In the Citadel of Aethelgard, the High Lords spoke often of “The Great Dam”—a massive project meant to protect the peasants from seasonal floods. But while the peasants toiled in the mud, eighteen of the Citadel’s most trusted Iron Guards were given a different task. They were not sent to stack stones, but to carry Leather Chests.
The Burden of Secret Gold
These eighteen guards, led by a persistent Scribe, finally broke their silence before the town gates. They confessed that for years, they had not been carrying tools or rations. Instead, they had been the “Bagmen of the Shadows,” hauling chests overflowing with gold coins—diverted from the Dam funds—directly to the Inner Sanctums of the High Lords.
They spoke of secret carriages, hidden mountain manors, and vaults that groaned under the weight of “The People’s Protection.”
The Alchemists of Blame
But when the truth hit the air, the Citadel did not open the chests to check the gold. Instead, the High Lords turned to their Court Alchemists to transform the truth-tellers into monsters.
The Phantom Mutiny: The Chief Magistrate stood upon the balcony and cried, “These men do not speak for the truth! They speak for the Sword!” He claimed their confession was not testimony, but a hidden signal for an army to storm the gates. By calling it a “Coup,” he made the peasants fear the messengers more than the theft.
The Erasure of Names: The Captain of the Iron Guard quickly burnt the scrolls of service. “We do not know these men,” he declared. “They never wore our armor; they are merely ghosts in stolen cloaks.” By deleting their past, he sought to make their present words vanish into thin air.
The Gale of Gags: Other Lords, named in the guards’ scrolls, summoned the Bailiffs of Silence. They threatened the eighteen with “The Branding of the Liar,” promising to lock them in the dungeons for daring to speak of the High Lords’ private chambers.
The Dying Light of the Square
In the Citadel, a dangerous spell is being woven.
When a man brings a map of a crime and is met with a noose instead of a magnifying glass, the “Social Code” of Aethelgard breaks. The message sent to every other guard and servant is chilling: If you see the gold being stolen, close your eyes, or we will erase your name.
The Eighteen Porters are not saints; they are men who once carried the weight of corruption. But a healthy kingdom treats a confession as a key to open the chests, not a reason to burn the porters. If the Citadel allows the “Gale of Gags” to blow out the torches of these witnesses, the High Lords will continue to feast while the Great Dam remains a hollow shell of sand.
(Nexus News, Views & Features)
