Life as a New Hire Ch. 47

Katrina and Oneida

Katrina did not have the first choice though Cáel was the one she wanted. Bizarrely, the 'Conservatives' didn't want Katrina and Tessa putting a 'ringer' in so they insisted on the first two choices. The picks were Felix, Khalid, Cáel, Brian then Trent. A little serendipity helped here.

Felix has actually had the 'toughest' time. Khalid was set up for failure. Brian would be insulted to know he was picked fourth. Trent wouldn't believe he was the least favorable choice.

Yes. Yes, Oneida is special for reasons which go beyond her 'girlie' nature. It has mentioned in Chapter 12 "Oneida is precious to the Host" to Cáel by a member of the Security Detail ~ not just to House Arinniti. Again, in Chapter 16, some Council members 'wanted Oneida's head because it would be a more terrible lesson for her house' which hinted to Oneida being more than just a rare breeding female.

This also tells you how much Constanza must hate Cáel to risk upsetting her People.

As is the case with Pamela and 'a life for a life' prophecy not being clear and actually misconstrued, the augur's prophecy concerning Oneida's birth had long haunted her life, suggesting she would herald great changes for both House Arinniti and the Amazon Host. Has this been fulfilled by her actions saving Cáel's life which, in turn, brought about the resurrection of House Ishara? Is yet more expected of her?

After all, it turned out, we now suspect [or, I'm currently letting my readers suspect] Pamela's 'life for a life' most likely meant the cascading effects of Pamela taking Alal's life leading to the restoration of the Amazon Royal House and not Pamela giving her life for Cáel's.

James aka FinalStand

Yep

See James, this is why your fans keep hanging around. You're so talented, and the detail you go into, whether you give it to us or not, is first rate. It also makes us starve for your works, but that you routinely talk to us keeps us from losing our cool. I am curious though, could Alal's new body be fertile since it isnt his own and he isnt immortal ... or would all 3 soul shards be infertile if if werent for Ishara wanting kids, hence Feryko being able to impregnate Sybil?

@jrc

I think the curse was directed on the soul rather than the body so no, alal isn't fertile. As far as the body is concerned James has mentioned about making bodies from spirit like the butterfly lady(forgot her name). Alal's new body is like that of butterfly lady but since she was immortal so I assume alal is as well though his body can be destroyed.
About the 3 shards, James once answered in a comment about the weave being able to see the future and that's how she wanted sarrat irrakli to do what she did with alal's soul. Cael was essential part of her plan for the stability of the world. Ishara's desperation is said to be the reason of Ceal's existence.
Hopefully it helps though James will explain better.

Now I want to ask some questions of my own,
1) If there were to be a fight between ishara and sarrat who will win?
As you said earlier sarrat was the queen of the underworld and I think she is much older and experienced than ishara. When the sarrat's dagger took on butterfly lady, the power of the knife nearly killed her. Like butterfly lady, ishara has amazon followers( 'many') who worships her and has been doing it for a long time compared to sarrat who hasn't been worshipped for nearly 5k years!
The reason behind this question is, I 'think' sarrat is more powerful than ishara and the desperation of ishara to have her bloodline secured was just a logical excuse for the weave to interfere hence the birth of cael despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to born due to sarrat's curse.

2) Can you please state the datewise occurrence of the events from ripple in the weave due to interference by the augur sisters to the night when uncle lumpy paid cael a visit to make a hole in his head?
I asked above question because of two reasons, first I don't know how and where uncle lumpy got the iinstructions to do the memory installation in Cael's head. Second I don't understand why he need cael's body to have all those memory. He is in a spirit body but I'm sure he remembers everything. So..when he destroys cael's soul and replaces his own won't he have all his memory with him? I don't know the exact procedure to make spirit body but I think(hopefully) alal's new body didn't go through the hole in the head procedure so all of his memory was within his soul!

These snippets really are insightful, James. Thank you.

I know Cael attributes much of who he has become (pre LNH) as a direct result of rejection & used this as fuel to find success early on (college). Aside from his mentors (Ferko & Kimberly), what allowed him to turn over a new leaf and create such a fulfilling life?

WhitePaint

I hope I am not out of line, but the obvious reason Alal had Cael get that download is because he has never had a family. Cael, In Alal's opinion, needed to spend a day, month, years in Alal's shoes. Alal had no one to share his life with. He wanted someone on par with himself that could become a nemesis. Someone his equal. He hoped for a family, a son, progeny. If he could not have that he wanted someone that could play a game of Chess with, so to speak. Cael only had the Amazon's view of Alal. Alal was going to make sure he got his own unadulterated knowledge of Alal. Remember Cael only came to be, because Alal died. Alal planed the last 30 plus years of history. Put everything in place so that Cael would be born, the Earth and Sky would have the military equipment they needed to form the Khanate, Pretended to allow the Condotteiri to be its own organization instead of Alal's pet wolf. Alal even let Cael think he would take his body. ( I personally don't think it will happen.) After waiting 5000 years to hear someone call him Grandfather,snuffing Cael anytime soon would be shortsighted. Alal has always taken the long view.

My Thoughts

@ammonon

I think you are right. This may be the possible explanation for those events but after the first meeting with alal, cael was quite confident that alal will kill his soul to fulfill his motives. I don't know how he reached to that conclusion though.
Thanks!

Folks ...

I've been working on your answers and a time line of events ... and have broken 4,500 words [rough a page and a half on Lit.] ... almost done. I think I may just submit the damn thing it has gotten so big. The time line alone is 1,445 words.

It does explain how events unfolded leading up some of Alal's plans and motivations and why a few things worked out, behind the scenes, the way they did.

Really nice questions by all of you too.

James aka FinalStand

{Bit of trivia: Cáel Nyilas barely beat out ending up in a dog cage in Chapter 16 by becoming Cáel Ishara. It was Day 19 on the job and he started on June 16th. That made it ... Friday, July 4th ... Independence Day here in the US of A. My first thought was ~ 'Hmmm ... I guess New Hires don't get regular holidays'. Woot!}

Oneida

Could she be high priestess oneida soon?

J_Reader_Comics ~ Alal's New Body

No, it is not fertile. Though he used the ritual he stole from the Cult of the Jaguar, he doesn't have the mystic might to make it durable, or create offspring with it. They are divinities and he is not. Effectively it is a body made from corpse energy ~ 298 people who died in one incident along with the death of their 'murderer' and the 'body which walked away' ~ which would be Alal ~ for a total of 300 dead.

Alal returned to the Sunlit Realm on July 17th, 2014.

James aka FinalStand

J_Reader_Comics ~ Oneida

Oneida could not NORMALLY be the next High Priestess. She would be too old. The current crop of candidates was ten to twelve years of age because of Hayden's life expectancy.

All of that has changed with the revelation of Aya as Queen. Technically she can and should appoint a new High Priestess. In the days of the Royal House, the High Priestess was the chief among the priestesses of the Amazon deities. In the modern set up, the High Priestesses took over most of the royal duties while some of the religious duties devolved to the relatively unimportant office of Keeper of Records.

As mysticism has declined in the world, most of Amazon magic now resides in the augurs who are under the care of the Keeper of Records.

Why would Aya, Katrina, Krasimira, or St. Marie want to rock the boat? The Dead are walking around and mystical forces seem to be on the rise so a mystic guru would seem prudent. But who would they choose?

James aka FinalStand

didn't you say in the story somewhere that the current crop would be 15-18 right now as Hayden was expected to live another 8 years or so and the candidates should be in the 22-26 range?

Obsidian

James, I'm sorry to bother you with more questions but I / we your fans really appreciate your interaction with us.
When Cael left his seed with obisdian he told Ishara that she could now track or keep track of her. Does that mean Obisdian is now pregnant, or is it just Cael's DNA she can track? How much control does Dot have over Cael's ability to impregnate, could Dot prevent a little demigod from forming.

Thanks again for all your sharing and brilliant writing

@LBLR45

Interesting question. I remember when cael and zhen were on plane and he was hitting on her, dot said that he will have a son if he impregnated her so I think dot has control over offspring. Your thoughts James?

Dot Ishara and births ...

First off, I apologize. The past day and a half haven't been great.

I) Yes, Dot does have control over Cáel and the birthing of his offspring. Before he was an acknowledged Amazons, her influence was limited. Since then ... he's 'fucked' as you might say. Rhada ... they've had sex multiple time, but only once without protection ~ knocked up. The one time he had sex with Gale he wore a condom ... and it failed. Hana was on birth control - fail. Miyako ... okay, that was his fault. Deidre ... supposedly infertile ~ now with child. Oneida - they have had sex ONE TIME. Estere more than one time, but only during one night - and he wore a condom every time ... fail. Zhen - one unprotected time - pregnant. With Sikia and Tadêfi ~ Cáel knew the fix was in that time ... and still double-pumped ... cause he's an idiot.

If this happened at a gambling joint, the crowd would riot.

On the flip side, Libra, Brooke and Odette remain baby-free ... for now.

Before you get to angry at Dot for her mass maternity frenzy ... please understand she has watched the Vranus bloodline wither down to just a handful over the past few generations until there was just one ... Cáel. While he remained free of the Secret Societies and mysticism in general, it was difficult for her to interfere in the lives of him and his ancestors. 2600 years of waiting all boiling down to one lone young man as the sole survivor of her mortal legacy and thus her hopes to restore the Amazon Host.

Why did she not act as SzélAnya? Ishara is still part of the Amazon pantheon and her actions and the resulting backlash would fall upon them. All SzélAnya has is her dwindling mortal relations so all her actions echo back on her alone. Besides, someone is using supernatural means to exterminate her bloodline, so the flow of good and bad karma is harder to judge ~ aka how much direct action she can get away with before something horrible happens.

Ishara has to think about all Amazons and Amazon deities. If she acted as rashly as SzélAnya has, Amazons elsewhere could suffer for it and that hasn't been a risk she has been willing to take.

Mind you, SzélAnya and her willingness to interact with the mortal world is a matter for the Amazons to consider before they allow her to have a house within the Host (again). Her actions could affect them all. Is the Goddess willing to hold back for the sake of the others? Would she agree to such a thing?



II) Yes, Obsidian has his viable sperm and can, if she wishes, start the long, arduous process of creating a hybrid child. Please remember though, the Weave does not like her and her activities so it would be quite difficult. Plus, the offspring would be susceptible to the influence of Dot Ishara (due to the child's Amazon heritage) and Sarrat Irkalli (due to all things Alal).

Also understand that while divinities have a great deal of knowledge and access to various sources of information, they are not necessarily smarter than humanity. As legends tell us, they can be tricked by 'mere mortals'. If you consider Humanities creation of nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry, we can be just as, if not more, destructive as they have ever been.

Illyankamunus though ... and creatures like him which exited before ... what they know, think and feel is unknown, at least to the current players. In the last battle, he was defeated metaphysically. Precisely how you physically defeat a Primordial Dragon of Water is unknown. He draws his essence from the streams, rivers, seas and oceans ...

III) Still looking for the passage on how old the next round of candidates for High Priestess would be. Ugh.

James aka FinalStand

Currently re-reading, and the hayden/age of new is in the mid 30s

Hmm, wow James thank you for that insight. Makes you wonder about Lady Yum Yum, who has had sex with him on two separate occassions, Riki, and Javiera who were part of the four-way second time. Dude is going to wind up with 50 kids lol.

took some google fu but I found where you mentioned the age of the next high priestess.

It's midway through page 4 of chapter 37

"You may note that this process ASSUMED that the old High Priestess would live out her normal lifespan and not willingly pass on until the decision process was upon the Council. I didn't give Hayden that luxury, so roughly SEVEN YEARS before Hayden was supposed to pass, she died. That meant all the candidates instead of being from 22 ~ 25 were more like 15 ~ 18."

Also isn't it Imogen that is having Cael's kid from the O'Shea contingent and not Deidre?

I remember

That it was only ever said he had sex with Kelly and Deidre, I just never thought of it till I just got done rereading for the like the 20th time all the way through. But was Imogen even on the plane there was Kelly Deidre bar...The one that sees dead people, Matilda, can't remember the last one.

OK

It was Kelly, Baibre, Matilda, Deidre,& Imogen on the plane just went back and found the info at the end of chapter 30 and the beginning of 31 is when it mentioneds sex with only Kelly&Deidre. Which makes me wonder why dot only aloud one a child when he screwed 2 of them lol. Unless she feels like she could only interfere so much with that curse and not piss off the creepy Dagger chick SI.

I was operating off these two quote from chapter 44

""I'm pregnant," Imogen studied my reaction. Yeah ... I had banged her after Deidre, but before Baibre because I am a fucking reprehensible human being and sometimes, I feel I am utterly irredeemable."

""For the same reason I'm going to take care of our child, Imogen, I have to go to this meeting. People are counting on me to do the right thing without telling me what the right thing to do is.""

Imogen is the one who goes to Havenstone to be tested and monitored as well

I've been meaning to ask but for some reason keep forgetting, what house is Tessa head of?

Bradbury defense

James whilst we all have fun trying to work who did what with which and to whom, if you every make a continuity error I recommend the Bradbury defence.

Jaybee99

Ok

I overlooked that part than haven't read the last 4 or 5 chapters as many times. OK that still doesn't explain why there is only one preggers. unless it is like I was figuring can't interfere with the curse too much.? Either that or she choose the one most likely to produce the strongest in body and mind out of the aunts lol. Still leaves me wondering how much dot is screwing with càel just to torment him considering the only outsider that is not part of a secret Society is Hana. So makes me wonder how many more amazons are gonna be pregnant after the hunt. It's just a thought.

Bradbury defense ~ Thank you GOD!

Yes ... it is Imogen who is the pregnant Aunt, not Deidre. Whoops. My bad. As stated previously, every time any divinity pokes around in our reality, there is the risk of some level of backlash. Making an infertile women have a child would definitely count. Why would Dot Ishara make a daughter of Alal within the Illuminati pregnant? Consider the solid family dynamic established over the past 30 years ... and how one pregnancy within their ranks would alter all of that and in a direction NONE of them, or Alal, could have anticipated. You win wars by unsettling your opposition. Would Dot Ishara sacrifice one child to achieve victory? Is that even a serious question?

Inevitable_, thank you for finding the quotation. In my notes, thru e-mail communications with various readers, I had discussed the possibilities of the next High Priestess being Vaski, or Zarana of House Inara who Cáel met at Summer Camp which led to that entry in the story (even though they are right below the lower limit at 14). Their youth compensating by the significance of them being twins.

Other candidates we considered - and yes, I gladly take and bounce ideas off of all of you - was Lorraine, Oneida and Daphne as possible HP candidates. Lorraine is clearly in the age group and it was casually noted the 'identified age' and actual age of Amazons working in Havenstone were two separate things. After all, a gradate of Executive Services would need to appear to be 21, or older, in certain legal circumstances so Havenstone lies. Also, you can start 'casted' training as young as 15 so Daphne and Oneida could easily be 18, or 19.

We have discussed whether such a person would even be someone he has interacted with in the past before, or someone entirely new.

J_Reader_Comics ~ actually too many children would be too much of a distraction for Cáel so Ishara would know when to 'hold back' and among the JIKIT team, he normally uses protection so we are still looking at minimal odds.

Okay. Today was another crappy day, but tomorrow afternoon the wife has promised to take me to see John Wick Vol. 2 to help me get my mind on straight! Woot.

Take care,

James aka FinalStand

Back to why Oneida prophecy

Is important it may retain to the sons returning to the Host. What about the middle sister the one càel says he understands the most she would still be out the lower range but who is to say exactly went Hayden would have took her self to the cliffs it could have been a few years later than most high priestess. I have a feeling that Oneida will want to go with càel when he goes to Brazil to find the list sons. She would feel it maybe her destiny to be the one to bring them back into the fold. But at the same time it will increase the danger with her being preggy and adding more soldiers with her house guards going with her pluses Rachel's team+ càel Brazilian hotty the I can't recall the name right now not too mention Chaz, Virginia, Saku. I wonder who of the 9 clans will go with. But some of that is just theorys running around in my head

thalt992000 and our old buddy 'except' ...

... except Amazons don't carry babies to full term normally anymore as has been noted numerous times. They have 'surrogates' though the precise process has never been brought up before. This means, while Oneida has a 'due date' of March 13th (the completion of Week 40), she won't be the one doing the birthing.

Normally Amazons keep the fetus within themselves for the first four months until it is safe enough to remove and the have a surrogate prepared for the task.

The Amazons will not be using a surrogate for Tadêfi because they don't have the time to create a similar situation in the womb the fetus would have grown up in thus the shock would kill it ... so Tadêfi has to soldier on and do things the old-fashioned way. Her projected delivery date ... the start of Week 35 ... I swear I did not make this up ... the week starting March 11th, 2015. Technically, Cáel's first born could enter this world on the Ides of March (the 15th).

James aka FinalStand

The other 3 new hires

James. We know that Cael believes the other 3 new hires are over seas as essentially breeders and are in prison for the rest of their lives. Does Cael have the correct perception or do the other 3 new hires just work overseas in a facade and are manipulated into being breeders with out their knowledge. After all, they work for some real bitches... I ask because even the most isolated person would still have family wondering what happened to them. How could Havenstone avoid investigation from these rich families if Trent and the gang weren't updating them from time to time

In this chapter

There is a confusing(to me) part:

"A boy born in hatred with a heart which heals if he ..." the vision appeared to confuse Tadêfi ... which was ugly to contemplate. That would most likely mean others fucking with the Weave as well. "Borne in safety by a ghost and a name - Hana."

So, this part starts off as though the child will be a boy, but ends as a daughter? Or it will be a daughter as a ghost that saves the boy? Or?

J_reader_comics

I think finalstands comment/reply 9/9/16 to another question may answer this for you.

And no I don't obsessively read and remember comments that would be just sad.
It happens I was being smug about correctly calling the ghost as being Trần Hưng Đạo from chapter 44 extra and such triumphs are few and far between

Disclaimer
My opinions are not authorised by Finalstands especially if they are wrong in which case they aren't my opinions either.

JayBee99

Thanks for that

I keep forgetting to reread 44 extra when i read this story.

finished third full readthrough

Just want to take the time to say thanks for all the effort you've put forth and even if you never publish another chapter of this tale, I've enjoyed all the time I've invested into it and am immensely happy that I found this story. You've made my life richer.

J_Reader_Comics ...

"A boy born in hatred with a heart which heals if he ..." the vision appeared to confuse Tadêfi ... which was ugly to contemplate. That would most likely mean others fucking with the Weave as well. "Borne in safety by a ghost and a name - Hana."

So, this part starts off as though the child will be a boy, but ends as a daughter? Or it will be a daughter as a ghost that saves the boy? Or?

** "... born in hatred ..." references Zhen giving birth to the son of an enemy such as Cáel.

"... with a heart which heals ..."

References his possible future as someone who unites the 7 Pillars with a larger, Amazon-led Global Union.

'The vision appeared to confuse Tadêfi ... which was ugly to contemplate. That would most likely mean others fucking with the Weave as well.'
Is caused by the current and future efforts of the Gong-tau sorcerers to kill Father, Mother and child via mystic means thus making studying the Weave harder.

"Borne in safety by a ghost ..."
Well, the 'ghost' ~ as in the person who ought to be dead ~ is Trần Hưng Đạo. During his escape from the Seven Pillars, a key element of his plan involves one word - "Hana". This would imply Zhen will be making her escape along with him and with his aid.

It is easy for the Han Chinese nobles of the 7P's to look down on non- Han bloodlines. A Child of Cáel Nyilas and Zhen Duan would trace his lineage back to the first Emperor of China on her side and to Alal, the 5,000 year old founder of the Illuminati, on Cáel's side. The Son would have Temujin, Great Khan of the Khanate, as an Uncle and Aya, Queen of the Amazons, as an Aunt plus some other 'Half-Mommies' within the 9 Clans ~ all who might not appreciate such things. Insult him at your own risk.

Zhen and Zhen's branch of the Duan family, founding members of the Seven Pillars of Heaven so very long ago, consider themselves part of the Imperial dynasty because their heritage comes from a daughter of the First Emperor of China - Qin Shi Huang. Among the 7P's, there is no established Laws of Succession (to prevent the obvious bloodletting as various factions removed obstacles between their candidate and the 'top spot') so things are a bit cloudy concerning consanguinity primogeniture yet all acknowledge the Duan lineage is one of the 'most pristine'.

The fact is, Prince Yǒuyì Duan Nyilas Ishara [by the time he is born, his Father, Cáel, will be an Honest to God Prince plus Cáel will 'recognize' his birth], is somebody with a hard road ahead of him.

Back to the struggle ...

James aka FinalStand

Struggle away my friend

We are behind you

LANH is a Mandelbrot set!

Hi James,
I am glad you are feeling well enough to be writing again. Given your answer about Cael and Zhen's son I believe this story is a living breathing Mandelbrot set! No matter which corner of the story you look at, the inspection only reveals a deeper, further entwined plot thread. I too have read start to finish multiple times and keep coming back and finding new insights. Thank you again for such a wonderful, entertaining story.

But who would they choose?

In an earlier comment James rhetorically asked this question, but i have an idea floating around in my head(and that is always a bad thing).

Right before asking the question the possible reasons for them actually 'rocking the boat' were stated as; 'The Dead are walking around and mystical forces seem to be on the rise so a mystic guru would seem prudent.'. Earlier in the same comment it is stated that; 'In the days of the Royal House, the High Priestess was the chief among the priestesses of the Amazon deities.', and the Amazon's now have a queen.

It is very possible, in my opinion, that if Cáel pulls off the 'miracle' that he wants to that Tadêfi would more than likely end up as High Priestess. I mean she is an augur and most Amazon magic resides in them, she will have given birth to the first daughter carrying the Isharan genetics in a couple and change thousands of years, and survived the birth against all odds.

There, now the thought is out!
Thanks for all you do James!

Ok So who wouldn't they choose?

I'll give it a try
What do we know or guess?
We know that Amazon society is very conservative and that they don't change behaviour easily.
We know that the shortlist of candidates was chosen long before Caél joined so his behaviour would have no influence on shortlisting but might eventually have on the final choice.
Hayden is our only example of a High Priestess
Hayden was First House and could have children.
Lorraine and Europa are Epona and not First House and there is an implication that they are unable to have children
Daphne and Brielle Cottyttia are similarly not First House
The summer camp twins are First House so may be eligible as is Oneida
Marilyn might have been shortlisted but we can hope that her behaviour would make her ineligible.

I don't know who else from a First House would be eligible nor if we don't know the character yet. There is no particular reason that they would be in North America or that Caél would have met them. In any event Caél is often wrong about stuff.

Of course the Keeper of Records at the time of shortlisting and any Augur might have had an inkling from the weave of what was about to happen so candidates might not have to be First House.

As I have said in earlier posts, just guessing

JayBee99

Thank you

Just finished my 5th reread of this amazing story. And given the hiatus from the latest chapter I felt like giving some encouragement. I have no idea what you have been going through in these past years, but I applaud you all the same for doing what you do, writing stories that make people happy. Ever since I first found this story so long ago I have never gone at least a few weeks without checking Literotica to see if it was updated or if you mentioned or commented anything new. Sure I haven't loved every moment of the story (sometimes the other worldly news lost me) but even the parts I got lost in I still read over and over again to just get a better glimpse of the world you have created. I love this story, I love Càel (even if I mispronounce his name 85% of the time I read it), and I adore you and all the seriously hard work you have put into this. Thank you so much for the time, effort and stress you have put in and lost to this story, I can not describe how grateful I am to have learned of this story. Keep doing what make you happy (assuming doing this does in fact make you happy) And know that someone, somewhere is getting another snicker out of Càel's misfortunes.

Keep Well,

Doug

Thank you Tau_Ceti, Riverwolf0222, JayBee99 and Doug

Tau_Ceti - I had to look that up ... I wish I was that clever. Truly, I do. I repeat, so many readers have contributed to the development and direction of this story. Sure, I had some basic ideas, but so much has been altered by suggestions of others.

As for the High Priestess ... I would roll you back to the first political lesson Pamela gave Cáel ~ you gain nothing by playing nice with Bitches.

Aya is Queen ~ Nasusara. Sure, she's 9 going on 10 in a month, but events have thrust her into command of the Host. She had been recognized as an Amazon – no longer a child. The Queen of the Amazons is an autocrat. By Sacred Tradition, there is only one check on her power ~ to be challenged by a daughter over her competence to lead. There is no such person.

For nearly 3,000 years, the High Priestess has ruled as a placeholder for the absent Royal House much in the manner of the Stewards of Gondor in Lord of the Rings. In reality, the only person who could condemn Kwenhamai for her transgressions was Kwenhamai.

Yes, this is bizarre. This also suggests for the history of the Amazons before Troy you had a succession of rather exceptional ladies leading the Host. Those who deemed themselves to be unfit would step down, or at least faced a challenge. Technically, just like a House Head, they could refuse any such challenge yet no Amazon Queen used that means to cling to power.

Wise Queens listened to their advisers ~ the Golden Mare, the Spear of Night and the High Priestess ~ as well as regularly gathered the Elders (now the Heads of Houses) to hear their grievances and settle disputes. Back in the day, this wasn't too difficult. There weren't a lot of Amazons and a swift runner could traverse the length of the Queendom in a day. Still, the final decision was always the Queen’s.

Since the death of the last member of the Royal House the Amazon Council and High Priestesses have done nothing to alter these ancient laws and traditions. Kind of like leaving the order of inheritance of House Head being ‘… the eldest’ instead of ‘… the eldest female’. FYI, they still haven’t changed that clause.

Now, if you are thinking: ‘But, come on now! This is the 21st century and the Host is modern, tech savvy and up with the times. Surely these ladies won’t trust their fates to a 9 year old.’

Dial back a few dozen chapters and think about all those House Heads who, instead of defying Hayden’s decree ~ knowing their ironclad convictions on how the Amazon Host should face its future were about to be crushed ~ showed up to the Council meeting to have their names read out as TRAITORS FOR ALL TIME … then cut off a lock of their hair … and were walked out of the chamber … and were executed … KNOWING they were going to end up in the Endless Black Sands until their souls were destroyed by the agony of that existence … instead of going to the Paradise they most certainly thought they deserved. Every … last … one.

That was EIGHTEEN of them, by the way ~ a third of the Council. Can you imagine a third of your Congress/Parliament/What-have-you simply resigning for the good of your Nation’s political health? Hayden didn’t only take out the die-hards like Ursula of House Marda; she removed the ones who ‘might’ be a problem for St. Marie and whomever followed after. Hard – ass – bitches …

Recall St. Marie blowing Troika’s brains out to defend Cáel less than a minute after she wanted to blow his brains out? She didn’t even hesitate. A quick-draw to a fatal shot inside of one second.

Recall at the previous meeting Krasimira was actually going to slit her throat if that was what it took to get Cáel to lift the Curse of Ishara (though she as the only one)? Cáel had to stop her.

Think about that level of fanaticism. It – is – not – rational. The Guiding Light for the Amazons is NOT the Scientific Method. It is not Liberalism. It is not Humanism. It is far, far closer to the Stone Age than the Age of Enlightenment. Yes, all those wacky broads absolutely believe Aya is their monarch by Divine Right.

As you probably know, Aya is very conscious of this devotion – thankfully. If she told a member of the Security Detail to throw herself off the roof of Havenstone, the only ‘talk back’ she’d get would be ~ “Should I take the stairs, or will the elevator be fast enough, my Queen?”

Mindful of this, Aya will only press so far because the only form of protest open to the Amazons is to sheer a lock of their hair and, since suicide is forbidden in this time of war, become houseless ~ which is a horrible fate for any Amazon. No House = No Paradise. There are no ancestors to guide then and not goddess to prepare such a place. All they are doing by not ‘taking themselves to the cliffs’ is postponing their date with oblivion. Hard ass bitches.

Aya will still press to do things she believes are in the best interest of the Host. Of course she will access the far more experienced Amazons around her yet the final decision is hers. She will not balk. She has found her ‘stillness’ ~ her center ~ and she knows if she feels strongly about something she must do what she must do.

Now, to the matter of the next High Priestess. In the beginning the position was the agreed head of all the temples to of all the Amazon goddesses. Back in the day, the chief priestesses of each faith would jockey for the slot and the group would present the winner to the Queen as the High Priestess. The Queen could refuse and dismiss a High Priestess if she desired yet did so very rarely. The High Priestess was the intermediary between herself and the various deities … who took a rather active hand in things.

In the 21st century, that isn’t how it works. It takes the divinities 20 to 25 years simply for them to put forth the signs & portents and set up the challenges for the various High Priestess candidates. All Amazon mysticism resides in their handful of augurs [at this time I’m working on the theory there are only 11 left; the loss of five was nearly crippling yet it has turned out to have been a critical gift those five paid for with their lives. If they lose Tadêfi …].

Because of this new reality, Aya is considering naming an augur the new High Priestess. Also, in quiet connivance of Krasimira, she considering offering Runners the chance to become augurs.

A horrible fate? Sure. The initiative has three purposes.
First off, the Host needs more augurs. If the goddesses select a Runner, it will send shockwaves through the Full-bloods ~ ANOTHER clear sign the goddesses embrace Runners.

Secondly, the Runners are divorced from Amazon religion and mysticism and Aya wishes to change that. In her mind, the Runners need to know the whole deal ~ the nature of the world and magic, the reality of the goddesses and the true promise of the Afterlife.

In turn, she hopes to inspire the Houses to seek out Runners who share qualities of their goddesses at the same time Runners are finally given the opportunity to understand they are fighting not only for success in this life, but an eternity of companionship, or the end of all their possibilities. Aya will not perpetuate what she sees as the vile crime of leaving the Runners ignorant of their fates.

Third, though she doesn’t yet know how, Aya is trying to find a way to beseech the Goddesses to create a Paradise for the Runners. With an augur as High Priestess, she hopes to contact her ancestors – the dead of the Royal House and commune with them. Hopefully she can convince them to help her. How she can coerce these entities, or is it even possible for the goddesses to do … but she must try as she is the Queen of ALL Amazons; Full-Bloods and Runners.

Can you imagine the faces of Shawnee, Buffy, Rhada, St. Marie, Katrina and Krasimira when she informs them of her intentions and, barring knowledge why her plan won’t work, that this is what the Host will do. Doing this in the middle of a war? Precisely! Runners will be dying! Her Runners.

The Winter Solstice meeting could go something like this:

The Council: “Shouldn’t we talk about this? Revealing some of our deepest secrets?”

Aya: “No.”

Council: “Ah … Have you received good advice on this matter?”

Aya: “‘Them’ dying and their souls wandering aimlessly isn’t your business – it is mine. Until you embrace them, you have no voice in their affairs in this life, or their Afterlife. This is not a trick to shame you. In the purist form of duty, I must care for them because no ancestor, or goddess will. I am not asking you to do this. It isn’t a burden I can, or will assign to any of you. The Runners are my Amazons. I do not have the luxury of considering any of my Amazons more precious than any others.”

Elsa: {whispers} “Ouch.”

[***]

{For the curious, the Amazon homeland was bordered by the Say Deresi (a mountain stream which reaches the Black Sea) in the east, was centered on the Terme (Thermōdōn) and Yeşilırmak (Green) River Valleys and stretched west to a north-south running ridge line with the notable summit which is now called Bayrak Tepe (Flag Hill). To the north was the Black Sea and it was nestled tightly against the Anatolian Alps along the entirety of its southern border.

That's roughly 45 miles wide by 40 miles deep with a mixture of coastal agricultural lands surrounded by rugged highlands covered with Euxinic deciduous forests. Today that is all of Çarşamba, Terme and Salıpazarı districts plus most of Tekkeköy and Ayvacık districts all in Samsun province, Turkey.}

A few questions have been asked:

1) Oneida: her possession of two bodyguards was indeed unusual and on multiple occasions it has been referenced she is ‘precious to the Host’. She is not a candidate for High Priestess – because her ‘special’ status would not have been revealed. Yes, there is a mystic prophecy of sufficient vagueness around her.

Oneida has lived with the knowledge of this for a long time – since childhood. She has lived with the weight of others expectations. Unlike Aya, people have always been confident Oneida would do ‘great things’ without any pressure to perform … which is its own kind of pressure on her.

Oneida doesn’t feel special, or didn’t until she met Cáel. Being mother of one of a dozen new Isharans doesn’t bother her. In a way, though she doesn’t want to share the Head of House Ishara, she takes comfort in being one of five other Amazons resurrecting the line of Ishara and Vranus. Oh yeah … and those other, outsider women.

Mind you, it was the actions of Oneida which set forth the discovery that Cáel was of a Dead First House Reborn, led to the death of Ferko Nyilas and the current Secret War and the Reunification War in Asia. Through her confrontation with Constanza, she set forth the return of both the other Lost First House ~ House Anat ~ and the Royal House of the Amazons too.

Without her, the Seven Pillars would have hunted down and killed Temujin. Instead, the entire diplomacy and war-planning of the Amazon Host has been transformed. The Host has active allies she fights side by side in battle with which has never happened before.

And yet there is this sense her destiny hasn’t come to fruition yet.

2) In the matter of Queen Aya and the next High Priestess – I addressed that in the above post.

3) The return of House Anat is pretty much assured with the return of Queen Aya. Aya can honestly claim Sakunyias fought for her safety on that first night at Summer Camp. Had Saku not saved Cáel, the Seven Pillars would have secured the bridge and their column would have entered the main camp … and kidnapped the children … including Aya.

Sērkuēn lived and died under a Sentence of Death. She walked through Hell for 2,200 years. As far as Aya is concerned, she fulfilled her sentence and Krasimira can support her decision – Sērkuēn did DIE and was denied Paradise.

Sakunyias will be recognized by the Goddess Anat. By Amazon law, she automatically becomes House Head. She will then induct Runners who survive a certain number of combat missions (which will certainly include a proscribed amount of atrocities, skull collections and basic horrific battlefield behavior). No one can accuse her of mellowing with age.

4) It has been suggested I give some flashbacks of a younger Pamela to continue to explain how she developed her quirky behavior and interacted with her fellow Amazons. Also, her epiphany when she took herself to the cliffs … then returned. At that point she knew she would have to face Alal again.

As for Pamela growing old, or dying … I’m not planning on it. In a way, I see Pamela and Aya as part of Cáel’s soul. Pamela has kept in peak condition because she has known she would have to face the greatest foe of the Amazons again. She wondered ‘who’ gave her the warning when she desecrated Alal’s corpse ~ as in who spoke to her in the Amazon tongue to tell her ‘a life for a life’?

Right now … I figure Pamela will hang around until she’s 95 … or 100. Perhaps when Cáel can finally pluck that pebble out of her hand … 105 … or more.

5) What is the success rate of the New Hires? Technically, there are three ways to look at it:
I. Either NO males made it – Cáel wasn’t retained by Katrina after all. (0%)
II. Cáel stayed a part of Havenstone the entire 84 days. (20%)
III. Cáel and Felix both survived the piranha tank without being relocated. (40%)

So, if you have four New Hire classes a year and the current class is 20 … you could expect (since option I would mean a failed program) either 4, or 8 successes for the next class. To add to the success rate there is the fact both Felix and Cáel will be offering some mentoring for the newcomers and the Section and Department Heads will no longer be out to trip up the guys (though they will still make things difficult). That suggests a success rate by December 30th should be 6 to 9 guys, depending.

6) A reader discussed with me the probably fates of the other three first wave New Hires and it looks like you will be hearing from one of them again.

James aka FinalStand

professional tribalism, it almost seems like a throwaway comment when it is mentioned as the thought process of John Rios but it's actually fundamental to understanding the amazon culture. If Cael gave Rachel an order she'd follow it regardless of how insanely stupid it was. Hence her frustration during the hallway fight in the morgue. However 99.9% of the time, no amazon in her care would overrule her because it's her job and her understanding is what matters. In a similar sense, that is how the entire amazon culture is ruled. It's autocratic in the vast majority of situations. The one exception to this seems to be the house structure, which has it's first means of deciding a leader as a vote. Even then we get plenty of indications that the apprentice is selected by the house leader and the vast vast majority of the time, it's respected by the house as it is.

It's a very democratic society in the sense that there is no real infighting or political shifting sands because everyone knows exactly where they fit in the hierarchy and respects it. This allows for the free flow of ideas and the ability for up and down respect because nobody is threatened by political maneuvering or appearing powerful, it is already known where they stand, something that is also seen in the car ride discussion between Esmeralda and Rachel.

In a similar sense, you notice this in the discussions surrounding Aya becoming Queen, the Golden Mare counsels but never commands her in any way, even her comments towards Cael's suggestion is given as nothing more than advice. Even the head of house Bendis' comments aren't a critcism of Aya directly but a statement of the fear that putting a 9 year old in absolute control of the Amazon host might be unwise, something which St Marie quickly quashes. Although FS may want to correct me on this if I'm wrong, this is just how i took it.

This is also seen in the implementation of the ideas. Her regency suggestion is immediately accepted and while the rest are delegated to the regency, it is also accepted that she is Queen and therefore it will happen and it is their responsibility to implement and do it. As she is still a 9 year old girl and therefore can't reasonably, to the outside world, be President of Havenstone.

The cowardice of Hayden runs contrary to the above because when the host is in dire need, she needs to rule absolutely and didn't have the courage to do so, she defaulted to the comfortable standard situation that the host operates in rather than the brutality that was necessary. Aya makes the statement about ruling with compassion and cruelty. Hayden did well with the compassion in all areas, but failed when the ultimate cruelty was necessary.

I just reskimmed

Ok I've been reskimming the book (4th time) and I just gotta say, first things first, If Tolkien and Sherrilyn Kenyon, through some unholy necromatic ritual, made a child, that child will still have a lot of work to catch up to you.

You are literally one of three authors on this site, that I know that if I come back and read, I'ma have a good time (and the other two authors haven't updated in upwards of a year and a half).

Nextly, I know you probably wrote this somewhere already, But I'm confused; Illy the Magic Dragon, has a house in the Host if I'm not mistaken, and fathered Anya, who was also a member of the host.

If I'm not mistaken Vranus' line eventually came to Cael, Bolu's to Alkonyka and the t
3 Arriniti to Brazil? Am I right or wrong?

How can House Illy not know the plans their patron god. Also why do the amazons follow a male dragon god?

Also why is Anya so keen on bringing about the end off all things?

@anon

FS please correct me if I'm mistaken in this.

You are correct in the progression of the 5 men who were sent on that last mission, as far as we know in the story anyway.

The distinction seems to be that House Illy knew that their patron was actually SzelAnya and not Illy becuase Illy was killed, they also knew that their true line went through their male children, hence their protests during the second betrayal and their statements about being gone quite quickly.

A few people in the council knew the secret and basically moved members ashamed with the host or their house into that house to stop them from committing suicide in shame. Thus house Illy still exists. This is mentioned somewhere in chapter 40 or 41 iirc.

Anya is not a member of the host, she is a diety like Dot Ishara, her father is another level of diety above those, a more primal force of the weave compared to their more grounded and restricted elements. Anya is the daughter of Illy and she wants to bring him back because she wants her father back, this is echoed in the rules for her line in which the males carry the genes for the warrior daughters, she recreated her father daughter relationship within the host.

Regarding why their is a male diety as the patron of a house, my guess is that Anya had her followers name it after her father in honour of him and as a reminder of how the bloodlines are drawn, from the male side.

Here we go again ...

I have been working on the legendary reason why this is so, but I've had some personal issues ...

#1 The five males who escaped the 2nd Betrayal were from three separate Houses: the younger adult was Vranus of House Ishara who is the ancestor of Cáel. The veteran adult was Bolu of House Illuyankamunus. There were also three boys (assume ages 9 ~ 11) were from House Arinniti. Had they been older, they might have been missed. The Arinniti elders would have picked the oldest 'pre-test' boys they had to give the group the highest odds of survival possible.

The descendants of Vranus remained in Transylvania, the place the group had originally fled to then in late 1944 fled West and ended up in Chicago. Bolu's eventually dispersed over the rest of the Balkans with a few eventually returning to Transylvania. Now they handful survivors are under Havenstone protection in the US. The Arinniti Sons' descendants also remained in Transylvania until late 1944 then fled West before getting passports to Brazil.


#2 The souls of the members of House Illuyankamunus for the past 2,600 years have gone back to their birth Houses. The intercession between them and the High Priestess allows them to restore their honor and clear their grievances with their Houses and ancestors.

The souls of the final few 'True' members of House Illuyankamunus right after 2,600 years ago ... were lost. They failed their Goddess and their ancestors. Unlike every other Amazon, those ladies should have gone down swinging for their males. Unlike every other Amazon House, they knew one of the prime purposes was to protect the males of their line, both adults and children. They lived. Their males died.


#3 Yes, when the Amazon Host fled after the First Betrayal and formed the First Twenty Houses they knew House Illuyankamunus's matron deity was, in fact, SzélAnya. The Goddess wished her House to bear her Father's name. This dates back to the events which led up to the death/dismemberment of Illuyankamunus and how his slayer, the Thunder God, Teššub.

Much of what follows I have mangled from actual Hittite mythology and gets its start in the fact the one of the two major centers of Arinniti worship was the city of Nerik (Nerikka) on the Halys River in northern Anatolia (Turkey), adjacent to the Amazon homeland. It is at the city of Nerik the Hittite religious and noble hierarchy once celebrated the slaying of Illuyankamunus by the Thunder God, Teshub. The ‘truth’ is somewhat different than what was carved in stone.

The Divine Players:

Anu – Son of the Primordial Heavens. First God of Heaven.

Kumarbi – Son of Anu. Once upon a time, supreme God of the Hatti. Led a prehistoric rebellion against the First Gods and stole his Father, Anu's, power by symbolically ripping off and devouring the testicles. In turn, he was later overthrown, bound and murdered by his three sons, Teššub, Tašmišu and Aranzaḫ.

Teššub – Son of Kumarbi; Hatti Thunder God and later Supreme God of the Hatti. He married Arinniti … and later had an illicit affair with Hannahannah (Ḫepat) and was father of the Goddess Inara and the semi-divine Šarruma ... among others.

Tašmišu and Aranzaḫ – The brothers of Teššub. They are recorded in the history of the Hatti. Their true fates was a bit more … gruesome.

Inara – Daughter of Teššub and Arinniti and Goddess of the Hunt and the Wild Places.

Šarruma – Son of Teššub and Hannahannah and semi-divine hero and champion of the Hill Peoples, the Poor and the Unjustly Wronged.

Illuyankamunus – the Dragon of the Primordial Oceans and father of SzélAnya.

SzélAnya – Daughter of Illuyankamunus and Dragon of Storms and later Champion of the Unjustly Wrong [it will make sense].

Arinniti – Daughter of Anu; Hatti Sun Goddess and the Goddess of Heaven, Supreme Goddess of All the Goddesses of the Hittite Pantheon. In the Sunlit Realm (our reality) her cult was so important it was most often led by a Princess of the Hittite Royal House, or the King’s Wife herself. She was the wife of Teššub and mother of Inara.

Hannahannah – Mother Goddess of the Hurrian and Hittite and mother of Šarruma.

[***]

Among the divine as in human society, patricide is a horrible crime. When a divinity commits such a crime, the retribution is both mystical and echoes throughout time. After Teššub and his brothers overthrew Kumarbi, they broke custom and murdered him, their Father. Though the imprisoned Anu had given them the knowledge to defeat Kumarbi under the promise to be released, they only partially honored their pledge. They re-imprisoned him in the night sky – forevermore.

This did not sit well with the other gods and goddesses. It really didn’t sit well with the other primordial beings, chief among them Illuyankamunus. He and his ilk refused to do him any honor, or homage. So … haven already taken out their Father and Grandfather, the three brothers thought they could take out Illuyankamunus too.

Ooooohhhh … as you might imagine, that went badly. Teššub got off the luckiest. Aranzaḫ was shattered forever and his name erased from legend. He is now known as Tigris … the river. Tašmišu was turned into a vegetable [a fruit actually … something called wheat]. Next time you have a slice of bread, thank Illuyankamunus. Forever useful and forever an object lesson on why to not mess with dragons.

Teššub had his heart ripped from his chest and his eyes plucked out yet managed to escape a final fate. The light of Arinniti shown so bright, he cast no shadow thus Illuyankamunus and his brood could not find the wounded Thunder God. Eventually they gave up the hunt. While the other deities tried to heal his wounds, Teššub plotted revenge.

While he was so wounded, Arinniti rallies the divinities to resist the host of monsters grown savage in the world and eventually make peace and promising an end to the killings. Illuyankamunus agreed and Arinniti agrees in Teššub’s name. Meanwhile, in the sacred Mount Zaliyanu (near what becomes the city of Nerik) Teššub knocked up the attentive Hannahannah and they beget Šarruma. Wary of his own family history, Teššub stole half of Šarruma’s divine might so that he when he was born, he was robbed of his immortality.

Roll forward an appropriate amount of time. Teššub wandered the world, looking for a way to heal his wounds (get his eyes and heart back). Hannahannah put a bee hive in his chest so the stings of bees would alert him to anyone sneaking up on him as well as keep the two in touch. {Ouch … love hurts?}

Šarruma grew up in the rough hill lands around the mountain of his birth. Soon he became somewhat of a celebrity defying bad kings, slaying monsters and bandits and helping travelers and families in need. He attracted the attention of the goddesses Inara (monster killing was sort of her thing though there was this ‘truce’ with Illuyankamunus so some monsters are off limits) and SzélAnya (those were some of her lesser family he had slain).

After several encounters, games and challenges, the three formed a friendship and the two goddesses fell secretly in love with Šarruma (he was the Cáel of his time?). Each decided to marry him. Both knew it would be difficult to get their fathers to accept them marrying a mortal man.

Inara found Hannahannah and asks for her advice. Upon seeing the ‘man’ in question, the other goddess said she needs to ‘think on the matter’. Hannahannah contacted Teššub and he comes back … with a plan.

Teššub has sought out the advice of the twin goddesses Istustaya & Papaya who told him he could gain his revenge if he could get Illuyankamunus to freely return his heart & eyes then poison him at a feast with his own tears. The love triangle between the three was his perfect opportunity.

Illuyankamunus, not wanting the mortal to marry his divine daughter put an impossible task before Šarruma. "I demand you bring the God Teššub before me," he growled.
"I will," the mortal laughed, "if you agree to host my family at our wedding feast."
"If you produce Teššub, I will do so," Illuyankamunus pledged. Šarruma returned to his Mother and asked her to send for his Father then went to tell SzélAnya the good news.

Before that, Teššub, knowing of the situation, heard Inara's appeal.
"Father, let me marry a mortal man and a land to call our own and I will do whatever task you put before me," the Huntress boasted.
"Bring me back my eyes and heart, or forfeit your own and his," he challenged her. Inara's heart sank because she knew this task was impossible. Knowing this and fearing her father's threats, she went to find Šarruma and warn him and SzélAnya to go far, far away.

The three met and set about their own plan. Sadly for Inara, Šarruma announced his love for SzélAnya, but SzélAnya, in order to save Inara from her father's (Teššub's), wrath decided to sneak into her own Father's lair and steal the heart & eyes of Teššub and give them to her.

Thus Teššub was restored and Šarruma was able to present his Father at this wedding festivities hosted by a dubious Illuyankamunus. After the ceremony, drinking and feasting, whereas everyone else was pretty drunk, Teššub bided his time ... then struck. With the help of 'unnamed' others, he overwhelmed Illuyankamunus. Šarruma, seeing his Father's treachery to his Father-in-law, threw himself between the two, demanding his Father stop ... and that if he didn't stop, he would have to take his own son's life first.

Well, Šarruma ended up dead and Illuyankamunus was dismembered.

Afterwards, a furious Inara came to Teššub and demanded the body of Šarruma and the land of her own as he had promised. Not being totally lost in grief, she brought an equally angry Arinniti ~ where to begin? Teššub had broken the Peace she had engineered with Illuyankamunus and his brood, had violated the sanctity of a host and their guest, and he'd slept with another goddess creating an offspring who he'd then murdered ...
... and a grieving Hannahannah, who wished to bury her son.

So they buried his body near Mount Zaliyanu and the Land of Inara ... became in time the Homeland of the Amazons ... and the bond of love and shared grief between Inara and SzélAnya remains to this day.

During the days of the Hittites, the Cult of Illuyankamunus (SzélAnya really) was subversive and hunted except in Amazon lands. The Amazons didn't like the men within the cult, but the cult wasn't pernicious in Amazon lands and the Amazons wouldn't comply with Hittite efforts to exterminate them.

During the days of the First Betrayal, the cult decided to try its luck with the fleeing Amazons. The cult never confided 'why' they had men in their ranks, or their true purpose ~ bring Daddy back. That would have gotten the all killed ... much sooner.


#4 Why is SzélAnya so determined to bring Illuyankamunus back?

Imagine knowing a beloved parent of yours is being constantly tortured. You can hear them inside this mansion you find yourself in. You keep hearing their screams coming from another room ... another floor. Do you get tired and stop looking?

Does she know he might bring about a Global Cataclysm if he returns? Yes. She often questions if a reality which has inflicted this upon her Father should continue to exist.

[***]

And if you think SzélAnya sees 'something about Cáel', you might be right.

The Scion of Vranus and Ishara has come through all of these centuries to tell her, after so many years of dwindling hope, that he will help her return her Father to life and correct this great injustice.

I hope this mini-essay has helped.

James aka FinalStand

Brotherhood of the Wolf

I am in awe of your background and research skills.
I don't know if you already had that information to hand or created it just for the answer to the previous comments.

If I can throw in a question then
Who are the Brotherhood of the Wolf and will we get to meet them someday? You told us they operate in parts of North America although they acknowledge the rule (?) of the Clan of the Jaguar

Please let us know if these sort of questions are distracting you in a bad way from writing. None of your fans will take it amis.

Jaybee99

JayBee99

The Brotherhood of the Wolf is part of the Blackhand. And seem to have small 'chapters' all over the globe. Cáel mentions them when speaking with the Vizsla in chapter 32 to plant the seeds of one of Alal's 'fuck ups'(I use quotes because who knows if it was truly a mistake on his part, or part of a plan): "On January 26th, 1847, the Black Hand Chapter House of the Wolf in Verona was wiped out - there were no survivors."

I would think that once their leadership start talking about that comment Cáel will be getting a visit, as they will want to know how he knows this. Because the Blackhand are similar to the Amazon's in that they avenge/take care of their own.

House of the Wolf = Brotherhood of the Wolf?

Thanks Riverwolf222
I had forgotten about the Black Hand and Alal's involvement

I was thinking about the reference in the previous chapter 46 when Cael is discussing the Cult of the Jaguar's supremacy in North and South America

"As a final note: technically the Cult of the Jaguar controlled all 9 Clans' territory in North and South America. In actuality: in Canada, they let the Brotherhood of the Wolf establish bases. In the US east of the Mississippi and north of the Gulf, they allowed the Black Hand and Brotherhood to work. In Brazil and the Caribbean, they allowed the Coils of the Serpent to set up shop. All three did so knowing they operated under sufferance of the Cult and the Cult didn't fuck around."

I thought the Black Hand and the Brotherhood of the Wolf were separate parts of the 9 clans and that Alal's attack you referred to was an attack on a particular chapter of the Black Hand.
Oh well I was kinda hoping that seeing as Caél was going to cheat to win the Great Hunt he was somehow going to get help from the Brotherhood of the Wolf but I suppose to do that he would need to know in advance the location of the Hunt and only the Keeper of Records knows that.
Never mind. I just liked the name as they sounded cool and I was hoping they had some sort of wolf spirit to lead them.

Hang on: Riverwolf - House of the Wolf. Is this not just you trying to disguise your involvement?

The Black Hand and the Brotherhood of the Wolf

Thanks guys. You are correct. Here is a bit more clarification.

The Black had was formed from the disbanded elements of a Roman Imperial espionage agency in the Late Roman Empire and had Branches and Chapter Houses across the Mediterranean World and Europe. Over time, due to invasions, religious conflicts and wars, many ‘offices’ fell out of use, or migrated geographically, becoming more associated with a given successor state, religion, or ethnic group until you ended up with the group you have today.

Their loss of most of Western Europe was due to the decline of commerce and trade there in the Dark Ages. The loss of much of the Middle East and Africa was due to the Islamic invasions and resulting turmoil and displacements of power centers. In the Renaissance the group recouped and began to expand back into some lost territory. Between them and the Hashashin slowly ground down a pro-Ottoman secret society though that absorbed much of their energy.

In the West, the Illuminati stomped out Black Hand efforts to infiltrate beyond the Alps, but was unable to keep them from returning to the Iberian Peninsula. In the late 19th century, the Black Hand was able to regain a toehold in North Africa though their influence remains minimal today.

In contrast, the Brotherhood of the Wolf grew up out of the numerous religious and peasant rebellions of the 17th century. Amid the slaughter at the hands of various different Christian fanatics, a handful of desperate souls tapped into some primeval, savage spiritualism which gave them a means of evade capture and strike back.

It also clued them into the subliminal Illuminati power players behind the scenes. The Brotherhood became a microscopic yet persistent threat to the established order. Officially, they were portrayed as a rag-tag, gypsy-ish mob while in reality they turned their new occult talents and zealotry into weapons which allowed them to slash and burn the worst abusers of legal and moral authority.

By the time the Illuminati realized they had a problem on their hands, the Brotherhood had spread out of their Vosges Mountain birthplace and across the surrounding countryside in all directions. Their first serious attempt to exterminate the Brotherhood of the Wolf ran afoul of another Illuminati enemy, the Egyptian Rite, who ‘outed’ their old foes in Germany in the late 18th century.

The Catholic Church launched a witch hunt against the ‘Bavarian Illuminati’, highlighting how their byzantine nature could be turned against them. This confusion went on long enough for history to take a hand ~ in the form of the French Revolution and the resulting social upheavals which seized Europe.

As the Old Regime was swept away and was replaced by equally brutal ‘democratic’ forces, the Brotherhood was transformed. They became involved from the beginning as allies with the ‘reformers’ only to become disenchanted with the Reign of Terror which followed. Before long, their new allies began turning on them only to learn how terribly dangerous that was.

By the time the Black Hand began attempting to take advantage of the chaos to move back into Western and Northern Europe, they ran smack into the Brotherhood. The Black Hand also initially mistook the nature of the Brotherhood and blood was spilled on both sides. The Brotherhood proved to be far more brutal and durable than expected.

The ‘cell’-like structure of the Brotherhood proved impossible to break. Either you wiped out the local pack, or they came back in a few years, stronger and more determined than ever. Eventually, as the Napoleonic Wars came to an end, the Black Hand and the larger ‘9 Clans’ decided their efforts were better served inviting the Brotherhood into their fold.

With the coming of peace, the Illuminati would definitely come gunning for both outfits yet the Brotherhood refused because, in their hearts, they didn’t seem themselves as heartless assassins, killing whomever for the almighty (name your currency). It would take the tumults and repressions after 1848 to change their minds ~ they couldn’t go it alone and survive. Thus Brotherhood became the 8th of the 9 Clans.

The Brotherhood of the Wolf operates in packs with a priest, or priestess and pack leader plus 3, or more members. Rarely is any pack larger than twelve. Beyond that, each pack is individualistic, with a wide variety of differing talents per pack. Even their attitudes can be different ~ with one pack being backwoods, feral hunters while the next are urbane, sophisticated professionals.

One a year, if possible, all the pack leaders and religious heads gather in the Vosges during the dead of winter to discuss Brotherhood business, handle internal disputes and … get back to their primal natures. This powerful bonding ritual allows their leadership to indoctrinate members with a fanaticism which has been, to date, unbreakable.

Unlike other groups, the Brotherhood doesn’t have families, or support networks which feed them new recruits. They select promising outsiders from all walks of life. You are invited to join ~ the manner of which differs from pack to pack. If you refuse, that is it. They respect your freedom to go your own way. They rarely ask anyone twice. If you join, it is to the death. Beyond that … well, no outsider knows.


The Black Hand:

[House Head Name] – Black Hand House Name (geographic area of responsibility) – traditional Roman Imperial Head Name {normally the same as the province they were stationed in} – list of provinces responsible for if beyond one.

Lynx – Bulgaria (Bulgaria, European Turkey and Istanbul as an ‘Open City’) –Thracia

Chamois (a mountain goat) – Albania (Albania, Southern & Central Bosnia) – Dalmatia

Goat – Hellas (Greece) – Achaia – Achaia & Epirus

Magyar Vizsla {was Hound} – Hungary (Hungary, Northern Bosnia, Eastern Croatia & Eastern Slovenia) – Raetia – Raetia & Noricum

Son/Daughter of the Moon – Transylvania (Northern Romania & Slovakia) – Dacia

Wolf – Italia (Italy, Western Croatia, Western Slovenia and Monaco as an ‘Open City’) – Italia, Alpes Graiae, Alpes Cottiae & Alpes Maritimae

Wallachia (Southern and Eastern Romania & Moldovia) – Brown Bear – Moesia – Moesia Superior & Inferior

Lanner Falcon – Serbia (Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro & Eastern Bosnia) – Pannonia – Pannonia Superior & Inferior

Bull – Hispania (Spain & Portugal) – Hispania – Hispania Baetica, Hispania Lusitania & Hispania Tarraconnensis

Pine Martin – Sicily (Sicily & Sardinia) – Sicily – Sicily & Corsica et Sardinia

Striped Hyena – North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia & Libya) – Africa Proconsularis

Currently defunct Branches:

Cornish chough {Chough} – Britannia – England

Gallic rooster {Rooster} – Gallia – Gallia Aquitania, Gallia Lugdunensis & Gallia Belgica – France (most of)

Bee/Beehive – Gallia Maritimae – Gallia Narbonensis & Western Mediterranean Sea – Southern France

Central European Boar {Boar} – Germania – Germania Superior & Inferior – Belgium & Luxembourg

North African Elephant {Elephant} / Loxodonta africana pharaoensis {now extinct} – Maurentania – Maurentania Caesariensis & Mauretania Tingitana – North-western Africa

Horse – Macedonia – Northern and Central Greece & Western Bulgaria
Swordfish – Asia – Asia & Bythinia et Pontus – Western Turkey

Platanus – Cyrenaica – Cyrenaica, Cyprus & Crete – Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Faun [mythical] – Asia orientalis – Lycia et Pamphylia, Galatia & Cilicia – Central Turkey

Caucasian leopard {Leopard} /Panthera pardus ciscaucasica – Cappadocian – Cappadocia, Armenia, Colchis & Regnum Bospori – Eastern Turkey

Asiatic lion {Lion} / Panthera leo persica – Oriens – Syria, Judaea & Arabia Petraea – Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan & Sinai

Egyptian vulture {Vulture} / Neophron percnopterusippo – Egypt – Aegyptus

***

James aka FinalStand

Cast and Notes May

Thanks for that.
In my many re-reads of LAANH I had neglected the casts and notes chapters.
I had forgotten how useful and insightful they are and well worth reading.
Maybe Nutranch would be able to give us an updated version with comments attached?

Jon

Update, February 26th 2017

Horrible week. I've been looking into, among other things, the nature of 30x192mm ammunition ... which is actually 30x210mmB, or 30x210mmR though definitely not the 30x210mmCz ... so I'm calling the manufacturer, in Serbia, Monday to see if they still produce that brand and if the have perfected a special APDS round last heard about in the 1990's.

The phone call can't go any worse than the one to the Burnham Police Department talking about how they would handle a murder involving multiple parties using fully automatic rifles and grenades.

I am not even sure if the scene involving this will make the final draft of the Chapter, or perhaps in a separate submission as it involves a FUCK-lot of politics. Why is it important? A hodgepodge allied force resisting vastly superior forces where lightly armored IFV's will be confronted with some T-55 main battle tanks. Having expended their anti-tank missiles, the IFV's only option is to race/sneak behind the tanks and engage them from behind ~ thus the need to know if their 30mm autocannons have a hope of penetrating that rear armor.

Yeah ... sometimes I obsess over stuff.

James aka FinalStand

odds are the FBI and ATF would end up running the investigation into a gunfight involving people that don't exist or are legally dead using military grade weaponry on US soil. That would be my thought process anyway.

Inevitable_

... inevitably, yes, but I was asking how the investigation would start from the moment the reports of gunshots was received, to Burnham assigning an investigator, to them bringing in an investigator and forensic team from Chicago to the ATF and FBI being brought in. In the story, I wanted to know what Cáel would face from the authorities and how soon he would face it: the time table.

The tipping point from a Burnham/Chicago investigation to an ATF/FBI investigation was the number of weapons involved in the crime, not the fact automatic weaponry was used. Unlike CSI shows, it takes time to identify bodies to the point you 'know' they are really bad folk.

The biggest hurdle for Burnham was the murder of Ferko Nyilas made NO SENSE. Since the firefight and murder happened late in the evening, all the surrounding neighbors were home. There were plenty of witnesses.
{Within 2 hours they would know ...}
I) From the neighbors they were told he was a quiet guy who rarely, if ever, had company over.
II) He had a son who was a recent college graduate, alive and half way across the country.
[This established few people would come to the residence looking for anyone else.]
III) Neither had criminal records of any kind. Easy enough. The charge of Bestiality against Cáel in Canada had already been rescinded.
IV) None of the other bodies were recognized by anyone in that neighborhood.
V) It was a low-crime neighborhood.
VI) A preliminary search of the house revealed nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't own a bunch of stuff a guy with his supposed lifestyle could not have afforded, or to have sold off things which would have suggested desperate debt of some kind.
VII) From a preliminary check, neither Ferko nor anyone he was close to had any strong religious, political, or radical affiliations. As the whole house was a crime scene, the police could go everywhere.
VIII) The amount of firepower was absolute overkill.

From the early forensic investigation {6 hours}:
I) This was a military encounter. When looking at the amount of bullets fired, the use of grenades and the fire discipline used, this was clearly not a gang-style spasmodic violent eruption.
II) All the weapons recovered, while capable of fully automatic fire, were on either 3-round burst, or single shot => which only makes the sheer number of rounds fired all the more terrifying. This implied people being shot at were returning fire. Gangs don't do that. Military people do.
III) Then there was the absence of the regular culprits ~ your standard AK-47 and older AR-15 clones. All of these were 21st century bang-bangs.
IV) Every body save one (the homeowner) had either a PDW, carbine, or rifle PLUS at least one pistol and at least one knife on, or associated with, their body.
V) Every body save one (the homeowner) was wearing light, concealable body armor.
VI) The presence of grenades, both used and unused - both lethal and 'less-lethal'/non-combat.
VII) The four women had tactical communication gear, night-vision goggles and kits suggestive of a covert military operation.

From my perspective as an author, I wanted to know how long it would take before the Federal authorities took over and in what form it would take. Mind you, the murder of Ferko remains a Burnham matter and will be persecuted by the Cooke County District Attorney's Office unless it is wrapped up in a larger Federal criminal trial.

*The sad fact is everyone involved in ordering, or carrying out, the murder of Ferko Nyilas is now dead. Not only all the people who pulled the triggers, but the people who set those killers in motion. No loose ends. Blaming Alal would be hellishly impossible as technically, he too was deceased when Uncle Carrig gave the orders. Technically, he remains deceased as he is not in his own body thus not truly resurrected.*

** Sabina of the SD, who actually ended Ferko's life, is still alive. She is not being charged with his death. She could be as she was carrying an illegal arsenal around his yard that night ~ in the US, any death which happens while in the commission of a felony is felony murder ~ but Javiera has wrangled the understanding the Amazons were acting as an 'Undeclared Nation-State' as opposed to a criminal conspiracy. This means what the Amazons did was still wrong, but it was wrong in a diplomatic context as opposed to a strictly criminal one. In other words, an Amazons 'diplomat' saw a crime in progress against an American citizen and responded to it ~ a laudable action. The 'diplomat' had an unregistered firearm - a separate offense ~ which warrants expulsion.**

As for the firearms and immigration violations: they are a separate legal matter to be pursued by the Federal task force which has morphed into JIKIT. Also, at the this time, it can be assumed the criminal conspiracy has crossed both State and international boundaries, making this a matter for the FBI, CIA and US State Department.

There was that point where Investigator Brewster and Detective Capella decided they had to go beyond calling the ATF in the morning and saying "we found a bunch of automatic weapons at a crime scene ~ could look at some serial numbers for us?" and knowing they had to call the FBI and say "we have had two groups of military personnel duke it out down here and we need help." In the former, they remain in charge of the investigation. In the latter, they risk having the FBI, or some other branch of Homeland Security, coming in and taking over.

Brewster makes the call to Cáel before bringing in the FBI because he's talked to many of his neighbors and is worried they will talk to Cáel first. He wants Cáel's reaction. While it is bizarre, it is not of of guilt. He and Det. Capella still run down various leads as the Feds step in, but all they really learn is Cáel appears to have a solid alibi (the TSA in New York records him boarding his flight to Chicago) and little motive ~ bank statements kept at home showed he only kept up his Union Life Insurance policy and, while it suggested Ferko owned the house and Cáel might be his rightful heir, it wasn't so valuable you would normally associate murdering one's father over. Various written correspondences over the years (Ferko didn't like e-mail much) also suggested a strong, loving relationship between the two.

Yes, Brewster called Havenstone and talked to his boss (Katrina) about Cáel and his work status ~ was he upset ~ did he need money? Stunningly, she told the Investigator Cáel was doing a fantastic job, was getting paid gobs of money, showed no signs of job stress and was well-liked around the office ... and 'yes, she believed he and his father were very close.' Yeah, Katrina lied.

After all, had she said "we put an arrow in him two weekends ago during a failed assassination attempt, regularly stab and beat him up, and last Friday morning nearly gave him a life sentence inside a Dog Cage before putting him on our Board of Directors" ... she would have had some explaining to do ... about Cáel ... Cáel's precarious state of mind ... and what the FUCK was going on inside of Havenstone ... now wouldn't she?

James aka FinalStand

30 mm ammo

Having no experience of ammo and less of T55 tanks I did what any sensible ignoramus would do and looked on Wikipedia. From that I suppose the answer is it depends whether or not the tanks are stock or if they have been up armoured.
I also know that most of your fans will believe you if you say that the IFV will be able to stop the T55 or if they know better will spend disbelief. They also know that sending an IFV up against a tank voids the manufacturers warranty.
The Israeli and the old Iraqi army may be able to tell you as they have both fought against T55s
I will also assume that if we do not hear from you for a while it is because the ATF are having a serious chat with the guy who is in contact with a Serbian arms manufacturer about 30 mm armor piercing ammo.

Jon