"The donations would have stopped shortly before the Insurrection of the Seven." Edelgard notes. "Arundel—that is, Thales—was the real orchestrator of that conflict. Aside from my father, of course." Ionius' ambition had exceeded his ability, but if his opponent had merely been Ludwig von Aegir, he might have stood more of a chance. But with Thales masquerading as Lord Arundel and uniting the other lords of the Great Houses using Ludwig as his puppet, even from the Kingdom...Ionius was swiftly and decisively outmaneuvered.
"The Insurrection was the culmination of Thales' plan to coil himself around the heart of the Empire, to gain access to its resources and troops. His people hold much hatred for the Goddess, and see themselves as the only true inheritors to Fódlan. All who dwell under its skies are merely beasts to be exterminated so they can take what they see as their rightful place, and the Empire was to be the means by which Thales accomplished this. But he has always been arrogant and oversure of himself. I am not surprised when he took to the field personally he found himself overextended and cut off, especially by Claude." If only it would be so easy when it came time for Edelgard to end her Thales' life.
"If I had any answers to share with you I would, but I've told you all I know. Thales has always been careful not to let slip more than was necessary." Why they hate the Goddess so, how long have they dwelled beneath Fódlan, and what drove them there, and how they could possibly wield such powerful devices as the spears of light that created the Valley of Torment, and destroyed Arianrhrod. "Even without Thales' leadership, they possess technology far beyond our own. That will make their survivors dangerous, especially if you must meet them on their home ground."
And beyond that... "Yes. The Crest of Flames was implanted within me after I returned to the Empire. It was not by choice. Thales provided the former Prime Minister with everything he would need to forge a perfect Emperor, a weapon of conquest that Ludwig believed would be used to restore the Empire to its ancient glory." And who would be dead before their fourtieth year, leaving the von Aegir family perfectly positioned to take control of the Empire, and Thales had been perfectly content to let that little man think that. "And thanks to Imperial tradition, my father had left plenty of progeny for them to make that Emperor. Eleven children, of whom I was the third-youngest."
She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes for a moment. "I was the success. It did not come without cost." And that's all she's going to say about that.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2022-03-08 06:22 am (UTC)"The Insurrection was the culmination of Thales' plan to coil himself around the heart of the Empire, to gain access to its resources and troops. His people hold much hatred for the Goddess, and see themselves as the only true inheritors to Fódlan. All who dwell under its skies are merely beasts to be exterminated so they can take what they see as their rightful place, and the Empire was to be the means by which Thales accomplished this. But he has always been arrogant and oversure of himself. I am not surprised when he took to the field personally he found himself overextended and cut off, especially by Claude." If only it would be so easy when it came time for Edelgard to end her Thales' life.
"If I had any answers to share with you I would, but I've told you all I know. Thales has always been careful not to let slip more than was necessary." Why they hate the Goddess so, how long have they dwelled beneath Fódlan, and what drove them there, and how they could possibly wield such powerful devices as the spears of light that created the Valley of Torment, and destroyed Arianrhrod. "Even without Thales' leadership, they possess technology far beyond our own. That will make their survivors dangerous, especially if you must meet them on their home ground."
And beyond that... "Yes. The Crest of Flames was implanted within me after I returned to the Empire. It was not by choice. Thales provided the former Prime Minister with everything he would need to forge a perfect Emperor, a weapon of conquest that Ludwig believed would be used to restore the Empire to its ancient glory." And who would be dead before their fourtieth year, leaving the von Aegir family perfectly positioned to take control of the Empire, and Thales had been perfectly content to let that little man think that. "And thanks to Imperial tradition, my father had left plenty of progeny for them to make that Emperor. Eleven children, of whom I was the third-youngest."
She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes for a moment. "I was the success. It did not come without cost." And that's all she's going to say about that.