Tylywoch ~ 12

 Tylywoch ~ 12 Divine Light II

By Len Morgan

   She viewed the fighting dispassionately, watching from her balcony, as it unfolded before her.   It all seemed so unreal, a hundred individual cameos of ferocious frenzied hand-to-hand combat.   Each, a life and death struggle with an irreversible outcome.   Three or more Browns fell for every Red, but her Red guard were outnumbered ten to one.   The attacking force bore no visible markings, but she could identify a face here, another there.   They were the Surbatt of the 9^th Clan, and they would know that she knew.  She could see prince Taleen in the shadow of the shattered hardwood door.   With dreadful certainty, she knew they would kill all who defended her.  She knew also, that her Reds would gladly fight to the last man.   But, if she died they would have nothing to fight for.   It would all end and another Divine Light would be chosen and would shine in her stead.   She deliberately stood up tall and called in a loud voice she knew would be obeyed.   “Put up your weapons!”   The battle ended all eyes now on her.    “My soldiers will surrender” she commanded.   The Red guards held their weapons high slowly, reluctantly, many with tears on their cheeks, but they obeyed their Empress as always without question.   One by one they were disarmed.   Archers appeared at the door bows flexed, they drew a bead.   This would be it she thought, and smiled “I forgive and pardon you all” she said “No recriminations after I am gone...”

  The bows jerked in the hands of their wielders, and the air blurred before her.   She did not want to die, but she could not live with the alternative.   A young female body-double stood and took her place and pushed her unceremoniously down, falling on her like a sack of grain.   The air was forced from her lungs.   So this is dying she thought, as she lost consciousness. 

  The bloody corpse with six arrows protruding from it was dragged through a rear door, with the Divine Light still unconscious beneath it.   To all who saw it, the dead girl was the Empress.  Her bodyguard, now thirty five Tylywoch, barred the door and efficiently removed her to the throne room, the oldest and the most defensible part of the Emerald Palace.   They would neither confirm nor deny her death; they would simply play for time.   There were kitchens, food and water, a surgery, armoury, sleeping quarters, and of course, a temple dedicated to the twelve gods of Cheilin.   They could survive for many weeks in comfort, or eke out the provisions for months.   With their training, this could almost be indefinite.   All nonessential staff were ushered from the quarters, leaving only the Tylywoch and the Divine Light.

The archers swore to a man that their shafts flew true and found their mark.   Their sergeant thought the target had blurred at the last instant but acceded to the certainty of his sharp eyed young marksmen.  

.-…-. 

  The Knodd is a council of twelve learned elders, one from each Clan.   It is convened when a leader dies without leaving a clear line of succession.   They meet, talk, and propose one candidate from each of the Clans for consideration as the new leader.   After interviewing all the prospects, they vote by ranking each in their considered order of suitability (1 to 12).   The four that score lowest go through to the second ballot, where two more are eliminated, leaving a clear choice between two candidates for the final ballot.

   Three years earlier, their choice had been between prince Palek of the 9^th Clan and princess Veille of the 5^th Clan.   The gods had willed that the late emperor Daidan III's, eldest choked on a fishbone and his youngest died in a whorehouse fight, leaving no surviving issue to continue his dynasty, so the Knodd was convened to decide on a new line.   After much deliberation, and intrigue their choice had been prince Palek, the father of prince Taleen.   As is the custom, the Knodd made their choice on the first day of a new month and would ratify it on the first day of the month following.   This was normal and accepted practice, Palek would be emperor designate for thirty one days, prior to being anointed, this was to allow his enemies to wind up their affairs in the city and make good their escape before he was given teeth to bite them with.   This was largely symbolic and good humoured; many of Palek’s friends would make great play of fleeing the city, travelling in a caravan to an appointed oasis to celebrate his elevation to the divinity.

Palek was emperor designate for eleven days.   He died quietly in his sleep, and never became ‘The Divine Light of the World’.    The leaders of the 9^th Clan believed that prince Taleen would succeed to the office, by right of accession but, the Knodd was convened and princess Veille of the 5^th Clan, duly became the anointed Empress and ‘Divine Light of World’. 

Prince Taleen and his followers, an extreme sect known as the Surbatt, never slept easy with the decision and refused to ratify it in private or in public.   Many of the 9^th considered Taleen to be the legitimate Emperor, even to the point of anointing him publicly, in a parody of the official naming ceremony.   They vigorously maintained that the death of Palek had been contrived and could not have been natural.   They steadfastly maintained that it was instigated by the ruling sect of the 5^th the Chussagen and probably carried out by paid assassins from the hated Tylywoch, who dared to dub themselves 13^th Clan.

For three years they festered, biding their time, waiting and plotting revenge.   Then struck without warning...

.-...-.

So, the Cheilin Empire, was now ruled by Empress Veille, 1st of her dynasty, known to her subjects as the ‘Divine Light of the World’.   By custom She would rule from the Eternal City.   

There are twelve other major cities, each being within seven hundred and fifty miles of the Eternal City, each being the headquarters of one of the Twelve Clans.   Clan rule extends for two hundred and fifty miles in any direction from its central city.   The Eternal City has a border with a five hundred mile radius and is situated at the centre of an imaginary clock face.  The 1^st Clan situated at one o’clock, the 6^th at six o’clock, the 9^th at nine o’clock, and so on.

The Tylywoch (13^th Clan) administer the lands beyond the clock face, on behalf of the Empress. The Twelve considered they were welcome to its mainly barren waste and lawless tracts.  The 13^th act as a buffer between the Empire and the outside world.   The Clan lands are governed like feudal fiefdoms, the peasants within Clan jurisdiction were, clan property, members of the Clan in name only, and treated as little more than slaves by the ruling classes.   The bulk of their produce taken in taxes. 

 Outside the Clan lands was a political wilderness; rule is left pretty much in the hands of the General of Internal Security (GOIS).   His predecessor Aldor had set up and maintained  forty garrisons strategically placed around the outskirts of the Empire.   The 13^th Clan man the garrisons, feeding and clothing a standing army of 2000.   They come from the surrounding communities they are sworn to protect.   The trainees are hand picked upon attaining the age of sixteen.   They serve for two years then return to their community with prestige and sufficient funds to purchase their own land where their families prosper in peace and security.   In times of national emergency, they can be called back by their garrison commander or by the GOIS to defend their homeland from invaders.  Conscripts know that their families and community would be taken care of in their absence, it being that kind of close knit force.  Though manned at all times by 2000 troops, most garrisons could raise 5000 by putting out the call.   Their combined force would probably be in excess of 200,000 highly trained warriors.   To muster the army would take weeks, depending on the muster point, but weapons were another thing, arms are always in short supply. 

In times of emergency, a garrison would be able to muster 1000 to 1500 men immediately, while still leaving sufficient to administer the territory and guard the borders.   If necessary they could top up with conscripts from the local populace.   Because of its peripheral nature, 3000 troops of the 13^th would always be within a days march of most cities.   Within a week this could be 20,000, doubling in two and so on…   None were garrisoned more than four weeks from the Eternal City, the centre of the Empire.   These would not be green troops but veterans from  frequent border skirmishes.

  All those who serve, and their families, are granted membership of the 13^th Clan – the inner core of which is the Tylywoch sect.   Members received full rights and privileges, and the respect due to honoured clan members.  This bond of trust has been built up gradually, since the beginning, and is deeply ingrained in the culture of those not of the twelve.   They are a huge silent majority, not considered significant by the ruling classes of Cheilin, but they are a hidden army, a force for mutual self protection both from outside and from within.   If the Knodd ever declared a vendetta against the Tylywoch, in the event the 'Divine Light' was extinguished, they would be taking on far more than a nameless mountain village, thanks to the forethought of Aldor.

Each province an autonomous cell, self governed.  Each cell a unit of the largest army in the empire, capable of mobilisation within hours following the release of a flock of messenger birds.

(To be continued)

Copyright Len Morgan