Successors to Strephon/secret
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Norris, the Duke of Regina in fact did NOT receive an elevation to Archduke by Emperor Strephon just prior to the Assassination and Rebellion. Partially due to his contacts in Imperial Naval Intelligence and other intelligence and high-speed courier networks, Norris was able to get advanced knowledge of the assassination prior to its general dissemination to the rest of the Domain Peerage and Imperial population at large. Acting quickly, he took a piece of blank Imperial Stationery from a supply that he had and forged himself an Archducal patent and backdated it with a date of elevation just prior to the assassination. He did this, at least according to his own way of thinking, with an eye toward immediately being able to maintain stability in the Domain and especially in the Marches, as well as ensure that his chief rival Delphine Adorania Muudashir Duchess of Mora, the acting Sector Duchess until of late, did not use this opportunity to reassert her power in the region. With an Imperium embroiled in civil conflict and the Domain effectively cut-off due to Vargr Raiders, the region could not afford to be indecisive in the face of the Zhodani Consulate, Sword Worlds Confederation, Vargr Corsairs, or renewed potential land-grabbing by Aslan Ihatei.
Ironically, as it turns out, Emperor Strephon as part of his "Strephonian Reforms" was considering the need for a decisive and trustworthy hand in authority in the Domain of Deneb and the Marches in particular, and was planning to elevate Norris to Archduke of the Domain, but was never able to do so because of the events of the Rebellion. When the crew of the Arrival Vengeance mission arrived at Usdiki and unwittingly brought greetings from "Archduke" Norris to a bemused Emperor Strephon, then styled simply as the Marquis of Usdiki and it was clear that the Emperor considered the situation lost, among the things given to the crew to take back to the Marches and to Norris was an Imperial Correspondence accompanied by Imperial Stationery - with a genuine Patent of Nobility conferring the title of Archduke of Deneb upon Norris.
- "Tell Norris I'm sorry." was Emperor Strephon's last message, given to the crew of INS Arrival Vengeance in 1126 to take back with them to the Domain of Deneb to Norris, Strephon's Stronghold on Usdiki in Gushemege Sector being the last stop on the Arrival Vengeance's three-year mission to attempt to save a civilization.
References[edit]
- Greg Videll. Arrival Vengeance (Game Designers Workshop, 1992), .