Domains of the Chosen 02 Bloodlust: Will to Power

by C. P. D. Harris

  “Oh that reminds me,” said Sadira. “Vintia's first letter came. Lina's already read it.”

  “Long time coming,” said Gavin. He knew that communication beyond the borders of the Domains was difficult. Link coverage was impossible without the infrastructure of Empire. “I was beginning to worry.”

  “I envy her right now,” said Sadira. “I can't believe all the work we have to do when we get back to Krass.”

  Gavin laughed. “With great power comes the realization of responsibility.”

  Sadira rolled her eyes. Gavin leaned in to kiss her, but the sounds of cattle panicking drew their attention. A monstrous serpent was nearing the hapless beasts. They watched as it separated a protective mother and her calf from the herd. It circled them, ready to devour. It did not get the chance. A vast shadow passed over the plains. A dragon, Crimvidinn, plunged out of the air with a roar, snatching the serpent in its talons and bearing it off into the sky.

  The pair looked after the Dragon in awe, hearts racing. They spoke no words after that, taking one last look before they left, hand in hand. Gavin could have sworn he heard Omodo's laughter as follow them as they went and perhaps he did: after all The Oath bound him to the memory of the Domains as well as to its people.

  o----

  “Will is what separates those who win from those who lose.” Valaran diVolcanus

  “Will is putting yourself first, above all petty notions of charity and self-sacrifice, freeing yourself from those who hold you back.” Karmal Kolat

  “Will is knowing that all men, even The Chosen, die, and to carry on despite that inevitable end, to do your best, to be exemplary in the hopes that those who follow after you will be able to add to what you have built and reach even greater heights.” Omodo diYava

  Epilogue: Vintia's Letter

  Honoured Gladiatrix Sadira Lacivia, and Honoured Gladiator Gavin Orphanus

  I have written this letter a dozen times now. It is strange to think that this is the only way that we will be able to communicate now that the expedition has travelled beyond the link range. Every day I think of you both. By the time the courier ship returns to Krass and this letter reaches you the Grand Tournament will be underway.

  Gavin, I am proud of you for facing Valaran. Omodo would have been proud too. You are a better man than most realize and I am glad to call you friend. You carry your shield well, as they say in the Legion.

  Sadira, before we lost the link, news of your exploits reached us daily. Some people don't believe that I used to fight at your side. I tell them I was your shield even before you met Gavin. You likely don't want to read this, but you need to watch Karmal. She stopped talking to me. I'm not sure I'd trust her as a Hearthbound if I were you. I know you will kick ass in the Grand Championship.

  I wish I were there to cheer you on. I miss you both. Some days I miss the arena as well. As a junior Warbound I am always on “special assignment”. The other Warbound tend to keep to themselves. The Legionnaires are nice, but I get the feeling they don't respect me yet. Maybe once things settle down I will be able to make some friends.

  One positive thing about “special assignment” is that I get to see Chosen Brightloch every day. He is so handsome, and so smart. Only he would have the vision to establish a Domain in Lost Ithal’duin. It took him years just to chart the routes and make contacts with the locals. I love listening to his stories.

  The Ninth is still in chaos. Carobius, our Strategos, constantly complains about how the Legion is made up of units from all over the Empire with no sense of cohesion. He has a bad history with some of the other Warbound. He says that we should have seen duty on the wall to “blood” us before being sent on the expedition. Chosen Brightloch tells him not to fret.

  The Ninth has an extra compliment of engineers to get things running once we get to Brightloch's Purchase. These are the best of the best I'm told. One of the artificers with them has a war-golem that the men are always talking about. When we were attacked by pirates, attacked he fitted the golem with some kind of cannon. It was spectacular.

  Oh, yeah. Pirates. Not as exciting as you might think. They tried to pick off some of our stragglers after a storm near Sudra. They lost their will to fight after Chosen Brightloch called lightning onto their biggest ship.

  Ithal’duin is strange. I have seen mushroom jungles and a desert made of glass shards. I need to work on my prose before I am ready to describe it. Our guides say we haven't seen anything yet.

  We'll I've reached the allotted limit of paper, a necessity imposed upon us by the quartermaster. I will write again as a soon as the next ship sails. I hope everything is well.

  Junior Warbound Vintia Legarda

  Vintia folded the letter, placing it carefully in a travelling envelope. It would be carried to Krass by ship. She felt a little tremor of apprehension, as she fretted that Sadira or Gavin might not survive to read her words. The Grand Championships were a tumultuous time to be a Gladiator. Still, she almost envied them.

  Perhaps she hadn't quite left the arena behind. Maybe you never could.

  She stared at the envelope for some time. Her thoughts were of her friends, her childhood home on the farmlands of the Promise, and of her ailing parents. She would earn a full tour quickly on this expedition, which would make her eligible to inherit her parent's land when they were too old to carry on working it. She was their last child, and she needed to ensure they would be comfortable.

  Of course, Vintia could not know that the expedition in which she was to play a major role would march straight into disaster. After all, although the peoples of Ithal'duin were strange, they seemed to respect the power of the Legion. Their cunning guides also made sure the Bright Company was welcomed everywhere. These factors had combined, over time, to create a false sense of security.

  But the machinations of The Chosen and their enemies reached far, even beyond the borders of the Domains, and those in the Bright Company who would survive the coming destruction would face far more pressing concerns than the lives they had left behind.

  Glossary (with Author Comments)

  Ancestors: Ancestor worship is the most common form of spirituality in the Domains. People will appeal to their ancestors for wisdom or strength, and common oaths are often sworn on the names of beloved ancestors or ancestors in general. Most houses have a small shrine where precious heirlooms and belongings of the ancestors are kept. Curses involving the ancestors are also common.

  Appeal to the crowd: [Show thumbs, Judgement of the Crowd] The appeal to the crowd has several uses in the arena, and is regarded as a sacred tradition among fans of The Great Games. The root of the action is a symbolic appeal to the people. The spectators vote for each side, often by showing their thumbs. A single spectator can vote for all sides if they wish. The side with the most "positives", with "negatives" cancelling one thumbs up each, wins the appeal. Ties and Deathmatch executions are almost always resolved in this manner. The Appeal is one of the reasons that popularity is very important to a Gladiator.

  AR: [After Reckoning]. In the Domains time is measured from the end of The Reckoning.

  Arena Post: A publication that deals in arena news and gossip. Think of it as a tabloid.

  Armodon: Armodons are a race that has Rhinoceros features. They are much larger than humans and have thick, tough skin and a single prominent horn. Some Armodons have thick, bristly hair on their heads, although this is not the case with Omodo. Armodons, like Minotaurs, are a "beast race" created during The Reckoning and they frequently suffer from prejudice because of this.

  Armour. objectification, and bloodlust: [Commentary] Gladiator armour exposes a great deal more flesh than would be purely practical for armour. With the fabrication techniques available in the Domains even light armour class Gladiators could cover their entire bodies in strong, light metal alloys and enduring fabrics. Yet even the strongest heavy class Gladiators must expose at least a third of their body surface in the arena. Part of this is to make the fight more
exciting, the crowds do not want to see nigh invulnerable steel clad behemoths bashing each other around to little effect; they want to see blood, and having exposed flesh is a near guarantee of red on the sand. In many of the ancient cultures that existed before the Domains, one on one combat was emphasized over mass melee, and wearing less armour was considered a sign of courage. Finally and most importantly Gladiator armour is about individual style, and some fighters will opt for sexier armour for various reasons, including increasing their popularity with the arena-going crowds. Both male and female Gladiators are heavily objectified in the Domains, and the portrayal of some characters as scantily clad and concerned about appearances is absolutely purposeful. Some schools are as concerned with aesthetics as they are with fighting. Body-sculpting is part of this objectification as well, akin to cosmetic surgery in some ways. This is all intentional, but I will not further address it here.

  Armour Class/Weight Class: [Light, Medium, and Heavy] During their early training Gladiators choose an armour class in which to specialize. This is occasionally referred to as weight class. The term is somewhat misleading because it refers to the weight and coverage of the armour, not that of the Gladiator. It is therefore possible to have a Quickling heavy armour class and an Ogre light armour class. Armour class is also a shout out to D&D, a game that kindled my love of Fantasy. (see Light/Medium/Heavy for specifics)

  Ars Certamen: Some tournaments allow a Gladiator to change the match to a points based affair, similar to a simple Faction League match. Ars Certamen is often invoked in front of hostile crowds in order to avoid an appeal to the crowd.

  I added this notion purely for dramatic purposes, on the spot, so the big guy could go out with a little bit of style.

  Artifice: A form of magic developed after The Reckoning. Artifice deals with machines and other devices. The "artifice revolution" has greatly increased quality of life in the Domains through technological advancement. Artificers are rarely seen as Gladiators. Artifice is seen as a more modern, measurable, and rational approach to magic by most people in the Domains. (Artifice is similar to what some Steampunk writers call Cognomancy, but I shy away from using that term because it is too close to Cogimancy.)

  Attuning/Attunement: A Person must attune to a rune or enchanted item to make full use of the magic within. This is a relatively quick process for a Gifted.

  Barding: Technically barding is horse armour. In the Domains they will armour anything, and I use the term loosely to refer to armour for animals.

  Basic Training: [Training] A Gladiator's basic training consists of conditioning, armour class, magic class, and training class. Training also includes live weapons and fully powered spells and is considered overly brutal by some citizens of the Domains.

  Battle Magic: [Remedial Magic, sub of magic class] Some Gladiators take to conditioning too well and develop a difficulty weaving spells that affect others. They are even more physically honed than most Gladiators but a little lacking in magical prowess. They are trained in a general array of relatively simple spells, and must work extra hard if they wish to push further into magical studies as they advance in ranks.

  Blackcloak: The secret enforcement arm of The Deliberative. Grey-Robes, as Vassals and Ungifted do not have access to the same range of magic that Gladiators do and cannot always rely on The Chosen or Warbound for support. The Blackcloaks were created to give The Deliberative the extra muscle they need in the Empire. They are hand-picked and specially trained master level Gladiators. They prefer to operate from the shadows or in small rapid strike teams.

  While the Blackcloaks don't officially exist, most people believe in them. Like Ninjas.

  Bloodlust, the Game: [Commentary, Wishful Thinking] Bloodlust began as a tabletop role-playing game that I wrote. The nature of The Great Games made it easier to deal with players and characters moving in and out of each play session and also seemed a more natural fit for encounter style play.

  Bloodthirster: [School] Some Gladiators become partial Vampires to enhance their combat skills. Bloodthirsters are stronger, faster, and can heal quicker by drinking blood (there are weapon runes that allow for blood-drinking blades), on the other hand few students of this school are noted for self-control.

  Bocage: A thick hedge, almost impossible to push through. The name sticks in my mind because of accounts of the battles in France at the end of World War II that I have read. The ancient hedges were so knotted together that they provided a serious obstacle for tanks and made life really hard for the allies trying to push forward.

  Boss, shield: A boss is a thicker, reinforced area in the centre of the shield. It adds strength to the middle part of the shield, mounts the grip, and protects the hand on simple shields. On more complex shields the boss serves a decorative function. Gavin's boss is a roaring lion. Vintia's shield is patterned after a legion shield and has a plain boss, albeit highly polished.

  Capitals, use of: [Commentary] I use capital letters in a way that some people regard as poor English. When I write Gladiator instead of Gladiator or Training Class instead of training class I am simply trying to convey that these are seen as titles by the people of the Domains. Training Class would be the equivalent of a BA or BSC in many ways. The Great Games are steeped in ritual and the use of capitals is one way I attempt to convey this.

  Charger: [Aggressor, sub of Training Class] Young Gladiators with aggressive personalities and offensively oriented mindsets are trained as Chargers. Chargers take the fight to the enemy and win by attacking, pure and simple.

  Channel/Channelling: Channelling is the description for how Gifted draw upon power to energize their magic. The power accumulates over time until the amount required to cast the spell is reached. More experienced Gifted can draw upon power faster and have a higher maximum capacity. Gladiators are trained to do this more or less unconsciously so that they can still fight while channelling. Most channelling in the book draws from some internal source but some Gladiators are able to tap into the energy of a supportive audience; if you read closely, I call this out now and again.

  Chosen: The Chosen are the rulers of the Domains. They are immensely powerful Gifted who have full use of their magic. Some of them, referred to as the Elder Chosen, have been around since before The Reckoning. Every Chosen that has been added since The Reckoning has been a Champion of the Arena (There might be an exception or two to this; I am undecided). All of The Chosen have sworn the Oath of the Covenant. Originally The Chosen were limited in number to 100 and new Chosen were only added when the old ones died (or disappeared for long periods). Because the Domains are expanding, and Gladiators become more rebellious if regular championships are not held, new Chosen have been added at least every 50 years starting with AR 1000.

  Clockwork: Any mechanical automaton in the Domains is called a clockwork, often erroneously.

  Cogimancy: Cogimancy is the discipline of magic that deals with thought processes and the brain. Gladiators use Cogimancy for quick mental communication and coordination between team-mates. In fact, as a reader, you could assume that much of what the characters are saying to other members of their team in a match is mental communication and not speech. Cogimancy spells can be used to enhance personal focus, cause headaches and confusion, create hallucinations, read emotions and thoughts, and attack with potent mental blasts. Presumably Cogimancy can be used therapeutically to cure all sorts of mental illnesses, but that does not really fall under the purview of a Gladiator. (As an aside Steampunk writers occasionally use the term Cognomancy to refer to a kind of mechanical magic, which I call artifice in Bloodlust.)

  Conditioning: [part of Basic Training] Gifted who choose the path of the Gladiator are subject to harsh physical and mental conditioning. They take up a regimen of athletic exercise that would destroy a normal person, forcing them to turn their magic inwards to enhance their physique to supernatural levels. They are injured in every way possible, to teach their bodies to heal and their minds to overcome pain. They are even killed and
brought back to life with The Keystone, so that they do not flinch from death. Some feel this training is monstrous, especially since it begins during childhood, while others feel it is the only ordeal that can make a responsible Chosen.

  Covenant, the: The basic set of laws that governs magic, The Chosen, and the Gifted in the Domains. The Covenant was drawn up by the people of Krass, led by Ezuis, during The Reckoning. The Chosen are forced to swear a magical oath to uphold and abide by the Covenant.

  Deathmatch: A Deathmatch is an arena match where one or more of the fighters face death. In a Deathmatch the Gladiator/Gifted/Chosen who accepts the Deathmatch condition does not attune to The Keystone. Deathmatches must be sanctioned by The Deliberative, which ensures that they are as fair as possible, and the Gladiators must agree to the fight publicly, in front of the crowd before the fight begins. Deathmatches are often used to execute Heretics. Two things are important to note in Deathmatches; firstly the risk is not always equal, in some Deathmatches only one side or participant risks death; secondly, most Deathmatches end in an appeal to the crowd in which mercy is often shown to the loser if they fought well.

  Death-Leagues: The Death-Leagues are an alternative to the more popular Faction leagues. Every fight in the Death-Leagues is a sanctioned Deathmatch against a Gladiator, rabble, or monster. Blind draw opponents are common and the time limits have been extended to prevent Gladiators from trying to wait out the match.