"What is the meaning of this, I demand you release me!!!" the Archbishop of Icon exclaimed.
"By order of his Most Honorable Duke Flavius, you eminence is placed under the protective custody of House Li Halan and the Iconian Order of the Brother Battle." said Captain Xiao.
"But you cannot do this, you swore an oath to the Patriarch and the Holy Church, I will see you all excommunicated for this!!! You will be burned at the stake!!! Do you hear me, I am the Archbishop...." his voice trailing off as he was dragged from his chambers and down the hallway.
Captain Xiao had grown up in a rural province the Red Forest region near Lake Soong, his father was a freeman that worked in the timber industry. His parents were kind people that raised him in the ways of the Omega Gospels and like most Li Halan subjects attended the local parish sermons dutifully each week. As a young boy, he heard stories about the heroics of the Brother Battle traveling from planet to planet fighting the forces of darkness and bringing the Pancreator's light into a universe where even the stars had began to grow dim.
However, that darkness had come to the Garden Worlds over these last several weeks. At first he followed orders when the Inquisitors arrived by edict of the Patriarch, the instructions were to give them a wide berth to carry out their interrogations. Even Duke Flavius remained silent for a while as the interrogations and public executions began throughout the Li Halan worlds.
It was not until the Ido Massacre occurred on the northern continent of Icon. The Inquisition was searching for a suspected local cult of heretics and in their zealous fanaticism put an entire town to the torch. Brutally murdering 2,000 innocent men, women, and children that were loyal Li Halan subjects.
In response over 60,000 citizens gathered at St. Lexitus Catheral in the capital city of Bao to hold a candlelight vigil for those that perished at Ido and to protest the terrorizing tactics of the Avestite Inquisition. Princess Melissa Li Halan, the daughter of Grand Duke Maximino Li Halan of Icon and the niece of Duke Flavius, led the procession from the main square to the footsteps of the grand cathedral where they were met by a contingent of Avestite Inquisitors protecting the entrance. What happened next is unfortunate, members of the crowd began hurling stones at the Avestites in turn one of the Inquisitors fired a slug thrower into the gathered masses. Some in the crowd scattered while others charged the Avestites, more shots rang out. In all over a 150 people died that day and among them was Princess Melissa the victim of a stray bullet fired by the Inquisitors.
In his grief Grand Duke Maximino lashed out ordering his palace guard to storm the cathedral and put every Avestite on Icon to the sword, by the time the word had reached Duke Flavius chaos had spread throughout the Garden Worlds. A Holy Civil War had erupted forcing martial orders such as the Brother Battle and Swords of Lexitus to choose sides. Duke Flavius began a purge of the Garden Worlds of those loyal to the "Mad Patriarch" and offered amnesty to those sects that would lay down their arms and accept the mercy of House Li Halan.
At the funeral of Princess Melissa held on the steps of the St. Lexitus Cathedral the place where she was martyred. Duke Flavius proclaimed that Zebulon's Church had been perverted with hate and ignorance. That the legacy of Cardano Li Halan and his great conversion and commitment to protect the Holy Church must be upheld. And so from the steps of that ancient and austere Cathedral he proclaimed to not yield until the "Mad Patriarch" was removed from the Celestial Throne on Holy Terra once and for all.
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Topic: EOTFS: Emperor Wars - Game Over. (Read 65587 times)