# Act 1 — “Smoky Horizons” **Chapter 1 — Slash-and-Burn** *Out. Rhemtoil Village — Morning (1082 <span class="smallcaps">at</span>)* (Arenicos and Garios are just arriving.) **GARIOS** “Here we are...” (He scans the area.) “Smell that? Got to say—no matter how much I come here I’ll never be use to Battania’s *distinct* smell.” (He dismounts.) “Ash, mud—and the potent stink of shit. That’s what they live in. By the Heavens… there’s a river right there. Do they ever use it?” **ARENICOS** “It’s not at all *that* distinctive. Though I admit, it’s *stronger* than I remembered—I think I feel sick.” (He dismounts.) “Back then; hiding in the woods, I felt like my group and myself were a bunch of rabbits being hunted by dogs. Every splash of water; every snap of a twig, seemed a hundred times louder than it really was... I always thought a confident step could be a curse. Heavy-footed I am, had I been born a thief, I’d been damned…” **GARIOS** (He nods.) “Hmm. You and I both.” **ARENICOS** (He shakes his head.) “Hate being back here. It’s giving me conniptions.” **GARIOS** “Oh? I feel just the opposite.” **ARENICOS** “Do conniptions have an opposite?” (Garios snorts, Arenicos grins.) ## First attempt to persuade --- **GARIOS** (Villagers begin burning away forest. It’s slash-and-burn farming.) “Battania is like a women, who after drinking becomes totally impassioned. Speaking without omission. Those are the best women to bed. In truth, a carnal pleasure is no pleasure if the work’s easy—they fended off our advance once before, old friend—not this time.” **ARENICOS** “Mm. Hate to interrupt your fantasy, general, but *unlike you* I know an unwanted advance when I see one. They get the message. Our being here is merely a warning… besides, there’s no reward to be found here—only bad memories.” **GARIOS** (He shoots a glance to Arenicos.) “Well—maybe it’s time to rid yourself of those memories…” **ARENICOS** “Oh, how?” **GARIOS** “By righting past wrongs.” **ARENICOS** “Don’t know… Hmm. I’ll have to think on it.” **GARIOS** (He nods.) “*Think* it over he says. Ha ha, ha! Thought you’d say that. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks—I disagree with that, but with you Arenicos, it might be true.” **ARENICOS** “I want peace, Garios.” **GARIOS** “Peace with whom? Savages; savages who beat headman and steal cattle?” **ARENICOS** “So, mix it up then? Beat up their cows—spirit away the headman?” **GARIOS** “We take this opportunity and run with it. Give our boys the chance to reclaim glory.” **ARENICOS** (Looks to Garios.) “I’m not sure. (…) At times pitfalls take the shape of opportunity. So let’s see if we cannot reason with them first before hand. Create some sort of… *agreement*… like we had with High King Aeril.” **GARIOS** “Aeril is dead. Slaughtered for keeping to said agreement. And while I *doubt* this new High King—Caladog—would even humor something like that again… if he did… how long do you think the Battanians would wait before killing him too?” **ARENICOS** “He *vanished*, Garios. No one knows where he is. Besides, isn’t it best to examine the lay of the land first, *before* deciding on a strategy—what was that thing Rhagaea said? Oh yes: ‘when you see a good move, look for a better one.’ Well, we haven’t tried negotiating with Caladog yet. So we’ll post up here for now, and wait to see how this new High King responds.” **GARIOS** “Yeah well, some of us have been waiting a *long* time already… How much longer need I tell them to holdout?” **ARENICOS** “They’ll be land grants, okay—you have my word, Garios. Your veteran’s will not go un-rewarded. But currently land, like silver, is limited. And others matters are far more pressing right now, anyways—like unifying the Empire, and refilling the treasury. *Those* take priority right now, not starting another war…” **GARIOS** “War, my friend—is the only way we’ll get these things. How else do you think our predecessors did it?” **ARENICOS** (Blocks his head.) “And there it is—I was right! My head is starting to hurt now...” ## Second attempt? --- **GARIOS** (The fire is beginning to grow, sparking this way and that; a bit wild.) “This is more serious than you realize, Arenicos. The Heavens have thrown you a bone, *don’t* let it fall past you—their actions at Carphenion demand a response! **ARENICOS** “For Calros’ sake, man! You make it out like they sieged the capital and burned it to the ground! All they did was take some cows, Garios.” **GARIOS** “All they did!? (…) They tested us is what they did, and they got no response; no defense. They see your… *merciful-naiveté*, I’ll call it, and decided to abuse it. This is the start of a trend, Arenicos. They see we’re divided, and next time—it won’t just be cows they take. The Sturgians and Khuzait may even join in on it!” **ARENICOS** “Alright fine—you’re right. I’ve—*maybe*—sat longer on this than I should’ve and you’re right to council me. Not only as a general but as my friend. I shan’t disregard your concerns. But, before I make any decision, I’ll consult the senate and see what they propose.” **GARIOS** “Oh please… Don’t listen to the advice of snakes. Those effeminate eels would handicap the Empire, and watch cities burn, if it’ll let them win a bet and bolster their already inflated vanity. Varros is right, they’re hypocrites—*all of them*. They preach the values of law but simultaneously ignore them, or even doing-away with them when it suits their interests. If they’re caught breaking the law, they can simply pay their way out, or re-write the law entirely. Where laws are concerned, it’s really just the common-folk who are subject to it. Not those who write it. Varros is a little hypocritical himself, I see that, but his comments about the senate are dead on. Listen my friend, be the writer of your *own laws*; create and follow your own moral-codes. *Do not* let others do that for you. If there’s one thing I admired about Emperor Neretzes, it was his conviction.” **ARENICOS** (He looks back to Battania.) “*You* admired Neretzes? Huh, maybe you’re getting sick too.” **GARIOS** “Some called him stubborn, me—I thought he was honorable. He made a decision and stuck with it. He was devoted to his choices. Without devotion, what do we become? Stagnated; we begin to decay. Look no further than the senate for evidence of that… When one of them does develop convictions, what do they always do? They hammer them down. Like a nail protruding from a board—they’re smashed back down to blend in with the rest of them. The senate tried hammering Neretzes down, but he was *unwavering*. ‘Stubborn’. Be stubborn Arenicos.” **ARENICOS** “Yes, all well and good. You make him sound heroic. But that *unwavering conviction* got hundreds killed, remember? Neretzes *knew* what was ahead, and instead of going back, he marched on; onward to his own demise. He also left a crater-sized hole in the royal coffers. It’s like he never realized mobilizing all the armies of the Empire would be expensive. Since the treasury was essentially empty when he died, for the past five-years I’ve been trying to save every silver I can. The senate; those ‘eels’ as you call them, are practically holding the Empire together tight now. All the wealth in the Imperial Heartlands, Garios, comes from them. Where else could I get the money needed to maintain us, huh? (…) Apys Varros—surely you wouldn’t expect me to work with that sadist!” (He looks to Garios whose pinching the bridge of his nose.) “Am I wrong?” **GARIOS** “Wrong wouldn’t be it, Arenicos—*‘infuriatingly short-sighted’* would be more fitting.” **ARENICOS** “No. What’s short-sighted is marching into another war, using coin from men who’ve not even had a say. That would only breed *disaster*. Again… we’re only here to warn Battania. A show of force. And when I go back home; to capital, I’ll bring your concerns forward to the senators. That is my conviction—besides, attacking Battania wouldn’t even be just.” **GARIOS** “Just? There’s no such thing. If justice existed then Lucon would be dead, the senate’s powers permanently stripped, Rhagaea deported, Sturgia and Battania turned to dust, Vlandia would relinquish our land, and the Aserai and Khuzaits would flee back into their decrepit homelands. *That* is what a just world looks like…” ## Third and final attempt --- **GARIOS** “Listen to reason, Arenicos. Waiting around—doing nothing, is worse than any blunder Neretzes *ever* made. Don’t you get it? We must get ahead of the impending hordes while we still can. Raise armies, castles—reinforce strongholds, cleanse the Empire of corruption. We don’t need Rhagaea’s foolish ideas on foreigners becoming citizens for free or Lucon’s backwards logic of corrupt senators choosing our emperor. You need to do what is best, Arenicos! And often that is by *force*. Not this imaginary ‘peace’ you envision with the Outer-Kingdoms—I’m sorry but that dream of yours is pure moonshine. It’d destroy us. What would our ancestors think if they ever heard you talk like this?” **ARENICOS** “Well, I read one say: ‘(they) prefer the most unjust peace to the most just war’—I’d think they’d approve.” **GARIOS** (The fire is now double its size and is only barely being contained by the villagers—who’re scurrying around trying to curtail its touch.) “Heavens above, Arenicos… (…) Never’ve I seen a man fight so valiantly for his brothers, only to give up on them when faced by children swinging sticks. In war, what kills most men is not the melee, but what happens when the melee ends; when a line breaks and all flee. *Fear* kills the most men.” (He kneels.) “You majesty, please… Just—*give* the word. Reinstate the Legions and we can revitalize the Empire.” **ARENICOS** “I’m sorry, Garios… but I’ll not rush to make more widows, madmen, beggars and orphans—like hatred for the Empire—there is enough as is.” **GARIOS** (He stands.) “Well… I tried.” (Mounts his horse.) “You know… when I heard you’d gotten rid of the Legions, I justified it to myself: ‘No he’s not losing his mind. It’s temporary—just saving money. He’ll see reason, I need only shed some light.’ And riding here with you today, I knew I had to try. I thought about all you might say and how I’d respond, as if I were strategizing before a great battle. I imagined a few scenarios which worried me. But the one that disturbed me most of all, old friend—was if it didn’t matter what I said… That nothing could sway you. You’re not naïve; It’s all clear to me now, you’re are not even willfully-ignorant, as that would be preferable to the far more terrible truth—you’re *broken*. Broken from what you’ve always failed to see, that while we are fragments, we’re not from the same stained glass. Me, Lucon, Rhagaea. We depict different ideas, different figures, different directions. It won’t matter how much you twist, stretch, and bend yourself—the Empire has sadly *already* shattered, Arenicos. It broke years ago. Even before Neretzes died. I only worry, that you’ll not live long enough to ever see that…” (Garios rides off. Arenicos is now alone. He spots a single leaf from the burning brush being knocked up by the wind and landing on a thatched roof, obscured by the straw and wood. As Arenicos struggles to see any smoke rise, he reflects on Garios’ words and wonders if a fire *really has* started.) ## End of Scene 1