July 15th, 199 NWC. Night
In the royal palace of Uruk, there is a room that everyone knows of, yet few have been privileged enough to see. Within this perfectly circular room, one can see exquisite works of art. Along the walls, a single long tapestry details the history of Uruk, starting from when the original founders came together and including every major event since. The tapestry ends in threads, not thanks to damage, but because the present has not yet been recorded in its fibers. On the ceiling high overhead rests the labors of twenty master craftsmen, who used all their talent and skill to faithfully reproduce the legend that every citizen knows by heart: The Epic of Gilgamesh. And throughout the rest of the room rest other indescribable artistic wonders, including some pieces that were able to be preserved from Old Terra.
Yet despite the overwhelming beauty, there is a far greater reason it is known. An ornate, wooden table in the shape of a half-circle takes center stage. Around the curved edge, five chairs are placed. On the flat edge, only one chair is present. Yet even then, it is not the furnishings; it is those who gather around the table that warrant its name being known to anyone who has ever even once contemplated Uruk's government, for the Council Room is where King Gilgamesh confers regularly with his chief advisors from each section of the government.
Seated on the flat edge is the Immortal King himself. On the King's right hand is the Dean of the Thaumaturgical Society, whose Mages serve as the kingdom's strongest asset in challenging the many enemies beyond the Bastion. On his left, the Pontifex Maximus works to advise the King on all matters related to faith and the Gods. Directly across from the King is the Prime Minister of the Parliament; the mouthpiece of the people is there to remind everyone that without its people, Uruk is nothing. Between the Dean and the Prime Minister sits the Chief of the Galileians, who use their sciences to bridge the gap between the common people and the few who possess true magical ability. And between the Prime Minister and Pontifex Maximus, the Noblesse and their noble bloodlines are represented. As the Noblesse also produce the bulk of senior military officers, it is traditional for the military's Grand General to hold this seat.
"That concludes the report from the Parliament on the matter of the official establishment of An Dara Toshi: Babylon." The woman's plain, rustic attire may not have matched her surroundings, but the aura of power and honor she exuded clearly proved that there was more to her than met the eye. She was
Tia Sanna, a former mercenary who had originally achieved fame as a folk hero. She eventually decided to use her renown to start a political career and help the people by trading in her sword for a pen. Since then, her popularity only grew, and she eventually became the Prime Minister of the Parliament. Her current outfit was both for her own and the people's comfort; she was never much one for formal attire, and the populace found it easier to relate to someone dressed more casually.
"Hm, very well." King Gilgamesh closed his eyes as he pondered the report. It was but a moment before he reopened them at spoke, but nobody doubted the amount of thought he had given it.
"Reply to their Mayor and instruct her to begin preparations for the establishment. They will need a great deal of work there in order to be deserving of the title An Dara. On our end, begin drawing up any legal documents you feel necessary, and have them ready for inspection two Council meetings from now. Have the Treasury allocate finances for the improvement of Babylon's defenses. Grand General, put together a battalion to reinforce them and assist with construction efforts."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!" All eyes swiveled towards the man who spoke. Perhaps the heavy, silvery armor the balding man wore made him impervious to nasty looks as well as blades, because despite the somewhat critical glare from the Prime Minister, the Grand General seemed completely unfazed. Or perhaps he was simply accustomed to the treatment; because of the difference in their primary constituents, the Prime Ministers and Grand Generals rarely got along well. Either way,
Grand General Emir Tekin continued on undaunted.
"Our latest survey reports indicate a sizable number of Angels gathering in the region. Should they choose to attack Babylon, a single battalion will hardly be sufficient. I recommend that we transfer the Third Regiment to fortify Babylon, as well as the Second Regiment and Second Fleet to assist in clearing up the region."
"General, while I understand your wariness, is it really ok to reallocate such a vast portion of our military might to Babylon? My priests have brought to my attention a great number of the faithfuls concerns over the growing frequency of monsters around Uruk itself. Surely our priority ought to be on protecting Uruk itself." This new speaker was seated directly to General Tekin's right;
Pontifex Maximus Leucon Cirillo, leader of all religious and faith-based activities in Uruk. Despite his somewhat portly physique, it in no way detracted from the splendor of his habit.
But it was not General Tekin who replied, it was the one directly across from Pontifex Cirillo, with thigh-length black hair and in similarly elegant regalia.
"I believe I can help with that, Pontifex." The gentle, yet commanding voice came from the Dean of the Thaumaturgical Society and current Headmaster of the Academy,
Kazuya Miyamoto.
"By His Majesty's command, we at the Academy have begun exploring alternative ways of producing talented Mages. One such method we will use is increasing the frequency of practical experience we provide them and starting said practical experience early on."
"You mean to say that you will be throwing defenseless children at monsters even more often than you already do?" Anyone could tell that there was little love lost between Prime Minister Sanna and Headmaster Miyamoto.
"Defenseless? Hardly. Inexperienced though they may be, they are still Mages. Besides, they will be observed by teachers or upperclassmen, and its not like we are going to stake the fate of all Uruk on their hands. Not yet, at least. At any rate, these new trainees will be able to assist with suppressing monsters in the area, so Emir's request shouldn't be a major issue."
King Gilgamesh nodded his agreement.
"Indeed, it is as you say, Kazuya. I look forward to the results of this new training regime. Emir, begin preparations. Have your soldiers ready to move in about two months time, to coincide with the anticipated formal establishment of Babylon. In the meantime, we will monitor the Angel situation and move our schedule up if necessary. And now, our last order of business for today." Gilgamesh's attention shifted towards the Chief of the Galileians. Or rather, to the person standing in for the Chief, as the actual Chief was absent. Again.
Vice-Chief Elise Yamaguchi wore a deep blue military-esque uniform; though the Galileians were not directly affiliated with the military, the project she was affiliated with had deep ties to the military, so they wore uniforms as part of their standard outfits. The young woman sighed as she shot a glance towards the door, praying for her Chief to walk in late… No such luck. Well, she hadn't really expected him to, not after abandoning her at the previous three meetings as well. She made a mental note to yell at her boss later before giving her report:
"Progress on the Gravigigas has temporarily stalled. It is capable of movement, but many of its systems are being… uncooperative. We are returning to our models to try and identify the source." Elise braced herself for a verbal lashing over the delays, but thankfully none came.
"I see. Unfortunate though that may be, there is no helping it. Inform the Chief that I would like to have it operational within two months, if possible. The mission to wipe out the Angels General Tekin has his eyes on seems like the perfect time to take it for a test drive, and I hate to waste such opportunities." After hearing Elise's confirmation, Gilgamesh pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Well, I believe that is all of our agenda for today. Keep up the good work, everyone." As the other five stood and bowed, Gilgamesh departed from the room. Each of the remaining five soon took their leave as well, heading back to work on the tasks discussed.
July 17th, 199NWC. ~8:20 AM
The Academy: a place familiar to every Mage in Uruk, whether they wanted it to be familiar or not. After having been retrieved by the Spectres, every Mage is delivered here. They are provided with a
dorm room (the second bed is in case the Mage has a humanoid spirit, otherwise it is simply extra) and given access to the cafeteria, and are instructed to wait until they are assigned to a class. And then the day comes; they wake up and find a letter under their door, informing them to come to a certain class. For the newest arrivals, this is that day, that morning. The letter was quite clear: meet in Classroom 107. Class will start at 8:30 AM.
Upon arriving at Classroom 107, they would find it mostly as pictured, with a few exceptions. The first couple rows of desks had been removed to allow for more space to maneuver. In the back left corner of the image, there was something resembling a large steel wardrobe, sealed with an electronic keypad lock. A similar steel container, this one short but wide, was situated just in front of the podium. As class was not due to start until 8:30, the teacher was not yet present.
