Under the Cover of Darkness

Chapter 22 - Kingdom of Secrets

Urlor had, for over three decades, been reduced to a forgotten kingdom. Thirty-four years before, they were still battling Herfdole for the title of the most influential kingdom since they had nearly complete control of the Albine Sea. When Charles Grayson destroyed the last of the Urlorian fleets in an underdog tale that continued to live on in infamy, the country retreated back to its corner in the southwest region of Netueeia, haunted by its shortcomings in a war they could have easily won.

There confinement to a corner of irrelevancy was by no means a choice though. The treaties that King Luke the Great signed, the same king who had brought Herfdole and Lallev to their knees, destroyed the Urlorian morale. The king essentially agreed that as long as Urlor could remain a separate kingdom, it would bow to the demands of Herfdole. This led to relentless and massive rebellions from the Urlorians, stretching across the remaining land they owned, striking against their own king with an unbreakable animosity.

In order to protect himself from the wrath of his own people, King Luke set up a feudal system, casting the blame of people's misery on the lords and noblemen they served. In a way, the king did manage to quench the thirst of the depreciated rioters by focusing the peasants and commoners towards their poor economic states, tricked by the promise of land from wealthy aristocrats. Still, Urlorian foreign dominance was vanquished as commoners learned to rely solely on the land given to them. All foreign trade was done among wealthy merchants and the aristocrats, searching for the most ornate items to decorate their lofty castles with, which cast shadows upon the toiling peasants.

In turn, when an Urlorian messenger rode into the capital of Ardor saying he had a message from the political advisor of Urlor, Vernon found it hard to believe. The butler marched down the front steps of palace and towards the front gate of the inner ring with discontent shrouding his expectations. He wanted nothing to do with the crazed man, but his energetic yelling definitely caught the butler off guard.

At the entrance to the inner ring, two guards gripped onto his arms, supporting the supposed messenger in the air. Behind them was another guard who held the reins of the Urlorian's horse with little effort. The horse, visibly tired, refused to put up a fight against its newest handler just like the messenger whose zeal had disappeared with the suffocating clasp of the guards on either side.

Vernon laughed. "Is this some type of terror attempt? Were trying to test us?" he questioned the defeated man.

"No, sir. I really do have a message for the royalty straight from the political advisor of Urlor, Neglect," he explained with a revitalized tone. "It's in the side bag on my horse's saddle."

"Someone scan that bag for magical contents," Vernon ordered.

"Already have, sir," the man holding the reins responded. "Nothing that could be of danger."

"I'd like you to tell me who this Neglect is. I'm not very knowledgeable of Urlorian politics, so I don't know many names besides King Luke's."

"That's the thing, sir... King Luke the Great has died."

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To the Great Champion of Ardor, Alric,

My name is Neglect Yurrig, the fourth rightful heir to the Urlorian throne. I'm writing a letter to you regarding the sudden death of my father, the greatest king to grace our kingdom with his infinite wisdom, King Luke the Great. Not long before your receiving of this letter, my father was found dead in his bed from an unknown condition. Now our country is to move on to a new era of prosperous abundance in the wake of the king's passing as his first three sons are all worthy of the throne.

While it is tradition in Urlorian government that the eldest son of the king be the first to inherit the throne, an issue has arisen. You see, the first children the Queen of Urlor bore were triplets; however, the documents of their birth revealing who was born first have been taken from the royal archives. As a result, the coronation of the next king of Urlor has been postponed until a consensus has been decided upon among the brothers. There has been talk of different methods to choose the next king, including a battle to the death, while other solutions have been offered such as a voting by the lords of Urlor.

As a result, the triplets have been campaigning across the kingdom as of late, striking up support from the commoners and aristocrats alike; however, there have been rumors of a rebellion brewing throughout the land. A group of treasonous vagabonds have been burning effigies, threatening the lives of many if the blood of King Luke touches the crown of Urlor. But, as the son and previous advisor to King Luke, I cannot, with healthy conscience, leave his legacy in the hands of an inexperienced peasant or even a noblemen of high power and regard.

This massive objection of the triplets has provided an added instability to not only the political balance of the kingdom, but also the social balance. Urlor has been isolated from the other kingdoms of Netueeia for more than three decades, and as a result, the infrastructure of our society has suffered immensely. Also, despite my love for my kingdom, I know when the society around me has crumbled to nothing but the moral code and survival instincts, so I'm writing this to admit that Urlor is in dire need of Ardor's help.

In turn, this letter is also an invitation, an invitation to help provide political stability to our nation and to the relationship between our countries. Through the presence of Ardor's highest nobility, the public outrage can be quenched by your support. After all, our kingdom has been isolated for so long that we are desperate for agreement and support from outside nations. Your presence will be enough to awaken our slumbering populace, so I'm hoping that by showing support for the future king of Urlor, your grace and mercy will help forge a bond between nations that have been facing a passing-on of political power.

In the event that you accept my invitation, I want to ask another favor. Formalities aside, I have become knowledgeable of a covert policing force that has been used to eradicate organized crime throughout Ardor. While the common man may be oblivious to the source of these vagabonds, I am not. Now, whether they are loyal soldiers that act on your command or not is a question I can not answer. What I do know is that I need them for a mission here in Urlor, a mission that may require the majority of your relatively small task force.

To put it briefly, I fear that my younger brother, the fifth heir to Urlor's throne, Ziltch has been plotting the civic unrest in our nation, and I need your presence in Urlor as a distraction so that your task force can prevent him from continuing with any plan. You see, my brother, as the fifth heir, is desperate to obtain full glory, and I fear he will do whatever it takes. Even if it means civil war.

Now, obviously the king of a rival nation would rejoice in such potential misfortune, but let me assure something for you. If Urlor is to crumble under itself, only one nation will benefit. Lallev. Because of the deep-rooted hatred for Herfdole, Urlorian refugees will flock to Lallev in search of work and peace instead, and given your past experience in the Lallevan slave system, you are fully aware of what happens to foreigners in Lallev.

Also, this slave nation will benefit from the weakened state of the kingdom tremendously. Already, Jacob the Horrific has been keeping a close eye on Urlorian politics, preparing a military force capable of destroying Urlor, obtaining a lost population that will turn towards any leader even if that leader is Jacob who despite his corruption and brutality is nevertheless a successful leader. An influx of land, economic potential, and workers is something all of Netueeia should fear Lallev gaining. In turn, I hope you take in these facts carefully as you question whether aiding me will aid Ardor's future as well.

With much reverence,
Neglect Yurrig