The depths of Arda hide mas. The titans were excavated just before the Great War, to serve as Arascus’ greatest ons. It is because of their existehat we o call on Tartarian Archdemons in the first pce. Yet the dwarves kept digging. Through the endless bck depths, what monstrosities they faced, we simply do not know.

  I have to praise their loyalty out of respect if not anything else. The Holds were a nuisail Rhomaion fell. Yet o did, the dwarves started their retreat from the surface. Their grand armies turned inwards. Holds were once agai exposed. They began their endless excavation. We gave them trouble were we could. Some Holds were captured, but it was a tiny minority. No one repared to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives from their Orders for what would be a mere scrat the underground kingdoms.

  For the mountain Holds were mere outposts, as fortified as they are, the dwarves sidered them little more than encampments. They could not face the surface Divines, so they did not even bother. Inwards they crawled, to their sprawling cities. The sealing of the World-Core extinguished their fires and they were left stranded. I wonder if that moment spelled the end of the race as it was and gave birth to something new. Do they still eagerly seek monstrosities as they once did? Did the depths eventually e them? Or are they still there?

  I have my doubts on this theory, but the prevailiiment amongst the Pantheon is rather simple: The dwarves dug so deep that they fot there was a world above.

  - Excerpts from Alsaria’s Diary, hidden within the White Pantheon’s Closed Library.

  Arascus took a deep breath. Kassandora was off giving a speech, Helenna was in roanising papers. Anassa was bringing Essa here, as well as Iniri. Olephia wao paint the crumbling mountai behind by world-breaking and there would be little for her to do in Nanbasa anyway. Neneria would stay with Olephia, he didn’t expeything to happeainly not to either of them, but he didn’t want Neneria to shut herself in a room all day. Better to give her open air with Olephia instead.

  So Arascus sat there, in a room of the National Assembly. It was small foveral building, but rge for anything else. as firefighters worked to tain the fmes on the higher levels. The fire had spread across the carpets, but there wasn’t enough wood in this building for it to do any damage. The fact Maisara had desig meant it would still keep standing even if it was hit by Essa’s magic. The smoke had cleared out through hidden chutes and rge windows, and the men taining the fires were w ing gas masks out.

  So Arascus put the fire out of his mind as he took up one of the goveral room. Zalewski had done a good job at recalling all of Kirinyaa’s politis. They simply sat and waited as soldiers outside barked orders. Now that the fmes of revolution were bzing, he was free use it to cook whatever he wanted. And, more importantly, there was no one who would be looking at what he threw to the fmes. Kassandora’s soldiers were anising the proceedings as General Sokolowski and General Zalewski sat o Arascus. They were only here to make it obvious to anyone who would be called into the room that if someo against Arascus, they would go against Kassandora.

  Someone knocked on the door. “Enter.” Arascus called out. It was one of the soldiers, the man invisible under his heavy vest, loaded with magazine, a facemask over his head, a si of bck goggles c his eyes. His rifle was slung across his shoulder. He pushed a man in. Arascus already khe fellow, Okure. Tall and stout, although not so much that he was fat. A soft fellow, with a hand for his position that was rather gentle. He had been a blessing when Arascus was w from the outside.

  But Arascus was not oside anymore. So Okure could not stay on as Minister of Eics. “Minister Okure.” Arascus said. “You did well to assist us in the Recmation War.” The man only cast a single g Sokolowski and Zalewski, his eention was focused on the Divihat domihe room. Even with Okure standing and Arascus sitting, Okure still had to look up. “I would you to thank you for that.”

  The man would be removed, and it would be impossible to leave without a certain note of bitterness, but there was no reason for Arascus to make a list of enemies immediately. “However the situation has ged.” It has, Arascus wao mahe ey himself. The markets simply would not do when he was here to build an army to assist in the quest of Epa, his hand would be needed.

  “I see.” Okure said timidly. “I…” He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

  “You’re wele to speak.” Arascus hurried him along. The man nodded and took a deep breath.

  “Is Ruku dead?” Arascus replied quickly and ftly.

  “He was reported to have perished in the fire.”

  “Oh.”

  “The military will lead Kirinyaa now.” Arascus said. “The ey will take a different turn, we are currently reading through the dots and…” Arascus dropped his tone and took a pause. “Well, the situation has ged now, but another invasion was being pnned.” Okure’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped.

  “Again?” Arascus merely he fact he was the one pnning the invasion was irrelevant.

  “I want to forcibly industrialize Kirinyaa. Set up new resource ventures in the west, refineries, industry away from the coasts, somewhere closer to tral Requisitions.” Arascus said. “And, I do not know how to say this, so I will say it straight. I will do it myself.”

  Okure seemed to realise what was going on. He blinked for a moment then took a breath of relief. “So I’m out?”

  “We’ll provide you with the minister’s pension of course.” Arascus said. “But yes, you are no longer Minister of Eics. Effective from this moment.” Arascus took a piece of paper he had prepared oables and stamped it. It was simply Okure’s dismissal form. The man read it and chuckled. He actually ughed! Arascus didn’t know what to say.

  “Holy…” Okure said. “Actually, never mind.”

  “Do go on.” Arascus said it merely out of curiosity. He was expeg needing to have executions today. If this is how the minister of one of the highest positions iion took it, it would go eveer than he expected.

  “It was simply a hard job. Stressful.” He said. “I wasn’t going to accept aerm.” Arascus smiled.

  “Then I gratute you on your retirement Okure. You were instrumental to Kirinyaa’s victory in the first invasion.” The man ughed, turned a.

  And the one came in. Minister of Eduinister Musyoka. Tall, thin, once a professor, the try was under enough pressure from the Juhat it didn’t have the useless bureaucrats that pgued the a kingdoms pre-Great War or today’s Epa. This man had to repced too. Not out of malice, Arascus had some respects for the man’s intelligend hoy, he had been one of the few warn of Kassandora’s rise to power, yet he had dohing about it. “I have a question.” Arascus said.

  Musyoka looked around at the from behind his gsses. In a dark blue suit as was the iional Assembly, he did look like the sort who knew how to give a lecture. “Ask away.”

  “Why did you never sponsor any bill to limit Kassandora’s power?” Musyoka only smiled.

  “I gave warnings. I said what would happen.” He extended an arm out to Damian Sokolowski in his dark suit. “And it did, Kirinyaa was taken over.”

  “With your popurity, you could have rallied support.” Arascus said and the man shrugged.

  “I could have, but could I have doer than Helenna or you?” The man said ftly. “I have some arrogan me true, but I’m not going to let it blio the fact that you are Divine and I am mortal. Major Divioo, even if I had your skill in manipution, you do not sleep. How do I pete?” Sokolowski and Zalewski both shifted in their seats when they heard the word manipution. Arascus let it slide, he wasn’t going to be hooked by bait that obvious.

  “What did you teach before you got this position?”

  “Geology.” Arasodded, he had assumed it would be some subject like that. Where the principle was about analysis of information.

  “I think you realise what will happen then.” Arascus said.

  “I’m gone.” Musyoka said.

  “Indeed you are.”

  “And if I refuse?” Arascus turo Sokolowski, the man pulled the pistol out of his belt and put it oable. The Minister of Education looked at it dryly and without ent as Arascus turned bausyoka. There had been a pn first for Helenna to find their families, but Kassandora had crushed that pn. Why bother with so much wasted time? Just elimihe problem at its source. “So I ’t refuse.” Musyoka said. “Anything else I should know?”

  “You’re talented.” Arascus said. “And obviously you have what it takes, you live off the pension, don’t go bato education.”

  “Uood.” Musyoka said dryly. “I appreciate the pension, if that means anything.”

  “It doesn’t.” Arascus said. “The pensions are there to make sure you grow fat and fortable.” Musyoka smiled at that.

  “I worked that out already.” He said.

  “I know you did.” Arascus replied. That’s why he told him in the first pce. It was simply better to leave the man with an ho impression. If Arascus simply dismissed him, then the man could get delusions of stupidity, but this fellow was that rare mix of intelligend hoy that appreciated bad news, eve was directed at them. But that sort of man was not who Araseeded to run the education in try. Too much hoy brought about ina, everything could be analysed from every a the end of the day. Someone more… direct was needed, who wouldn’t be afraid to spin an angle in the name of the greater good. Kassandora would find them, from her army.

  “Well.” He said. “That’s it then. There a sector I work in? That won’t be just mianaged by you?”

  “Look for private panies. Don’t bother with anything that ties into manufacturing istics.” Musyoka nodded as Arascus signed his early-retirement form. The man turned a. Another one down. Another came in. Ministry of Polig. A low position, but Arascus had grand pns for it. Minister Kitili. Tall, imposing, although Arascus already k was for show. Kirinyaa had little issue with criminality in the first pce. “Minister Kitili.” Arascus said as he leaned back. “I have sorry news for you.” The man said nothing as he looked at Sokolowski’s pistol oable and back at Arascus. “Your department is being re-arranged.”

  Kitili blinked with those dark eyes. “I see.”

  “You will no be Minister of Polig. There will be ment of Polig. The Kirinyaan Provincial Police Force will e in to repce you. You will be uniformed troops.” The man blinked in fusion and made a nervous giggle.

  “I don’t follow.” He said.

  “The KPPF will be part of the military. In direct hierarchy from Kassandora. You’re job is getting re-arranged.” Arascus said. “You will assist iransition from DoP to KPPF, depending on how you will affect what will happen after.” The man was young, the DoP was used as a testing bed for new politics or a political reward. It was an easy position and it paid well. The KPPF would pay well too, but it would be anything but easy. The man blinked again, Arascus didn’t like his ck of fidence. Kassie wouldher then, he would st a month, maybe two if luck favoured him.

  “Is that all?” The man asked.

  “That is all, I wao inform you personally.” Arascus sighed as the ma and the one came in. Kirinyaa had plenty of ministers.

  He would be here all night.