saga terra - judge of the haven - prologue

8/4/2019 Saga Terra - Judge of the Haven - Prologue

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Prologue

The Dukis Miracle

Mikhail Stanford Bakis Dukis, the Fleet Admiral of the Kingdom of Massgraves, awoke themorning of Dark 1, 4888 IIIA, having slept soundly through the night alongside his wife Kitty,

who had earned her nickname through her feline heritage. Her full name was Katherine FelicityCath Duckson Dukis, with her mother of the Cath family being feline and her father of the

Duckson clan being a pure duck. She had the head and wings of a duck but the body and tail of an orange cat, with her wings and head, aside from her brown hair, being white.

Gazing at her husband with her brown eyes through the dark, she greeted, "Goodmorning, Mikey-dear."

"Same to you, Kitty.""Sleep well?"

"You know I did," Admiral Dukis assured, getting out of bed and stretching.To the lamps by the entrance he wandered, taking a matchbox from the shelf below them

and removing a match, which he ignited, after which he lifted the lamps to expose their wickers, both of which he lit, afterward blowing out the match. Then he walked to his chamber's gold-

rimmed mirror, gazing upon his pajamaed self. Like his wife, he was a chimera, having a black head (albeit brown-haired) and wings like a duck, but otherwise having the brown body of a

deer, with five hoofed fingers on each of his hands and fived hoofed toes per webbed foot; hehad brown deer antlers and black deer ears, as well.

As he admired the characteristics he inherited from both sides of his family, his wife gotout of bed and headed to the wardrobe, opening it to reveal clothes belonging to her and her

husband. While contemplating which of her clothes to wear today, her husband came by her side,thinking the same. Because today was Darkday, the Sabbath of the Order of the Nidhoggr,

Admiral Dukis decided he would wear his best attire, specifically his naval uniform, whichconsisted of yellow epaulets, a black coat with platinum buttons, a dark gray sash, a brown belt

with platinum buckle, dark gray pants with light gray stripes on the sides, black boots, and whitesocks.

After Admiral Dukis removed his pajamas, revealing his white undershirt and underwear,he put on his uniform, with his wife putting on a black dress to wear to church, as well. Then

they finally departed their bedroom through its entrance doors, entering the great hall of their mansion, where they descended to ground floor and went through one of the doors into the

dining hall, where their three children, John, Andrea, and Kara, awaited their arrival. Johnsomewhat resembled his father with a black head with deer ears and black wings, although he

had a brown feline body and tail, while Andrea and Kara more resembled their mother withwhite heads (having white deer ears), and white wings, albeit with orange feline bodies. All wore

sailor attire."Good morning!" the children simultaneously greeted.

"To you all as well," returned Admiral Dukis."And here comes breakfast," Kitty noted, with slave cooks then entering the dining hall to

place various foods and drinks that included ant eggs, beetle bacon, roach sausage, pancakes,coffee, hot chocolate, various fruit juices, and so forth, upon the table.



of Asgard defeated him at the end of the Second Age, albeit at the expense of his own life.Rumor had it that Lucifer had sired several bastards throughout the world via rape during his

genocides, although the Admiral doubted if any of them would have what it took to be a Dark Lord. Regardless, he believed that the right time for the Lord of Darkness to rise was imminent,

what with Niflheim's conquests during the present century.

After the church's bells rang at two o'clock, the Bishop of the House of Dark Tidings, PolSong, a black-and-white skunk with gray eyes and priestly garbs, came behind the podium,tapping the bottom of his platinum staff, its top bearing the Emblem of Niflheim to catch the

sanctuary's attention. The congregation silenced, he welcomed in his high-pitched voice, "Goodmorning, parishioners."

"Good morning," echoed the worshippers."Welcome to this time of fellowship here at the House of Dark Tidings, and I certainly

hope the lot of you bring dark tidings upon the enemies of the Kingdom of Massgraves and theEmpire of Niflheim. We have no new announcements for this week or month, so with that aside,

please stand for our call to worship." The parishioners stood. "Lord of Darkness, hopeful ruler of Terra alone..."

"Throw this world into darkness and bring your enemies to their knees," responded thecongregation.

"Purge this world of infidels and claim it solely for the great and mighty Empire of Niflheim."

"We, your slaves, shall aid you in your grand task.""Make your enemies join with the Order of the Nidhoggr or else meet swift demise,"

concluded Bishop Song. "Now let us rise and sing our first hymn, 'Clad in Darkness.'"The organist began playing, and the congregation began:

C lad in darkness, Lord of the black night,

C lad in darkness, Lord of terror and fright,

C lad in darkness, Lord of strength and might,

C lad in darkness, vanquishing the light!

C lad in darkness, Lord of night and terror and fright and strength and might and vanquisher of light!

C lad in darkness, he who shall rise to the throne of Niflheim and make the world right! Lord of terror, Hero of the dark,

Lord of terror, he shall leave his mark, Lord of terror, all shall hear his hark,

Lord of terror, he shall leave all stark!

Lord of terror, Hero of the dark and night and terror and fright and strength and vanquisher of light!

Lord of terror, he who shall rise to the throne of Niflheim and make the world right!

Prince of darkness, prince of dark and power, Prince of darkness, he shall see his hour,

Prince of darkness, lord of all things dour, Prince of darkness, death shall he see ne'er!



Prince of darkness, prince of dark and power and terror and fright and strength and

vanquisher of light! Prince of darkness, he who shall rise to the throne of Niflheim and make the world right!

"Amen!" praised Bishop Song after the hymn, the congregation then sitting. "Let us pray.Dear Lord of Niflheim, guide us your slaves through this time of worship and grant us theguidance we need to triumph over our antagonists. In your name we pray, amen."

"Amen," echoed the congregation."Our second hymn is 'The Conquest.'"

The organist began playing again, and the hymn began:

C onquer every mountain,C onquer every sea,

C onquer every ocean, Bring the world to its knee.

Rule every city,

Rule every town, Rule every village

Under Niflheim's crown.

Seize every world,Seize every sun,

Seize all the starlight,Our conquest has begun!

"Now let us stand and recite the Nidhoggrian Creed," invited Bishop Song, the

congregation complying.

I believe in the Dark Lord, Lord of Terror, Ruler of Darkness,

The one and only Emperor of Terra, He who shall bring dark tidings unto the world.

I believe in the Grandmaster,

Leader of the Order of the Nidhoggr,Steward of the throne of Niflheim

Until the Dark Lord should rise again.

I believe in the God-General, Leader of the Army of Niflheim,

He who shall lead the Empire to victory And vanquish all opposition.

The organist began playing, followed by another psalm:



Nidhoggr, Johann Wilhelm Ferrum Carob."A dark mist appeared near the Bishop's podium, from which emerged a black-garbed

vicar with the gray head and bleached antlers of a caribou but, Admiral Dukis knew, the bodyand tail of a ferret. The black mist disappeared, with Grandmaster Carob tapping the bottom of

his staff, platinum and with an upward-pointed crescent centered by a cross that in turn a shard of

moonstone centered, to capture the attention of the congregation, which had taken surprise at hisappearance. Bishop Song stepped aside, and the Grandmaster took his place behind the podium."I thank you all for the opportunity to deliver your sermon this foul yet fair morning,"

droned the Grandmaster in his dreary voice. "Our sermon today concerns the importance of darkness in our lives. Many of you are undoubtedly familiar with the demagoguery that the

Church of Asgard spouts about how supposedly darkness is inherently evil, although we of theOrder of the Nidhoggr, of course, know far better than those infidels. Even in the lives of those

who do not follow the noble Order, darkness plays a significant role."The world of Terra, I am certain you all know, began with a great void of darkness that

ultimately solidified. Both the Dark Lord and the Lord of Asgard agreed to separate Terra intolight and dark hemispheres, which we respectfully know as day and night. Day is, of course,

when we perform our typical duties, while night gives us the opportunity to refresh for thefollowing day. Some may see nighttime slumber as up to twelve hours of accomplishing nothing,

although it provides endless opportunities to contemplate the future, dream up countless ways of purging infidelity against the Order..."

Grandmaster Carob's sermon continued for several minutes, with the service concluding

with the congregation rising and singing the Army March of Niflheim. Bishop Song bid, "Mayyou all go in the name of our Dark Lord and see through his many intentions. Amen."

"Amen," echoed the congregation, which began to chatter in cacophony, with AdmiralDukis seeking to strike a conversation with Grandmaster Carob, plowing through the

parishioners on the aisle."Grandmaster!" the deerduck called out.

"Ah, Admiral Dukis," his fellow chimera acknowledged, "the very one for whom I cameto this service."

"Really?""Indeed. His Majesty King Warden summons you to his palace to discuss urgent

business.""I'll be there once I've gotten my family home."

"Better yet, I'll take you there immediately.""Well, okay, I..." but before Admiral Dukis could finish, the Grandmaster had put his

right arm around the deerduck, tapped the bottom of his staff to the carpeted aisle, and caused black mist to surround the two, which dissipated to reveal different scenery.

The chimera Admiral immediately recognized King Warden's throne room, from whosehigh arched ceiling hung many flags of The Massgraves and Niflheim, and at whose end sat the

king himself in a bone throne. Like Dukis he was a chimera, with the head of a boar but the bodyof a fox, his bat wings and his features being orange. Near him were several Massgrievous

officials, among them being Supreme General Verne Franklin, who the Admiral knew enjoyedthe company of men, and Diablo Panthera, an ebony feline who served as head of The

Massgraves' Parliament."So good to see you again, Grandmaster," snorted the porcine monarch, "and you too as



well, Admiral, I suppose.""Your Majesty," acknowledged the deerduck, bowing. "What business brings me here

this morning, sire?""The business of Niflheim's expansion. You are to lead a naval campaign to the south

along Ymir and Vanaheim's coastlines to conquer the maritime nations to pave the way for

invasion and expansion by the Empire's Armies. Do you understand.""Yes, Your Majesty. Am I to loop around the southern tip of Vanaheim and continue theconquest?"

"Indeed, Admiral. You'll ultimately reach the Aesir Province of Alaska, which, shouldyour campaign succeed, will be our starting point for our war with Asgard."

"Ah, yes, the Dukis Miracle," suggested the Admiral, "the perfect start to a great war.""Remember, failure is not an option, Admiral."

"I'll do my best, Your Majesty.""Don't do your best; just do it."

"Very well.""I assume you'll be taking me to the harbor?" Admiral Dukis then inquired the

Grandmaster, but before a response, the priest had grabbed his fellow chimera and whisked himaway in a wave of black mist, the scenery shifting again.

The deerduck recognized Bastion Harbor, currently standing upon the jetty adjacent tohis beloved vessel, The Massgraves Abyss, composed almost entirely of shining jet wood. Noted

the Grandmaster, "This is goodbye, for now.""Until we meet again," returned the Admiral as he stepped onto his vessel, after which he

saw the Grandmaster vanish in black mist."All hands on deck!" commanded Dukis, the crewmembers complying. "Set sail for

Connexion!"

saga terra - judge of the haven - prologue

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