The New Star: Interlude 15

I will tell my tale as briefly as I may, but I must begin at the beginning.
I was born Ragara Maliceä, and exalted as a Chosen of the Earth Dragon. I was sent to study at the Heptagram, where, as a senior student, I studied under Sesus Tarkin, among many other distinguished professors.
It was, and to a certain extent still is, customary for students to explore the depths of the Heptagram building, parts of which no man had seen since before the Ascension. While doing so, I discovered the lost lore that led to Tarkin beginning the study of Astronomy, which led directly to his leaving the Heptagram in disgrace.
Of those that remained of his students and contemporaries, some, including myself, founded “the Legacy,” a society to carry on his work from before he was sidetracked.
About twenty years ago the Legacy developed, with the help of some spirits (which included no less a being than a Greater Elemental Dragon of Water), the Elixir that was named by the Legacy’s leader “The Storm of Roses.” I was the test subject. It gave me a unique ability to control spirits, which has never before or since been achieved by any Charms or Sorceries.
The wrath of Heaven, when they found out, was terrible. Most of the rest of the Legacy – certainly all those from the Heptagram – were dead within a year.
I fled to the mainland in time and joined the Immaculate Order, helped to hide there by friends of the Legacy. My teacher was a man called Azræl, who had always been a close ally, though a servant of Heaven himself. He told me Heaven feared to act directly against me, and was considering its options. I was safe, for the time being.
Azræl trained me for the Wyld Hunt, and I joined a band of roaming agents, where my unique power allowed me to surpass in skill those with more experience than I.
After I became pregnant, I had to get married – you know how it is in the Dynasty. It was through my husband that Heaven took its revenge against me. They caused him to exalt as an anathema – on our wedding night, no less!
Nevertheless, we hid it for a number of years. Our daughter was past her eighth birthday when a careless slip revealed his nature, and I was forced to kill him lest my own duplicity be revealed. Unfortunately, he also killed me – as he was fated to do all along.
But death is not the end – clearly.
I found myself in the presence of a Lord of Death, specifically the one known as He Who Must Not Be Named. He was an ally of my old friend Azræl, as well as the patron of the ghost of Sesus Tarkin. He offered me another chance at life, which I seized with both hands.
With my unique gift I became his lieutenant, the first of a new breed of the returning Solar Exalted, the Knights of Death. Winter was passing, I was told, and it was time for summer again.
I was immediately involved in the heart of a grand plan to found an empire that would challenge the Realm in terms of power and magnificence. The flying island of Cruithne, on which Tarkin had, through study of Astronomy, become an expert, was to be our secret weapon to rival the Defence Grid of the Realm.
Tarkin’s son, Yy, was in a perfect position to lead the armies of the Federation (as our empire was to be known), having been subtly guided by his father all his life. I visited Yy on the Blessed Isle and allowed him to see his father in person for the first time since Tarkin’s death. Between us, we converted Yy fully to our cause.
The rebellion of Grecia allowed Yy to bring his legion to us. The rest of the legion was converted during an expedition to Thorns.
Ah, Thorns! Another ally whose support was necessary was Mask of Winters, whose control of Thorns protects our coast. And finally I have introduced all the players, and can explain our current problem. In recent months, the alliance between the two Deathlords has broken down. It seems that Azræl and He Who Must Not Be Named never intended the Federation to succeed, only to reunite the Realm. A newly exalted Deathknight of He Who Must Not Be Named, called Shadow of Despair, discovered this by accident, and consequently he and I have switched our allegiance to Mask of Winters.
The problem is that Tarkin is still beholden to He Who Must Not Be Named, and thus Yy now receives conflicting advice from his father and myself. He has not reacted well to this, and has been making more and more questionable decisions. The setting up of the Deliberative and turning over nominal control of the movement to the Solar Exalted is the most obvious manifestation of this – even if I am one of the supposed beneficiaries, it is an honour I could well have done without.
And so we must ask ourselves, what is to be done with General Yy?

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