Alden sat on the hunter's porch of the Order's mannor house on the hills above Chapman Keep. He was talking with fellow knight Ben Kithman about his childhood. He was raised with the bastard children of his mother and his father. His closest friend was his brother Alustraude. He had always sensed that his illegitimate siblings were different but didn't understand until much later that his parents viewed them as inferiors. His brother and him went on adventures in the wilderness and made plans to be famous knights one day.
On his 9th Birthday Alden went away to Peerage School to learn the temper of a nobleman and competed fiercely with his fellow Decados Students. His more powerful peers were given Gentech modifications to make them stronger so Alden's mother paid for expensive treatments to enhance Alden's genes as well. His family paid for training in the best fighting halls of Elibyrge in the hopes of giving Alden a chance at fame as a tourney knight. As he became more formidable Van Gelder nobles sought him out trying to seduce him into the "diplomatic" trade of house Van Gelder but he wanted nothing to do with their unsavory enterprises.
Two years into his schooling Alden returned home to find out that his younger brother had packed up his things and went to school in Murciya. He tried to write Alustraude many times but his beloved brother never returned his letters. When fighting escalated in Murciya he wanted to go find his brother but he couldn't abandon his schooling. He discovered that his mother Alica was succumbing to a genetic immune system defect that
curses her family line from excessive genetic manipulation.
In his final year of Peerage School Alden entered the lists for the tournament season and while he performed well he was bested in every event, some of the losses humiliating. He persevered in the following season but he failed to take the flag in any event. Feeling lost he returned home to find his mother in rapidly deteriorating health. She beseeched him to join the Knights of the Blue Glove, to find his place in the house before the house finds his place for him. She bought him a suit of fine-crafted armoplast full plate to encourage him.
Alustraude sat in the meditation hall plagued by memories of his childhood. He was raised along with the legitimate children of his Mother and Lord Thaddius's children. He understood from a very young age that he wasn't legitimate, even before he fully understood what that meant. Alustraude was always a bookish boy, being looked after by his stronger older brother. The pair were forever getting into trouble, pranking their siblings, running nude through the Hironem peasant villages.
When his brother went away to school Lord Thaddius took Alustraude away and explained that he was not of noble birth and once his primary schooling was at an end he would have to find his way in the world. Alustrade's mother wouldn't accept her son working in unsavory labors so despite her failing health she scabbered enough money to put her child into Seminary Academy in Elibyrge.
When he was sent away to school Alustraude didn't know what to say to Alden. He was angry and confused, he buried himself in his studies and tried to find a way to help others.
Despite his high intelligence Alustraude struggled in Seminary Academy. He didn't have the ambition to advance or the blind faith to fit in with the believers. He did learn the value of charity. The kindness the church showed him in comparison to how his family treated him awakened his sense of selflessness. The strain of pursuing his studies while helping others begun to weight on Alustraude until he was barely keeping up with his training. He was in in a study hall late at night stressed about an upcoming exam when his stigma awoke, the light falling on him from all directions and his throat gushing blood in the nature of St. Godfrey.
When it became obvious that Alustraude had some theurgic ability he made to take his vows and begun his training in the Orthodoxy Rites under the Itinerary Occult of the Arch-Diocese of Elibyrge. He took the holy name of Brother Godfrey. While his role in the church was decided he continued charitable works helping the public understand church ritual and secretly writing fiction books in his free time.
While talking with Ben Alden found out that a disgraced noble of some importance had died and was being given a funeral in Sokol City and he decided it could be important to the order to have someone there looking after Van Gelder nobles with all of the out-of-town Decados who would likely be causing troubles. He also heard some rumors from other knights about his family fief having trouble with the NLO, suspicious given that he's sure his father would have told him something. He went to Lord Marshal Henning to discuss the matter and while he was waiting he overheard news of a socially important wedding that would be going on later in the week in the city. Alden convinced the Lord Marshall that an Order presence would be in the best interests of the peace but in the process he found himself volunteered to run an errand that would keep him busy until the day of the funeral. He sent out some correspondence to his father regarding rumors of trouble in Maolvo and he mounted up with Ben and their fellow knight Altier to take care of their duties.
Alden's job was to transport Lord Braam Lindscroft Van Gelder of Sarsbourg across the valley to visit a Decados noble in Argent Vale. Lord Braam tends to ask a lot of favors of the Order given the relatively small amount of money he donates and he's often not very appreciative of their works. While waiting on the lord Alden was taunted by Braam's two youngest sons who rudely brought up his many losses in the lists. The errand was a 18 hour drive up the Vallye Highway for a late night visit to Baron Valasky Gagarin Decados. The Baron was positively manic to recieve Lord Braam and genially offered the knights food and drink. Through the late meal it was infered that Baron Valasky was purchasing some article from Lord Braam and they went into a private room to make the exchange. While alone the Decados guards shared a smoke with the Knights of the Blue Glove and Alden found out that Baron Valasky is the groom in the upcoming wedding and his mania supposedly pre-wedding jitters. All the while Alden was paranoid that some attack was imminent but Lord Braam returned from the private meeting very pleased, they drove to a nearby inn for the night and then an exhausting drive home the next day.
Brother Godfrey overhears news that the notorious Itoska Slava Decados has died under mysterious circumstances and because of the fierce political emnities she had in the city she is going to be burried in her families ancestral lands in Sokol Valley. Because of the strained political character of the deceased the local Diocese is not making their services available for her funeral. Rumors persist that beloved Baroness Eldana Hapsburg Van Gelder is going to pay the costs of a hall and ensure that Itoska is buried safely, the Orthodox Cathedral of Elibyrge agrees to offer their services and as the only available catechist, Godfrey is volunteered to return home to the valley.
Godfrey has almost no time to pack before his only a 12 hour drive into the valley. He arrives with an advanced team to make arrangements for Father Barthus coming in two days. Godfrey meets with Eldana and finds her surprisingly unconcerned with the etiquette of the funeral but passionate about defending the good name of a Decados she supposedly is barely acquainted with. Godfrey spend an afternoon int he city visiting all of the familiar places of his childhood but finding them strangely larger than he remembered, surprised that the city grew in his absence.
Just hours before the funeral the Brother Godfrey is called before the Priest Externus of the Cathedral of Sokol City. As he scrambles to prepare he begins to bleed from the neck and is given a vision of a masked woman in armor helping him up off the ground before she is cut down by automatic gunfire and he's barely able to escape. As they pull off her mask and when he catches a glimpse of her face it is the deceased, Itoska Slava Decados.
He cleans up his blood and hurries to the Cathedral to meet with a busy older priest who explains that arrangement's have been made with his superiors for him to fill in for their Catechist who has fallen ill. The Cathedral needs him to stand in and perform the marriage counseling for Baron Valasky and his sweetheart bride Lady Sylvia Innokenti Decados. He graciously accepts and returns to preparing for the funeral.
Farther Barthus arrives late from Elibyrge and a little drunk and requires the entire team to prepare him for the funeral. With little sleep and a haunting vision to process Brother Godfrey serves the funeral.
Alden returned to The Order's manor house to find the knights in force packing up to travel into the city the following day and agreed to to drive into the city in the Order's Autowagon with Ben to bring supplies that couldn't conveniently be carried by horse. The plan would be for Alden and Ben to be a small presence at the service while the rest of the order waited up the street in case of trouble.
When Alden arrived at the funeral his sister Chelsea tried to pull him aside to tell him something but was shocked to discover that the deceased was his former fighting hall master, a woman who inspired his sense of right and wrong and taught him the Montok fighting style. He was then immediately confronted by an encounter with his long lost brother. After a dumbfounded moment for the two of them Chelsea pulled the brothers out of the Hall to talk things over at the bar. Alden discovered that his Father essentially threw Alustraude out and Alustraude discovered that his brother grew up to be a very different man than he expected.
After talking for some time Alden and Godfrey returned to the funeral to find the crowd aghast. Tomen Democlav Decados, a teen noble from the Kilsev province, had just spit in the face of the dead woman much to the chagrin of the out-of-town Decados. While assessing wheather or not to take action, an older man dressed in common clothes accompanied by a pair of rough-looking thugs. Alden decided to intercede and insist on seeing the man's invitation. The man gave Alden and his companions a strained smile as he introduced himself as Antonin Gemenev Posjednik and he presented a pouch heavy with firebirds as his invitation in a manner that seemed far-too-well practiced. Godfrey, being more connected to people and events in Elibyrge recognized the old man as the head of the Posjednik gang. Their sister Chelsea didn't know who the old man was but recognized his predatory nature and drew Alden away from him and his men. As Alden was distracted talking with Clelsea Antonin pushed past him to the coffin, speaking softly to the body of Itoska. Brother Godfrey was close enough to enough to overhear him say "This isn't what I chose for you..". As Antonin and his men were making their departure, young Graff Pitor arrived with his brothers and an entourage of knights. He recognized Antonin immediately and the room took on a chilly demeanor as the two faced off. The Count spoke first "In a different setting I'd be obliged to do something..". Antonin nodded in acknowledgement "In another setting we will indeed see Your Grace.." and he and his men skirted wide around the Graff and out of the hall.
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