Chapter 126 126: Rebuilding From The Ashes

----------------------------- If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know. Leave a comment; support is always appreciated. I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see. ------------------------------- Sommerzeit-11-32,2491 IC When I arrived in Marienburg, I found an indescribable chaos. The once great and powerful city had fallen to the lowest point in all its recent history. Its population had collapsed between the daemonic massacre, the vampiric incursion, and the political and religious purges. The city no longer had a soul. Which, in a certain sense, was good: it meant we had ripped out much of that rebellious spirit that had always characterized its people. The problem was the sheer collapse of the population. From nearly two hundred thousand inhabitants, the last census I ordered—so it could be integrated into the imperial census of 2490—showed barely sixty thousand still residing in the city. A catastrophic drop. Most of the foreign groups had fled as soon as they encountered the most fanatical witch hunters imaginable, who scoured every last corner. The foreign quarters in the city disappeared almost entirely. Tileans, Estalians, Easterners... all fled back to their homelands or burned in the purifying fire of Sigmar's templars, eager to punish Marienburg as harshly as possible for its secession—and to confiscate everything that had once belonged to the Cult. When finally the pyres burned out, the city had suffered so much that in many districts there was no one left walking the streets. Only in the common quarters was there some trace of life. Suiddock, on the other hand, was nothing but ruins: mountains of rubble still uncleared. Rebuilding Marienburg would be the hardest work of all. I had conquered the city, I had obtained my title... but now I needed peace. So much peace that I decided to postpone my traditional yearly cleansing of the Drakwald, despite the fact that the Elector Count of Middenheim and the Ar-Ulric had invited me again. I recommended they secure their own areas, for I had too much to do. One of my first measures was to declare all the inhabitants of the Wastelands—small, isolated villages beyond Marienburg's walls—as serfs, stripping them of their previous rights and forcing them to move into the city. I had no intention of spending resources protecting insignificant hamlets. With the help of my men at the border, we brought about fifteen thousand inhabitants in a matter of days. Immediately, I forced them to work clearing rubble under the supervision of the dawi I had brought for the reconstruction. I also hired local dwarves as laborers for the next phases, for Marienburg had to become once more a commercial hub that would draw merchants, and that meant beginning with the harbor. For days we dedicated ourselves to clearing mountains of ruins while the dawi prepared the foundations of a great merchant port, with capacity to load and unload ships even larger than those that once sailed these waters. Many empty buildings were demolished; their owners were ashes, nothing remained. All of it with one purpose: to prepare the southern port to be, in time, a first-rate commercial center. "Finally you deign to appear, butcher," said a voice behind me. I turned to find a group of priests from the Cult of Manann. Their faces made no attempt to hide their displeasure. "And with great honor," I replied with a cold smile. "The city needed an urgent purge. If you think it would have been better to leave Chaos roaming free... perhaps I should call back the witch hunters. Maybe this time they'll do a better job." "Those fanatical dogs of Sigmar burned several of ours, only for defending our god's temples. With the help of your men, Graf...!" the woman at the front of the group spat back. "Elector Count," I corrected her at once, turning again toward the harbor to watch the progress of the cranes that would move supplies from ships to trains. "Elector Count Albrech von Reinsfeld, Prince of Marienburg." "The Cult of Manann demands immediate compensation for what we have suffered," the woman insisted, but I paid her not the slightest attention. "Noble dawi, do you think it would be possible for some of the great dwarven ships to dock here?" I asked the engineer who was measuring the harbor. "Do not ignore me, Elector Count! This is a serious matter. The Cult of Manann is recognized by the Empire, and your actions will be punished severely," the woman shouted, growing more furious. "Ah yes... of course. I'll be punished. Punished so harshly that they gave me the title of Elector Count as an 'example.' Oh, poor me!—I said in feigned dramatics—For seizing the temples of a band of secessionists, the Empire punished me with political power. What a cruel fate... —I added with sarcasm—It's sarcasm, in case you missed it." "We will take this grievance to the Emperor... we are a cult protected by the Empire, and what you have done is nothing more than baseless punishment," the woman said firmly, though she trembled with rage. "The truth, woman, is that no one cares what you do... no one. Do you see that bonfire there? Throw your letter of complaint into it, and it will have exactly the same effect as carrying it to Altdorf. Nothing will change. The Cult of Sigmar is the only one that matters now, and they are delighted with what is happening here. So withdraw, before your presence finally bores me," I replied, turning back again to watch the work on the harbor. I only heard the angry murmurs of the priests of Manann as they retreated to what was left of their hideouts. Their properties had been almost entirely confiscated by the sigmarites, who then sold them to me if they had no immediate use for them. The Cult of Sigmar cared little about being pointed at: eliminating at the root the influence of a cult born from Marienburg's treachery was an absolute triumph. The days carried on and the city slowly began to recover a heartbeat of life. Meanwhile, the cults that had lost everything desperately tried to rebuild their political power. The Cult of Manann, humiliated, attempted to gather the few merchants that remained to fund a new temple, but since they no longer owned any land within the city walls, they were forced to build outside them. It was a symbolic and bitter victory: the sigmarites had banished their rivals to live beyond the safety of the walls, as a permanent mockery. My plans went far beyond that humiliation. I had already begun negotiations with the Emperor to purchase all the Bretonnian serfs of Parravon and Montfort, intending to bring them into these lands. I had sent detailed reports about the rapid spread of the Sigmarite cult among the Bretonnians of Merxheim, many of whom already spoke Reikspiel fluently. That made them ideal candidates to populate Marienburg and my domains, for across all my possessions I barely reached a quarter of a million inhabitants, leaving my territories dangerously underpopulated. I did not wish to receive another colonization right, for that would mean surrendering lands that I would later have to buy back . I preferred the safer route: to purchase directly the Bretonnians of Parravon, tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, who would soon arrive in my lands to work under my authority. All that remained was for the Emperor to set the price of each Bretonnian serf before the transfer began. The other option was to march into Bretonnia and begin their abduction, taking advantage of the fact that I had their cities within striking distance. But I lacked many soldiers, as all my forces were overextended trying to protect every fortress and key location, so my attack would be weak at best—especially considering the Bretonnians must already be expecting some strike, knowing by now who governed these lands. Governing Marienburg was honestly a headache... the dawi presented me with a formal complaint due to the lack of sales of their products. With commerce diminished, there was no one left to buy their crafts. Of course, it was a very polite complaint by dwarven standards, simply requesting measures to attract new merchants soon, lest problems arise. Notably, the word grievance was carefully avoided. The sea elves wasted no time trying to take advantage of the situation. They demanded tax cuts, reduced tolls... even exemptions from all dues owed for operating in the city. In exchange, they promised a considerable increase in trade with Ulthuan, claiming that by working together we could revive the city. Naturally, that might have worked on any ordinary fool—but not on me. I would never grant them more political power than they already enjoyed thanks to Marienburg's former dealings. While I reviewed the plans the dawi had presented to remodel Marienburg—plans for a new harbor outside the city, large enough to draw in massive ships—I heard the crunching of a chicken's bones, torn apart by my gryphon, finishing its meal with delight. Suddenly, one of my men entered the palace. "My lord, a delegation from Kislev has arrived by ship and requests an audience," said my guard. "They have free passage to Altdorf... I will not deny them transit. Wish them a good journey and give them some of the jewels confiscated from the merchants," I replied, still focused on the plans. "They insist on speaking with the lord of the city, my lord. They say their business is directly with you," the guard pressed. "Ugh... I am a terrible diplomat... let them in," I said with annoyance. I already knew they likely came to complain about what had happened to their countrymen, nearly forced to flee back to their frozen homeland. I moved to one of the many chambers of the palace, once used to receive foreign ambassadors. Now they all lay empty, for the delegations that once resided in Marienburg had fled or vanished. This would be the first foreign audience since the city's fall, and for that reason I had to at least feign courtesy. They did not take long to arrive. The Kislevites entered with firm strides. As expected, they wore heavy garments and thick animal furs, though of impeccable quality, adorned with embroidery and gems. It was clear they were no simple northern barbarians. I observed them in silence until I felt it: the presence of magic. There was a mage among them. At once I grew alert, scanning their faces for the bearer of that arcane power. Finally, I met the gaze of a young Kislevite noble who stared back with eyes as cold as ice. "Greetings, envoys from the lands of Ursun. To what do I owe this pleasant visit within my domains?" I said with a smile, keeping my eyes fixed on the mage... ready to react to any situation. "We understood that the city had recently fallen once more under the Imperial yoke... and it seems the information the merchants provided us was true. Sigmar reigns again in Marienburg... but the great Tsar Vladimir Bokha demands an explanation for the attacks upon our countrymen," said the ambassador firmly. "The city was infested with corruption, ambassador... a daemonic portal was opened, and a vampire lurked in the docks, along with countless cults. The Cult of Sigmar decided the city must be purged, and many of your people fell within that category. If you wish to investigate further, go to Altdorf and request an audience with the Grand Theogonist," I replied, never taking my eyes from the mage. "So you claim you had nothing to do with the murder of our people," the ambassador said, raising an eyebrow. "No... not by my orders at least. Beyond the support I lent to the witch hunters' actions, I have no interest in killing innocent folk," I answered calmly. The ambassador nodded, turning his gaze to the mage, who stepped forward. "Katherine Bokha, imperial noble... daughter of Prince Boris Bokha. In the name of my grandfather, the great Tsar Vladimir Bokha, we require that the trade routes between Marienburg and Kislev be restored as swiftly as possible. We must sell whale oil, narwhal ivory, smoked fish, and furs, and in turn we need the salt once provided by Marienburg delivered again without delay," said the young Kislevite solemnly, though her eyes never ceased watching my every movement. "That should not be any problem at all..." I replied. ----------------------------- If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know. Leave a comment; support is always appreciated. I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see. -------------------------------