Heir of the Empire: Prince Lucius d'Janikar

[Dungeon Master]

Heir of the Empire:
Prince Lucius d'Janikar
Chapter One: My Dearest Lucius

Soreel
Marika
Tarish Imperial Capital

Headquarters of the Office of the Black Cloaks


The Man known as Lucius d'Janikar is just over Fifty years old, fifty-two to be exact, but he in no way appears so. No, Lucius is a Half-Irda. The Valin threw his parents together in a night of shared passion after many years of courting.

And then his mother left the world of Krynn and traveled to her Homeworld of Soreel. Seeing the state of the world and the injustices heaped on the common people, things had only gotten worse. The Queens lived debaucherous and decadent lives, all while the people suffered. So it was during her pregnancy that she conquered Soreel and took the Queen's heads for the people and in the years that followed, the star system. Lucius is the crown prince, the heir to the empire. Everything had been fine with his fiancé, but work became increasingly getting more deadly with each passing year and his time has become diverted by emerging factions on the frontiers.

It was not that he did not believe his fiancé when she shared some of her dread over the last year. There just was not a viable explanation that was tangible to be able to address. Then the attack happened. He looks out towards the palace. He had been torturing a suspected assassin when he was alerted to the fire. He did not even wash off his bloody hands. He ran up the stairs and out onto the quad and across the park. A messenger was running his way from his mother, telling him he needed to come. Seeing Aravis alive was everything, but the devastation to the Royal Apartments, their home…

Lucius is at the Intelligence Bureau, hard at work in his office when a messenger comes to the door, it is from the palace. He already knows what the messenger is going to say, not from any mind-reading special abilities, he has no powers such as these. He can just read the man’s face. He bids him to enter. The messenger comes in bows and presents a small package from the Empress herself.

Lucius's shaking hands are muted, and he tries to conceal it, he takes the package and tells the man to wait outside for a possible return message.

The man departs briskly as Lucius is left alone with the parcel in his hands with his thoughts. Lucius places it on the center of his desk, on top of the work he was looking at previously. A list of possible threats to his fiancé in the Empire. The list was not extensive, but it exists. He puts that out of his mind and reads what he knows is coming.

He pulls out three scrolls, one is marked to Read First!

He hesitates and almost doesn’t read that one, it is in his mother’s quickened handwriting. He relents and opens the sealed scroll from his mother. It reads thusly-

My Son,
Aravis and Karnea have teleported away from the Palace. I believe they are still on Soreel, further, I think you’ll find her at her Estate in Diasen before she leaves Soreel. Do what you think is right, but you might be able to catch her if you still want this. You have my leave. Catspaw the Eder is more than up to the task of covering as your replacement for your duties, should you need to step away for a time.

Signed, Zeva with her crossed swords seal sealed in blood red wax beside it.

Lucius drops the scroll on his desk and looks at the other one. He sits back in his chair and gives a forced exhale to prepare for what is to come. He eyes the scroll reaches for the scroll, breaks the seal of Aravis, and reads:

My dearest Lucius,
By the time you read this, I will be gone from here. I think you already knew, in your heart, that I had to go. Somehow, I think we both knew that this attack was a harbinger of things changing.

The fact that Mother arrived so soon afterward only reinforces my belief that this somehow involves home, and Father...and the only way to find out what is going on is to go to the source.

I know this can’t be easy for you, but at the same time, I feel like it is necessary. You must admit, things have been stagnant between us for some time. No, I know that you have been busy with your duties and that it is important to both you and the Empress that you learn everything you can, to take your place…but aren’t I supposed to be a part of that place, as well?

Maybe I am also to blame. Maybe I spend more time than I should in my studies or working on my projects. Perhaps this time apart will help us remember why we were together in the first place. All I really know right now is that this is something I must do, and the simple fact is that if I had come to you to talk it over, I’m not sure I would have been able to leave.

Please do not be angry, my love. I promise that I will return to you when I am able when this looming threat is resolved. I will hold you in my heart until that day comes.

Love always,
Aravis


The last scroll is what was left for Empress Zeva and she forwarded it with her seal. He opens it and it reads

Your Imperial Majesty, the Greysword,

Zeva,

I wish that I had been able to face you and tell you that I must go for a time. Mother has come, as you know, and she tells me that I am needed at home…but how can that be when this place is the only true home I have known these many years? You have been more like a mother to me than anything, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude.

I will return, someday soon, if you will have me back. For now, I must return and get to the bottom of this threatening presence that I have felt about me this past year. Mother seems to know more than she lets on, but that is certainly nothing new for her. I can only hope that this is just another of her flashes of paranoia and that it will all blow over soon.

Thank you again for everything that you have done for me. I cannot express how welcome you have made me feel in your court and in your home.

With love,
Aravis


Lucius takes out a piece of parchment from his desk, brushes the scrolls to the side, and writes on the parchment a letter to his mother. It is short. He expresses his love and says he will return. And rolls it up and seals and calls in the messenger and passes to him and bids him to take it to the Empress.

He swiftly departs and Lucius walks out behind him and walks to another room where he tells his mentor, the legendary spymaster Catspaw, that he is in charge for such time as he returns from his sabbatical. They shake hands and Lucius begins to give concern that he is moving too slow, perhaps he already missed his window, he grabs from his closet to retrieve his gear. Just some clothes, money, in the form of precious stones and silver bars, weapons, and helpful things he has discovered from across the empire and devised himself and with others over the years. Hidden blades, blindness powder, and such. His collection of blades, and his sword, the saber. A black blade with gifts of its own.

He walks back to his desk and opens the secret compartment. He retrieves his Three Rings.

A Ring of Protection

A Ring of Teleportation

And a Ring of Invisibility

Lucius stands up after he closes up his desk. He backs away in his chair and stands up and looks around him.
He shuts it all out, all the crime reports, and this mob boss, and that death master. Catspaw will cover things, go! He dons his coat and hefts his pack and a couple of bags. And it is then that the Heir of the Empire Prince Lucius d'Janikar teleports to Karnea’s Estate in Diasen, Unari.

[Dungeon Master]

Heir of the Empire
Prince Lucius d'Janikar
Chapter Two: Across the Threshold

Eastern Soreel
Unari Island Chain
Diasen Province

Karnea’s Diasen Estate

Karnea’s small holdings in the Daisen Province are located on the second largest island in the Unari Island chain. It is situated on approximately 25 square miles of land along the Tama River. It is fertile land with several farms worked by tenant farmers, and several cherry groves also tended by tenants. The primary use of these cherries is in the making of wine, although a fair proportion of them are exported as whole fruit as well. The town of Daisen is on the river, below the imposing seven-story structure that is the Daimyo’s residence. Daisen town has approximately 2500 inhabitants, many of whom are involved in the harvesting of cherries and the making of wine. There is a river dock in town for shipping goods downriver to Heiji, the regional capital, and seaport at the mouth of the Tama. Lucius’s mother ceded this land to Master Karnea back in In 21 ST, to give Aravis, family legitimacy in the eyes of the great families of Marika.

Lucius arrives to find a portal left open and no one about. He finds where Karnea and Aravis were standing for a while, by looking at the grass, he follows their steps that lead into the portal. He knows in his heart he must follow; There is no question, he stops only for a moment to take in the air of Soreel for what could turn out to be the last time for a while. He looks ahead and walks through the portal.

Krynn
Eastern Ansalon
Port City of Flotsam

When Lucius reaches the other side of the portal, he comes out into an unfurnished house containing another Portal that leads to Sigil. He will assume a Human guise and hide his Irdian form. He finds himself in a Port City in the early evening, he can smell the sea air from where he is standing. There is no Tower here. he is disorientated, with no clear path to follow. He is on Krynn, but where? Another factor is in effect that he was not expecting. He feels a pull somewhere. He looks into the sky and sees a large white moon dominating the sky. it is full and is on its way to reaching its apex. There is a red moon that is waxing. The white moon has a quantifiable effect on him. It is leading him north to the Island of his people.

He does not know how he knows that, but it just came to him. He is afraid of what is affecting him uncontrollably. Does this happen to every Irda, at the High Sanction of this white moon they are called home? Is that what is happening to me? Will that take me to him? A feeling wells up inside. Instant fear. Fear that what if he is a complete letdown, what if he is not proud of me? What if we do not meet? My mother left and never came back, what am I doing here? My Fiancée left me, but here I am chasing her, leaving my Mother all alone with an Empire of enemies. This moon thing confuses him. Is that what I am supposed to do? this sign that I find right as I come to Krynn... is that it. Am I supposed to do this? Am I supposed to find him? He finds some reason to guide him.

This will not last long, he will no more than find a ship to take out to sea and the the call will be over, and I will be lost at sea. I must plan for the next coming of this moon. I need information. He locates a reputable-looking Inn called the Rookery and enters. The Proprietor is a silver-haired older woman dressed in Black. He looks around and feels the atmosphere. She is a wizard. He sits down and engages her in conversation, teasing out of her, her connection to Master Karnea. He allows himself to entice her enough that she will reach out to Karnea to inquire if she knows this handsome stranger from Soreel. Lucius takes a room, but before he retires, he tries to gain some more information from Vorena. The white moon? Solinari is the answer. He asks about its monthly cycle, and she answers thirty-six Days. He asks if he is close to the Wizard Tower of Karnea. The answer is it’s a three-week trip by ship.

Voreana has a shipping arrangement with the Island where the Tower is located, Vorena tells him she will take him over when she hears back from Master Karnea. He sets him up with a room and fixes him a meal for dinner after she sends a message to the Blood Sea to Tower for the Master of the Tower.

Lucius accepts this may be the only way he can get to the Island, even if he may face Master Karnea. Will she even come, will she only come to tell me to go back? I must impress on her his right to converse with Aravis and that she should not try to keep them apart, at least he hopes it would get that far. Surely, she will not turn him away. He eats his meal, all the while feeling the tug of the moon towards his father. He decides he will seek him out after he talks to Aravis. He heads up to his room and does the normal things to secure the door and check for any peepholes that could be used for assassination. Satisfied he has looked everywhere for anything amiss; he finally lays down and gets some sleep.

[Dungeon Master]

Heir of the Empire
Lucius d'Janikar
Chapter Three: Reunited, only to be....

Eastern Ansalon
Lord City of Flotsam


Lucius was not considering it would take so long to receive an answer from Mistress Karnea. Lady Vorena assures him she sent the message, but it will take some time to arrive.

He starts to leave the inn and she Vorena warns him that “Flotsam is not for the faint hearted. It is a rough and tumble place. They find out who you are, and you could find yourself a hostage and worse.”

Lucius did not discount her warning, something about the place on the way over from the House with the portal told him this was not the safest of places. Still, nobody knows who Lucius is beside this woman. He asks, “You are going to keep that information to yourself I hope.”

Vorena assures him she will but bids you to take her warning all the same.

And so, Lucius leaves the inn the walks around the local area of the city. Lucius takes in his surroundings and decides what he thinks of the place, it is a step away from squalor despite the laughable beautification efforts he sees going on. It depresses him. Vorena called this place Flotsam, I can see why. Still there are a lot of people about, he sees several cases of vagrancy and possible criminal activity.
He decides to walk the other way towards the docks. He looks up, Solinari will be full tonight in the sky, the pull will be even stronger tonight. He wonders if he will be able to sustain its pull. Lucius takes in the docks and the activity, but the smell starts to get him, he walks to a far dock and gets some sea air. He keeps awareness of his surroundings as well. Dark clouds and lighting in the distance makes Lucius start to walk back to the inn. He admits his position is precarious and decides to rejoin the Vorena, who has made some breakfast for him.

Midafternoon comes and with it a great daytime storm. A man comes in, Vorena has seen him before, he works for the Mayor’s office. She goes over to him and explains Master Karnea has not been today. He orders lunch and a drink and tells her “He can wait.”

It is not much later that Karnea arrives under a traveling cloak from the basement, she is a bit drenched and windswept.

Karnea comes and reads a scroll from the man that came in. Vorena explains about the mayor being immortal and something about demons or devils, Lucius did not catch which. Lucius thanks Vorena for looking out for him, and Karnea does the same and thanks Vorena and Karnea and Lucius go to the basement and stand on the teleportation circle. And they teleport to the Island. The Rain is nearly sideways, and lightning and thunder greet their arrival. Lucius is taken to the Inn of the Three Moons. He is given a room and food is served up for him. Karnea leaves with saying Aravis will join him soon.

Note: This is a companion piece with Karnea II Chapter Seventeen

Hours later,

Lucius looks out the window and notes that the storm has let up a bit. He sits back in his booth, sated from a very fine meal, and two drinks later, Aravis comes in with a woman that stands by the door. If Lucius didn’t know any better, she would suspect she was a monk of some kind. Karnea’s doing.

Aravis slides into the booth and asks for some wine. Aravis looks at Lucius. She can hardly believe he is here. It seems so wrong. The White moon pokes through the clouds, it is rising. It will reach High Sanction soon. The feeling returns. What a moment for it to return, he thinks, then he looks into Aravis’s blue eyes.

Lucius begins “I’m sorry”

Aravis shakes her head slightly “No, I could not face you when I left.”

“I just want to hear you say you are coming back.” Lucius asks.

She had been looking away, but she looks directly into his eyes and says “I’m coming back. If that’s what you want?”

“It is, I do.” He stumbles his words.

“But I am here now. And I have very important reasons for being here. Just like your work is important to you, this is important to me. But you have things you can do here, too. Try to find your father. I’m sure that both you and he would benefit from that meeting. We can see where we are when you’ve returned, but for right now you have to let me work this out.”

He looks at her. They both know what each other is thinking of the last time Aravis was taken off to the Gray. The lengths he went through to see her returned to life; he did not know he had that within him. He has grown much since then, but he knows they are Aravis words every bit as much as they are Karnea’s. It is clear she was not overly pleased to see him here. He’s practically in the doghouse.

Aravis watches him as he thinks about all this. She tells him “In the future, somebody very competent needs to be trained up and take over your job and allow you to step away and be with me. You can keep an eye on things, and I can do what I do, but I need you around if this is going to work. You have to decide if you want to be married to me or married to your work.” She takes a sip of her drink and penetrates him with a gaze that reminds him of her parentage. “And I will be no one’s second choice,” she says with an edge to her voice.

Every bit of Lucius rebels underneath, he is maintaining control of the system kept and it keeps him sane and has made him feel safe knowing he was keeping everything held together in his hands. Now, somebody else doing that? Other than Catspaw the Elder? I mean there is the Lesser, but that’s just it, she’s the Lesser. Catspaw the Elder’s daughter Ariana was better known as Catspaw the Lesser. She’s still in the business, she’s capable.

They were “safe” until the attack and the subsequent fire. He still doesn’t know how Aravis survived it. The guards said they were sure she was going to die in the fire.

“Alright. I will…” Lucius pushes out.

“Twelve months.” Aravis says firmly.

“Twelve?

“That’s right, Twelve.” Aravis reinforces.

“Alright. That’s… fair.” Lucius manages to get out, coming to peace with the concept.

“I know, I’m trying to be.” Aravis answers.

[Dungeon Master]

Heir of the Empire Lucius d'Janikar
Story One
Chapter Four: Ripped Apart

Blood Sea Isle


Lucius has traveled the island and explored, trying to get his bearings as he acclimates to this small area to roam around. The people here are mostly tradesmen or fishermen. His stay at the Three Moons has been without any incident. The Food has been edible and, in some cases, very good, and he has not felt threatened by the populace of Twenty or more people that have taken up residence in the town at the port.

On her second visit down, Aravis brought Lucius the book she has been reading and the book her mother bought when she returned to Krynn about the Age of Mortals though she was not finished with it, she wanted to give him something to inform him of the world and this time period. He thanked her and has been devouring the book for its information. He learns about the different regions, races, and cultures of the time when the gods were separated from the people and how the people strived to live with the loss of the gods.

Aravis does not come down for breakfast or lunch, he hopes that means she will join him for dinner.


A week after Karnea left to travel to the Ethereal Plane there was another terrible storm that swept across the Blood Sea and over the Island. The island had the first clear night in days. Aravis walks into the Inn with the dark elf bodyguard.


Over dinner, Aravis and Lucius discuss different aspects of Krynnish life and the gods of Krynn and if the Dragon Overlords are still a thing to be concerned about.? Aravis allays his fears about giant monstrous-sized alien Dragons being an issue anymore, nearly all of the Dragonlords are dead now and if they are not, they are far away from here. Malays died in a battle that ended in victory for the Dark Queen Takhisis before she was undone.


Lucius and Aravis walk along the shore of the Island’s west side. Lots of different things have washed ashore, barrels, parts of a ship, parcels, and other refuse. Some seals and walruses, along with ocean-going fowl have begun using the parts of the shoreline for refuge and sun themselves upon the rocks and sand this evening Lucius and Aravis, and the bodyguard. They near what looks to be bodies along this section of shore that have washed onto shore. Aravis calls for Lucius to stay away from them, but Lucius says one of them is still alive. He kneels and turns her over. She is scantily clothed and nearly wearing nothing. She is strikingly beautiful, with light green hair and a yellowish skin tone, her eyes take hold of him, and he realizes too late what she is.

He hears Aravis and the bodyguard coming up to him and he turns to stop them, sits up, and pulls him back around and she kisses him deeply. He is stunned, he can’t turn away from this creature. Aravis stops and tries to reconcile what she is seeing, this girl is kissing Lucius, he has some spell upon him.

The woman from the sea brushes his hair from his eyes and sweetly sings to him “And to all that is around and anyone that can hear me will to come to as I sing and then come with me back to the sea and just be with me for forevermore.”

The Sirine takes Lucius by the hand and takes him into the water and sees if Aravis follows, Aravis gets the feeling she is waiting for her Aravis is who she wants, but Aravis and Talron the bodyguard find themselves unaffected and advance at the Sirine, but she dips under the waves, she then disappears into the watery dark, leaving Aravis stunned into silence.

Her mind races what she can do. She wants more than anything to follow, but she remembers her father's words, do not leave this island, you are safer in the Tower. She feels like her heart has been ripped from her, but she is too shocked to notice. Talron is talking to her, telling her they have to return to the Tower, but Aravis is looking at where he was taken under, wondering if she can find the spot again if she leaves from this spot. She takes in landmarks she could use to help in that regard.

Aravis looks at Tarlon and tells him "Take me back to the Tower."

Aravis's story will continue in her own Story coming soon and continue to follow here to see what comes of Prince Lucius

[Dungeon Master]

Heir of the Empire: Lucius d'Janikar
Story One
Chapter Five: The Deep Black

Lucius knows this is wrong. The deeper they go, he has trouble clearing his ears, he kicks away from the woman’s hand and swims upwards, he tries to clear his ears, releasing the pressure as it is getting too much, but now he feels relief.

This is alien to him, he is eager to do the bidding of this fanciful creature of myth. She is stunningly sexy and deeply alluring, and yet, he knows this is wrong. He can’t pull himself from her sway, he should be dead or drowned, he can’t breathe the air from the water, and yet, he is breathing fine. What magic is this?

Lucius looks upward one more time, the sirine takes his hand and they descend into the inky blackness of night. Unfortunately, his mental capacity has been diminished from the sirine’s song. He is finding it hard to reason.

He clears his ears continually as they continue to drop in depth to a dormant volcanic tunnel complex created when the great asteroid destroyed Istar during the Cataclysm. They swim some ways until they come into a strangely lit underwater cove and surface.
Here, trinkets from the past have been scavenged from the bottom of the Blood Sea and brought here, either by trade or scavenging, and put into piles on the Cove floor. The Sirine tells Lucius to lie down and rest while thinking about what to do. She is in huge trouble for not attaining the girl. That she got the girl’s mate may be the only thing that saves her life.

Meanwhile, Lucius tries to remember how he got down here and wonders where he was before all of this. What he could not calculate in his current state is they are hundreds of feet below the sea, he would never be able to swim to the surface even if he could get away.