Today I have arrived in Vanoran, a complete contrast of Guaita in Gimael. The air was warmer and the people were less likely to try and kill you. I have arrived in Vanoran to help out my master to secure a boat so he can hunt down a 'Seaking' (That he has yet to tell me what exactly it is).

Anyway, I began to get use to him and his friends and bodyguards. Osgar would constantly joke and would explain their meanings to Takamina during those boring days on the road. Paruru and Hayato would sit by the shade of a tree with Ulrich every afternoon. And I have the responsibility of teaching Rainoric some manners.  He was at first most of the time not listening but after some unconventional ways of teaching he has begun to soften up and take heed of his 'How to behave infront of Yamanin who are not Gimaelics' class.

Vanoran:

Southwest of Gimael, about a few weeks travel from Guaita, lies the City State of Vanoran. A city flooded of people from all parts of Auriga looking to come  here to seek their fortunes. Unlike most governments in Auriga which is runned by either a king or a despot of some sort, Vanoran is run by a democracy although not an elected government but by the powerful Guilds that made the city rich in the first place. The Guilds hold elections  where the party with the most votes gets to be the governing body for 5 years with the guild with the 2nd most votes become the opposition party. Much like our parliaments back home in Japan.

Vanoran's love to buy and sell new things. From exotic goods found in Auriga like Hydromiel and Dust Orchids to stuff found from Earth which had became a trend among the people like RIce, Anime statues, cotton shirts and even toilets. The markets are runned by the Merchant's guild who also are the people responsible for collecting taxes and trade tariffs for use in the government.

Another thing that the Vanorans are good at is warfare. Since they have the most money to burn (more that Emperor Galerian's as Rainoric told me) They can afford some of the best weapons and gear for their soldiers. Plus since a Vanoran Skutatoi are paid the most in Auriga, which keeps their everyday frontline soldier fighting at their best.

They also have a legacy of having some of the best light-medium calvary to ever galloped Auriga. The Belisarius family is famous for the 'Tagmata' Calvary. An elite Calvary that can rush through the battlefield like a flood.

(Belisarius leading his family's calvalry (My photo))

Flavius Julianus Belisarius:

A man who was born to (or cursed to) a family of Dust Horse riders. Julianus or just Belisarius is a man who bravely rides into battle on his steed. A man deeply conflicted with his family's legacy, Constant exposure to the worst realities of war and what HE really wants to be. He resorted to taking drugs which nearly killed him, if it weren't for the intervention of Miyuki who behind everyone's back gave Belisarius a chance to be himself. His real hobbies other than Horseback riding was painting, walking around with his Dust Sentinel (In the form of Hachiko the Statue that was in Shibuya but was stolen during the Tokyo Raid.) and eating fruits. Belisarius and Miyuki are currently in a closed doors relationship and Takamina fears this could come to bite both of them if anyone found out that an Earth Human slave is in love with the valiant Magister Equites of Vanoran. In my opinion, they were really made for each other, they share a lot of the same hobbies together and are not afraid to be themselves when they are alone together. I fear that Miyuki might be unnecessarily dragged into the world of Aurigan political intrigues and wars if she continues to be with Belisarius.

A cunning commander in the field, he can find a weakness in the enemies' formations and he and the Tagmata will exploit it to the fullest content. His recent graduation from Scholae Equite's has also made Belisarius a man who is willing to accept even the most ridiculous of strategies in order to achieve total victory over his enemies whether it be Cultists, rebellious peasants and his own drug addiction.

Bishop Eslek Tarosh:

(Credits to Amplitude)

A 'Bishop' in Auriga can refer to many things other than the usual religous figure kind we have back in Earth. Their are Scholar Bishops, Doctor Bishops, Lawyer Bishops, Judge Bishops etc.

Eslek Tarrosh is a Scholar Bishop, more specifically an Archivist.

Working in Guaita's Obervatory/Library, Eslek is the man to go to if you have any question about Auriga, the Gimaelics, the Endless etc.

Takamina and I are currently working to make a biography of Rainoric with this Diary that I am writing down right now as a notepad.

Not only is he a brilliant 'Haunt' or some sort of friendly 'ghost' or I dont know, but he is also an efficient Dust Mage. He can reactivate ancient Endless machinery, manipulate Dust to his will so he can use it to help people (Such as the time he helped cure Paruru's asthma).

He is currently helping me as best as he could with my new found Dust powers. Me and the girls agree that he is like Akimoto-san who always mentors, teaches, explains and assists us when we needed to.

Leoferic Wieskirche:

(Credits to Mount and Blade: With Fire and Sword)

With the bravery of a guardian angel with the ferocity of a hellish Lion. Thegn Leoferic Wieskirche is the commander of Gimael's famous heavy shock calvary The Husaria. My fellow Japanese call the Hussars 'Hell's Angels' for two things.

1. They have Angel-like wings at the their backs which Rainoric told me keeps the rider balanced as he rides at the speed of sound to battle.

2. Leoferic invented a Dust Spell which makes Yellow Dust to surround him and increase their energy to make him and his fellow riders 'go-on-fire'. Which they begin to form themselves into a high speed projectile of what I can only describe as something similar to plasma, glowing and fiery as it can move fast like a laser beam. Leoferic fondly calls this move which sealed the reputation of the Hussars. 'Infernal Blitz'.

A proud young (In Broken Lord's standards) Anstrutrione, He always seeks to find new challenges for himself in the form of jousts and duels for reputation. Although not as cunning as Belisarius, He makes up for it with brute force (and lots of it) that can even melt to mush a charging tank battalion.

He is the mentor of Hayato Shimazaki, or Baldwin Karsa. Little brother to my Friend Haruka 'Paruru' Shimazaki.

Gizzur 'the Bejewelled Headhunter' Halvard:

To summarize this man, HE IS INSANE! A man that is a Rubix cube for psychologist, Gizzur has never fail to astound (and sometimes disgust) me with his crazy head. One time he thought he could trim his hair faster if he set it on fire. Another time he kidnapped a Bard whom he likes his music and forced him to play some songs for free. But that's just only the 'harmless' effects of his insanity. When I first met him in Gimael, he had a severed head belt of his recent murders and showed it to his just as insane friends "the Jeweller's Guild" as if it was some trendy fashion accesory. When the Gedriht would capture someone, Gizzur is the torturer. If I had a hundred yen for everytime I hear a man scream because he is doing God knows what to him. I could actually buy some Jewellry.

In fact, why is this guys in charge of the Jeweller's guild?

He has almost know sense of fear and is one of the 1st person to eagerly charge into a fight and just decapitate as many people as possible.

I would normally stay away from him but he alway seems to be attracted to Paruru, Yuki and Takamina alot.

Magister Mercatore Jiraduveja 'Theuderic'

(Credits to Amplitude Studios Amazing art team your rock)

A politcal animal both literally and figuratively. Jira-san or 'Theuderic' as Gizzur would like to say is the ruthlessly efficient leader of the Vanoran Merchant's guild. This makes him the de-facto ruler of Vanoran as he would use his influence to lobby the Vanoran parliament to go his way. Whether its reducing taxes to maximize profits, turning a blindeye on shady deals between him and the Gimaelics or even down right corporate or politcal assassination, Jira is the one who would most likely benefit from all of this.

Born in the Drakken Highlands just south of Gimael near the Ghogthic border. Raised by a family of philosophers and political meditators, Jiraduveja would have had a life of pacifism and constant debating if it wasnt his own greddy ego and ruthless ambition haven't got the better of him.

Reports abound of his temper, one time he lit an entire hall on fire when a debate escalated into a battle of snakish insults. Another time he bit the frontal lobe off a Vaulter Diplomat just for not removing his hat on his prescence. And the last straw according to his own autobiography I read in his library, he once murdered every other candidate for the leading seat in the Drakken Tribunal.

He was dishonorably banished from his home with his titles and family name removed. With only the clothes on his back, some Ducats, a few personal possession and his primal nature, young Jira ended up in Gimael as an accountant for Gizzur's Jeweller's guild.

After exposing his animalistic tendencies to Gizzur one day, he was then Promoted to Debt enforcer where he quickly became a name for himself for shaking down anyone who would'nt pay his taxes to the High King or personal debts to the Guilds. After 1 and a half decades of outstanding service to the guild he was offered a position as a customs officer in Vanoran's Merchant's guild.

With the acquired recognition he craved for he bid farewell to Gizzur and moved to Vanoran where he is now a respected, grizzled and feared leader of the Merchant's guild.

Organizations:

Royal Gimaelic Anstrutriones (aka the Hussaria)

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The Knights of Guaita, the Gimaelic Hussaria rides into battle with their Gimaelic steel armor, lances and swords. Lead by the champion rider Leoferic Wieskirche, they are considered the most accomplished calvalry in Auriga (rivaled with Belisarius Tagmata) with a grand total of 0 defeats in battle. Originally handpicked from the Gimaelic nobles, but now thanks to Gewis' military reforms, all men whether noble or just freed may join the Hussar if they pass a grueling exam. My friend Haruka's brother, Hayato was able to earn his wings and join them.

They are also famous for the 'Infernal Blitz'.

The Gimaelic Jeweller's Guild (aka the Bejewelled Headhunters)

Back in Japan, we have the Yakuza. In Gimael, they have the Jeweller's guild. The guild maintains its power through their monopoly of the Gem mines and through force of arms. This group of psyhotic miners and jewelsmith are led by the insane Gizzur Halvard. When not making rather impressive pieces of jewelry like this:

They are busy in the field doing this:

When Gewis is short on gold, he sends the Guild to do his 'Tax Collection'. With their jewel adorned helmets and weapons, they will massacre anyone who thinks that they can get away with his taxes.

Another (in)famous fact about them is that they also enforce the punishments given to criminals

For minor offenses (theft, arson and vandalism): limb chopping, branding, flogging and 'blood payment' (Bleed until the offendee is satisfied. note: should not result in death of the offender)

For major offenses (spying, treason, murder): Burnt in an iron box (untill their skin crackles like chicken), beheading and White Dust 'treatment' (Which Rainoric describes as 'Having your guts turned upside-down, then inside-out, then internal bleeding and eventually Total Organ Failure)

Their control over the Gem mines in Gimael insures constant wealth to the guild in which they give a share of their earnings to the Eadwulf's. In return, the Eadwulf's would provide trading opportunities to the guild and turn blindeye on most of their illegal activities.

Beware these men, get on their badside and your guranteed nothing more or less death.

The Cultists of the Eternal End:

(Credits to Amplitude)

"This mysterious cult is led by two creations that are the remnants of the Endless: The Queen, imprisoned within her indestructible throne in the capital city, and the Unspoken, a wandering - and perhaps insane - being of enormous power.

Left alone on the planet for millennia, they have turned against their creators and sworn to destroy every trace of their existence.

The Cult maintains a single city where the Queen is entombed in her indestructible throne. Its power, therefore, is projected across Auriga through proselytization and conversion, when the faithful followers and heroes of the Cult convince other, lesser peoples to join their cause.

The Cultists then recruit, train, and arm these converts from the tribes and vagrants that live scattered across the surface of Auriga. Regardless of where they are of to whom they have previously sworn allegiance, when a tribe turns to the Cult it does so until its death.

Monolithic, fanatic, and ever-expanding, the Cult of the Eternal End will spare no effort, cost, or sacrifice to see that its will is done."

(An excerpt from Eslek's book: Encyclopedia of Auriga)

This Cult is hellbent of the destruction of the Endless. The forefather's of the Broken Lords and many other groups of people and races in Auriga. (This is all I can say about them since Eslek insisted that he writes this).

The Endless:

The 1st people to travel widely across the galaxies. Much of their Technology (Dust, the Broken Lords , the Haunts(Eslek) and much more im yet to discover) has been left scattered across the universe.

Their most famous invention and perhaps legacy is Dust. Which in 4 forms representing 'the 4 Fundamentals of Creation'

White=Mental/Psychic 

Yellow=Physical (Often used as currency in the form of Ducat coins)

Red= Life and Healing (Can be used for the exact opposite)

Black= Death and Decay (Do not touch! As Rainoric warned me)

"This strange substance that came to dominate the Endless culture had relatively mundane origins; scientists driven by the problems of the Eaür developed increasingly miniaturized machines in order to handle the biophysics of adaptation. What started as micro-machines to assist under-oxygenated gills or as tiny dermato-prophylactic swarms began to evolve. They became ever smaller, ever more mobile, ever more adapted to pulling energy from ambient radiation. Ultimately, they learned to self-network and self-organize, which had the unexpected side effect of creating near-infinite networks of intelligent mechanical nodes.

Therefore, what is now commonly known as "Dust" was a mix of different miniaturized elements that could replicate themselves, self-assemble, and network. Based on technologies of quantum computing and atomic-level miniaturization, Dust was capable of simple physical tasks as well as feats of advanced computing. As large numbers of elements communicated, combined, and interacted, it could even form sophisticated AI systems that were able to achieve advanced levels of reasoning and analysis. Its utility and flexibility became such that Dust was created in enormous volumes and became an integral component of everyday life."

(Excerpt from Eslek's book: Encyclopedia of Auriga)

Their history was first glorious then tragic. They began to fight among themselves untill near extinction. Those who survived either hid themselves away in deep space in which they are now called 'the Concrete'. While some were able to make themselves immortal through 'Virtualization'

"An AI appears to think, and with advanced neural networks and learning systems the Endless achieved great advances in this area. They still sought the ultimate prize in this area of study, however: Creating systems and processes that would allow a being to "upload" its mind and personality into a computer."

(Excerpt from Eslek's book 'Rise and Fall of the Endless')

They are also the creators of the Broken Lords and the by-product the Haunts. Using the same techniques as virtualization, the 'Virtual' Endless needed an expendable army of soldiers to fight their wars with the 'Concrete' Endless. After a millenia of fighting the 'Virtuals' left them in Auriga with the orders 'Rebuild what was once lost'. Several factions both claiming to be inheritors to the Endless legacy rose but 2 of the most prominent are the Salians of Gimael and the Ghogths.

I will continue to learn more about these ancient forefathers as their technology never fails to astound me and my friends.

Sakura Sake!

I miss saying that.....