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[hr][hr][h2]The Cathedral of Twin Heavens[/h2][h3][sup][i]Act 1.1 - Mourning[/i][/sup][/h3][hr][hr][/center]

[indent][indent][indent]Five carts carried five stone coffins rolled through Coronation, towards the Grand Cathedral of Twin Heavens. Men and women lined the streets, some with tears in their eyes, some openly weeping but all could feel their hearts sink as the funeral procession made its way through the Bronze Ward, the golden bells of the carts jangling as the wheels ran over the uneven cobblestone road. On each lid was a carving of the person inside, looking at peace and still. It had been over a week since the assassination and seeing the coffins only deepened the wound. There was the royal carriage driver, the two Crownguard Knights who had accompanied the carriage, the remains of the Mad King Colyt II and finally, with a subtle yet noticeable amount of additional finery and detail, was the coffin of Crown Prince Daymian, the hopes and dreams of an entire kingdom now laying with the beloved heir.

The cathedral doors swung open to let the carts, now simply pushed and pulled by teams of servants and clergymen, in where all of the assembled nobles had come to watch. Everyone from the lowliest Viscount to the Great Houses of the realm stood in solemn silence as the carts made their way through. While the majority of them were able to keep their emotions better hidden than the smallfolk outside, they all felt a worrying sense of dread lingering in the wake of the coffins. Prince Daymian had been the only trueborn child of King Colyt to survive into adulthood but he had never married meaning now the throne was empty and it was unsure who would succeed them.

The church chorus began to sing a dour funeral hymn as a procession of priests and priestesses made their way down the aisle as well, carrying holy icons and burning sacred incense. Each of the coffins were carefully tilted upright to be given the last rites by Pontifex Rulon XI and Meretrix Marnya VII, splashing the lids with holy water and draping blessed white linen over them, everyone quietly noticing how they spent just a little bit more time in front of Prince Daymian compared to everyone else before making their way to the podium to give a speech.

"Today, we are gathered here to mourn and grieve the losses of great men. Marent Hothren, royal carriage driver. Sir Altan Tolhorn and Sir Carcel Flynt of the Crownguard. The honorable King Colyt of House Loyce, Sovereign of Adandion and second of his name. And the beloved Crown Prince Daymian of House Loyce, Archduke of the Crownmark. May the Master protect them and may the Mistress preserve them."

"May the Master protect and the Mistress preserve." The entire cathedral recited back as was custom.

"We would like to let personal eulogies to be delivered by some of the companions of the King and the Throne." The leaders of the church stepped aside and first up was Sir Jorin Longwall, Captain of the Crownguard, who gave a heartfelt speech about the warrior the Prince was and admonished himself for failing to protect the king and prince. Next were some members of the Council Court, followed by close friends and finally, Anyamara and Sharles. In the week since the assassination, there were already factions forming around the two in a semi-open secret, one that was currently being ignored for the purpose of collective mourning.

Anyamara stepped up first, a few whispered about how a "bastard bitch like her" shouldn't speak at such an event. If Anyamara heard any of them, she didn't let it show as she dabbed a few tears with a silken cloth, "Prince Daymian... was the best of us all. The greatest commander of this generation and among the finest warriors ever in the kingdom's history. He was strong of both body and mind, bearing a resolve to see the glory of the kingdom return from weakness and madness for not only did he exemplify the best of virtues we aspire to, but he saw the best in us all. I know... some may find my presence unwelcomed, but I felt duty bound to come and give a final farewell to the man who called himself my half-brother, to return the grace and honor he showed me and all of King Colyt's bastards. Even if death has taken him, then let his memory live on forever more!"

With her final words, Anyamara sniffled into her hand clothe once more before picking up her dress and stepping down to accepting applauds, Captain Jorin Longwall chief among them. It was a masterfully delivered speech, the woman's emphasizes, dramatic pauses and word choice had been chosen well to convey the feelings of many nobles in the crowd, giving Sharles a standard he'd have to now surpass as he rose to the podium. Just as with Anyamara, some nobles whispered about this "pampered country squire" looked out of place, not quite having fully comprehended the gravity of Prince Daymian's death.

"H-, Hello all." Sharles stumbled before clearing his throat, "The sudden death of the Crown Prince, my dearest friend, has shocked us all I know. But also know that he would not want us to cry over this. 'Chin up, the sun's bound to come up tomorrow' he once told me. And now those words are more important than ever. We have seen the long night of madness, suffering and cruelty, but Daymian would not have wanted us to stay in the darkness for he had a heart of light and warmth! The beloved prince's memory will live on forever, his kindness to big and small, noble and commoner, to be a guiding light for the times ahead! And I swear upon heaven and blood that it shall never go out!"

The applaud was more mixed as Sharles wrapped up his speech, but those who cheered did so louder than anyone did for Anyamara. Even some of the small folk in the far back cheered. Some of the nobles however noticed how it was overall less refined than Anyamara's and how it even seemed to imply he saw himself as the crown prince's chosen heir. The claims of both of the speakers were a semi-open secret but to so openly and brazenly imply it at such an event was improper at best and outright rude at worst.

With the Meretrix stepping back up to the podium, she lead one final round of prayers and memorials to the king, to the prince and to the kingdom and with the ringing of the great bells, teams of attendants hoisted the stone coffins back on to hand carts so they may be properly entombed in the catacombs below the Adankeep as where all royals of Adanion. The crowd outside began to disperse, encouraged by the town guard, while inside some nobles rose and left or lingered to share words with their peers. There would be no funeral feast this time, it was simply not planned in the confusion and sorrow that followed.[/indent][/indent][/indent]

[hider=Summary]
[i]The King, Prince and those with them are brought to the cathedral to be given their last rites to among a massive crowd of both nobles and commoners.
Anyamara gave a heartfelt speech emphasizing the strength and resolve of Daymian.
Sharles gave a rousing speech emphasizing the kindness of Daymian, letting slip he intends to follow in his foot steps.[/i]

OOC: And so it begins! This is just the opening scene, the part where everyone makes introductions and lays out their thoughts about the two claimants and some of the other characters. Again, there shouldn't be any plots going on since IC the tension isn't quiet there and also its culturally inappropriate given the location and circumstances; OOC its because again, this is just the start of everything. Lay out the start of relationships! Seek out what might be able to convince or blackmail other nobles! If you want to speak to a particular NPC, let me know.

Once everyone has posted/completed their own encounters we can move on to the next "scene" where more active plotting can begin in earnest. If you need ideas on what to write, talk about how your character feels about the whole event and their reactions to the speeches.
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