An alliance of 36 city-states bound by common interests, the Seafaring Nations ranked among the most developed lands of the Purple Dawn Continent, renowned for their cutting-edge Ener Golems and Voidcrawlers.
Each city-state numbered 2.5 million people on average, ruled by Marquesses and Dukes who pledged allegiance to a nominal Seafaring King. This, however, only worked in theory. In practice, everyone knew the Seafaring Nations' true ruler was none other than...Grand Priestess Akamana of the Angra Theocracy.
Over 800 years ago, Akamana destroyed the Seafaring Nations' armies, forcing the rulers to surrender and become tributaries of the Angra Theocracy. The threat of death is often a powerful deterrent, and faced with the choices of becoming food for fishes or vassals and lapdogs for the Angra Theocracy, that generation of Seafaring Lords opted to bend the knee—a wise but ruinous move in hindsight.
The protection of the Angra armies enabled the Seafaring Nations to become the number one naval power of the region, in control of all the major ports, enclaves and trade routes.
55% of the city-states' profits went into Akamana's private pockets however, plus an extra 30% for the Angra Theocracy's treasury--leaving only 15% for the 36 city-states, who had to split the profit equally despite not necessarily having made equal contributions.
It's therefore not surprising that over the years, the Lords of the Seafaring Nations and their successors bore a grudge with the Angra Theocracy, a grudge that passed on from one generation to the next, deepening while the Angra lined their pockets with the Seafaring Nations' various technological breakthroughs.
The grudge peaked in this generation, brought to unprecedented heights by the noblemen and women of the Angra Theocracy purchasing the city states' lands, estates, and assets en masse, weakening the local rulers and destabilizing their economies while growing fat on all the money they made through cheap acquisitions.
The foreigner-engineered inflation had gotten so bad that minor lords and successful business magnates of the Seafaring Nations could no longer afford to purchase estates in the 36 capitals—priced out in their own states!
And to add insult to injury, the lords and ladies of the Angra Theocracy started building vacation homes and resorts in the Seafaring Nations, enjoying a higher quality of life there than in their own territories.
All the conditions for a generational revolt had been met, a fact that Cassandra noticed immediately, smelling in the Seafaring Nations an opportunity to make Mithras a lot of money.
But if challenging the Angra Theocracy was that simple, they wouldn't have managed to replace the Great Blood Empire as overlords of the Purple Dawn, staying in control for thousands of years with no external threat being able to shake their foundation.
To take that risk, the 36 Lords needed significant bait—an offer they couldn't refuse. And that's exactly what Mithras put at their feet, sending 36 of his blood brothers to make the Marquesses and Dukes the offer of a lifetime.
"Become...a Warghest? But doesn't that mean...I will lose my sanity?" The first target, the Duke of Rastaria, also known as the wealthiest native of the Seafaring Nations, considered the brother's offer.
Heaving a deep sigh, the duke snapped his fingers, summoning three men of diverse shapes and sizes who aligned before the brother of Mithras. Three blood chalices flew towards them, and they drank without hesitation, reeling in violent spasms before falling face-first.
A moment of silence followed, after which the three braves rose anew, their skins taking a pale-gray shade as their bodies grew taller and more toned. Their ears changed as well, stretching into elven shapes as their eyes turned sanguine red.
The three braves' auras erupted, and from Inner Accumulation templars, they directly reached...the Golden Palace!
Better, to say nothing of losing their sanities, their minds had never been clearer, filled with light and a divine fervor that prompted them to worship Mithras' name!
"Praise the Sun! Speed, strength, power...endless power is coursing through my veins! My lord...what are you waiting for?! The gates of the Astral Paradise are staring you in the eyes!" The youngest of the braves couldn't contain his excitement, urging his lord to join him in this new world of divine light.
The result was indeed astonishing, leaving the duke speechless and thirsting for the Sacrament!
"If I may ask...where do you rank in the prince's entourage, and how will that...affect my future?"
"3,456th. But my position is irrelevant. Your compatibility with our prince's blood is all that matters here. But do remember that Warghests created by the brothers of Mithras possess king to saint-class potential by default.
Not only will you finally be able to reach Great Expansion, but in the future...going all the way to Blood Authority and beyond...is a serious possibility," the 3,456th brother said, and seeing how even his subordinates directly reached the Golden Palace, the duke no longer hesitated, falling to his knees...and receiving his share of the brother's blood!
The Sacrament of Death imprinted on the duke's soul, and as his body underwent Blood Conversion, his soul ascended to a new plane of existence, where winged celestial beings sang and danced in a world of blinding solar rays, flaming chariots and golden wheels racing through the sky, with dragons at the front, and glowing stars at the back!
Mithras' figure appeared in the heavens, beckoning for the Duke of Rastaria to embrace the light! Find additional tales at m,vl-em,py-r
"The prince honors me...and my life is his!" The duke made an eternal oath of allegiance, the same scene replaying in the 35 other states as the dukes and marquesses all surrendered to Mithras—becoming the first generation of Warghests...of the new Blood Aristocracy!
Meanwhile, Belphegor and Zagan reached the Seafaring Nations borders, dispatched by Akamana...to suppress the rebellion in blood!