the realm, with a furrowed brow. Will Osiris ever find peace? His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a messenger.

"Pharaoh! I've word from Lord Bright-Axe!" said the boy, out of breath. He'd clearly ran the length of the palace to bring this message.

"Thank you. I'll attend to this immediately, so wait outside the room for my reply."

House BrightAxe never felt the need for seals and fine parchment. The note was scrawled on what appeared to be a boar's hide, and from the smell of it, it was a relatively recent conquest. "Hmm. BrightAxe seeks my advice. A wise Pharaoh he always was. It seems Lord Ravenclaw may have been hasty in his assessment of the situation. Perhaps the situation isn't as dire as he thought. At least not yet, anyway. The Dwarves of Giza could shift the war. He's reasonable, so I'll send him a letter asking that he not choose a side for the time being. It may be a wasted effort, though, as he was known as the Warrior Pharaoh for a reason. Still, I have to try."

The Pharaoh wrote a short, but succinct note to Venico, asking for his neutrality on the matter. He said to himself as he sealed the letter, "I'll try to quell the fires of rage with the cool waters of diplomacy. There may yet be a way to save Alexandria, and in turn Osiris."

He called to the boy waiting outside the door, "Boy! Bring this back to your master without delay!" He flashed a weak, but genial grin at the boy, but the lines in his forehead told a different story. The boy took off in a blur, heading toward the stable.

Severisen pulled out the chair at the head of the table. On the arch at the top of the wooden chair, the symbols of the major noble houses were hand carved with intricate detail. His hand ran across them as he walked around the front of the chair and took a seat. He took a moment to rest, and held his head in his hands as he rubbed his temples. Glancing up, he noticed a sheet hanging on the wall, seemingly covering a painting or another object on the wall. The dust was visible even from across the room. The last time it had been disturbed was before Severisen had moved to Osiris.

He rose from the chair, and walked across the room. He grabbed the sheet with both hands and pulled it down, tossing it to the side. Hidden behind was an ancient mirror, itself covered with a thin coat of dust. He wiped a spot clear with his hand and looked into the glass. It seemed like a normal mirror, but he knew better. Though he had a general distrust of magic, he knew the face-to-face communication it could provide may prove invaluable as the day wore on. He looked at his reflection and saw a face that had worn the trials of battle and the pressures of leadership. If he didn't know better, he'd guess he had aged a decade in the past five months. He looked intently, hoping an answer, any answer, would soon come to him.

[Severisen Montresor]

She flashed him a rather feline grin and placed all five fingers on the surface of the mirror. She called the image of the current Pharaoh to mind. The surface began to give off a pale red shimmer, the sign that it was activating.

“Pharoah Severisen,” she said to the mirror, rather hoping that it wouldn’t be some terribly awkward time to be initiating contact. The last time she had accidentally contacted someone, it had been the wrong person and someone who was involved in less than pleasant activities. “Xoriet Montresor of the East Pacific here. Are you available?"

Severisen's reflection suddenly began to change. Almost imperceptably at first, but the change soon became more marked. In a matter of moments he saw the face of the General of EPSA before him. "General! Lovely to see you. Just the friendly face I have been needing to see this morning. I assume you're not calling for pleasure, though, from your serious expression."

The Pharaoh suddenly realized that, just as he could see through the mirror, he could also be seen, and looked down to give his attire a once over. Finding nothing out of place, he habitually smoothed his robe and tightened the brooch anyway. "I'll assume by now that you've heard of the troubles here in Osiris. I'll also guess that you've been asked by Alexandria to provide assistance in the war."

"What have you been told so far?" The Pharaoh furrowed his brow at these statements, showing the stress the morning had brought him. He had a heavy decision to make and would need all the information he could get. "I'll provide you with any details I know that you have not yet heard."

Severisen looked into the mirror for any tell, trying to read the General's face. Her stoic expression left no hint as to how she was handling the situation that was brewing between the great houses of Osiris. He would hate to play her in a game of cards. He felt something strange stirring within him as he looked intently at the magical mirror hanging on the wall. Perhaps it was the stress of the day. Yet somehow he felt as if there were some ancient secret long forgotten that was about to be recalled. He was unsure what this meant, but couldn't worry about it at this time.