As a bitter and sad Novus walked uphill towards The Chain, surrounded by the tall walls encircling Highborn mansions in the Upper District, things were happening somewhere else.

Following the trail he was threading, you would reach The Chain a massive contraption built in the long past and modified multiple times to keep it working, capable of transporting a group of people up a cliffside, over the Septenpilus River, one of the tributaries of the Hyacin River that splits the city into two halves. 

The Chain would take people from the Upper District and land them in the “Royal Path” a long stretch of elevated walkways constructed out of Caelapis bricks intermingled with large metallic support pillars, part of the ruins of the ancient Imperial ship that rests below the Royal Castle of Via.

At the end of the Royal Path lies the Gate of Tempestis, the front gate, built out of plates of metal, reinforced through arcane sciences, forged by the Ancient Magus, who led the original colonists of the Empire.

Go through the gate and you reach the Castle, inside it many Highborn work and live, keeping the Kingdom running while also engaging in courtly intrigue attempting to improve their position among the ones closest to Katena III, the Rex of Via.

Of all the Highborn we will focus only on one at the moment.

Conatus Canes, Leader of the 4 orders of Ensis, Magnus Chalearii (Prime Minister) to the Kingdom, General of the Septen Army, and most importantly 2nd in line for the throne of Via, with the title of Septen Eres.

A tall man, around 40 years old, with a mane of copper blond hair with some salt and pepper. Clean-shaven, his hair neatly combed back and his clothing of the finest make, using the color scheme of the Septen Army, with blue, silver, and black. Jeweled rings, one for each of his ranks are the only outwardly ostentatious element of his outfit.

His office is as well a reflection of his pragmatic clothing choices, the bare stone walls lack any kind of decoration, only having several bookshelves neatly packed with scrolls, books, and documents.

His wooden desk is quite large but lacks any details, being more functional than anything else. Stacks of parchment are carefully ordered in different zones, around a leather mat used as the main writing space.

Under the desk, extending towards the door there is a blue and silver rug with an embroidered black effigy of a Voltu, a large predatory bird native to the Iugalba Mountains, the symbol of the Canes Family shield.

The rug itself was a gift from a superior so, unlike all other decorations, Conatus felt compelled to put it to use. Years after getting it he found out it was supposed to be a tapestry and not a rug.

Conatus was sitting on a comfortable leather-bound chair as he went over documentation, signing anything that needed to be signed and double-checking the information.

Among the many responsibilities of his office, he was in charge of approving any policies before they were discussed by the Council, a legislative body formed by all the governors of the Viani provinces.

Conatus was part of the council, only serving as the link between the Council and the Rex, lacking a vote on it. That was something he really disliked, as Conatus was a man with a vision for the Kingdom.

He was pragmatic, seeing the immemorial traditions of the Empire that many Highborn kept pushing over the Kingdom as relics of the past.

A knock on the door made him look up from his work with tired eyes, as he had been working since the early hours of the morning. -Come on in.-

The door opened revealing a young man with curly blond hair, fair skin, and a well-trimmed short goatee. He was wearing the uniform of the Septen Ensis, with a silver jacket, black pants, and brown boots.

Ensis is both an occupation and a nobility rank, one of the lowest ones. The Ensis are military officers in charge of leading troops, planning battles, and fighting alongside their soldiers, as all of them have superlative martial skills.

-Sir, he is about to arrive.-

-Perfect, stay with me, so you can learn a thing or two, as I expect you to keep climbing ranks, brother.- Conatus smiled, trying to share his confidence with Sagitta. -And please call me brother, not sir.-

-I understand si- Sagitta started his reply, but he stopped midway upon seeing Conatus’ frustrated expression. -I understand… brother.- Sagitta relaxed and added in a much more laid-back tone.

-But are you sure you want to be alone with him, he is, and I cannot fathom why, one of the staunchest traditionalists among the Ensis.-

-Yes, but he follows the right traditions.- Conatus walked around his desk. -Callis is our cousin and I would not call for him if I did not trust him, protecting the Lowborn is paramount for our plans, and placing Callis as his bodyguard will, as unlikely as it seems, redirect most of the attention off Novus Igneus.- 

-I… I understand that, but won’t he get more attention, I mean, Callis, like me, is a half-blo- Once again Sagitta stopped talking upon seeing the burning glares of Conatus Canes’ eyes piercing through him.

-Sorry, I know I shouldn’t say that, but the fact there is so much bad blood against him wouldn’t be an impediment? He will attract more attention to Novus Igneus.-

-Yes, but this is a balancing act, a very delicate one. You see- Conatus stopped talking for a second as his eyes scanned over his desk. 

-Brother Conatus?- Sagitta asked with a hint of concern, as the Prime Minister abruptly stopped talking. Sagitta had only started working recently for Conatus, so he wasn’t sure what was happening.

Conatus, still silent, kept staring at his desk with a puzzled expression. The imposing general crouched, getting his eye level right over the surface of the desk, examining a pile of documents. 

-Brothe- The young Ensis attempted to talk, but his half brother lifted one finger, gesturing for silence. Then he proceeded to meticulously move the pile of documents he was looking at, aiming to perfectly place it over the desk, to the last millimeter.

When the documents were aligned to his satisfaction Conatus turned around as if nothing happened and continued.

-You see, Callis Nomene is a hero to some, a black stain to the Highborn as a whole to others, but more than anything he is almost the ideal Ensis, he follows orders, is equipped to fulfill his objectives, and as much as he tries to hide it, he is, without a doubt, one of the finest swordsmen in Via.-

Conatus walked towards Sagitta. -You are excellent but Callis is superlative.-

-Really? I’ve seen him train in the courtyard and he doesn’t seem that impressive.- Sagitta had been part of the joint exercises involving the four Ensis Orders, and as he was a recent addition, just as Callis Nomene, he was able to train alongside him.

-Haven’t sparred against him though, nobody seems to want to spar with him, he trains alone most of the time.- 

-How do you think he got to be an Ensis? How do you think he managed to fight off the Necromancer?- Conatus talked as he walked, picking up his blade from a display, it was a simple weapon, without frills or ornaments.

-I have sparred with him more than once.- Conatus unsheathed his blade with an elegant flourish. -And I have never seen him break a sweat against me. Is a shame his personality is so… inflexible.-

-That’s actually impressive si… brother, but if he is so talented why hide it?- Sagitta asked, but before Conatus could reply a knock on the door interrupted him.

A soft voice could be heard outside, following the knocking -May I come in, Magnus Chalearii, leader of the 4 orders of Ensis and Septen Eres, Mes Conatus Canes?- 

-Yes cousin you can come in.- Conatus quickly put his blade away, back to its display case as Sagitta moved away from the center of the room, leaving the spot in front of the desk open.

Callis Nomene entered the room. He was of average height, sporting a mane of pale blond hair tightly held in a ponytail. It was clear he made efforts to keep his hair in check, but it seemed to somewhat resist any attempts to tame it.

He had a relatively slender physique but was mostly covered by clothing, so no judgment could be done about his physical state.  His eyes were pale blue and his skin was fair. He seemed to be sporting a 12’o clock beard, he had bushy sideburns and only a hint of a goatee, as in the style of many young Ensis.

He was wearing an outfit similar to Sagitta’s, only that the jacket was blue and he sported armored gauntlets and greaves. His hands were covered by thick leather gloves.

His most striking trait was a couple of scars, one running vertically over his right eye down to his chin, the other crossing over it and extending across his face.

There was something unnerving about Callis, at least for Sagitta, who after hearing Conatus boasts was a bit apprehensive about him.