Greetings everyone! I trust everyone is doing well, especially after watching Avengers: Endgame and/or this week’s episode of Game of Thrones. I think it’s safe to say it’s been a very emotional week for everyone who is fan of either the show, the movie, or both!
It’s time for an update in relation to all things Cardinal! I’m happy to say progression with Encyclopedia Sarcadia is going extremely well, despite some minor distractions…
Yes, Zoya has once again become fascinated with my monitor and mouse cursor. One could argue she was just supervising me to make sure I was writing and not getting consumed by my love for video games.
Or one could argue she’s a cat and they’ll play with anything that catches their attention. Note to self: buy a laser pointer.
Where was I? Oh yes! Book update!
I’ve managed to complete information for not one, but two countries in Sarcadia! Allow me to give you all a very brief rundown of the two.
Un’Kabaal
Un’Kabaal is a desert continent located in southern Sarcadia. The people of Un’Kabaal, the Kabaalists, regard themselves as the most important country in the realm as Atriarch, Sarcadia’s deity, was born there.
Un’Kabaal is ruled by a monarchical government and its leader is referred to as the “Absentar” – one who rules on behalf of the All-Father. The system has worked very well as only a handful of Absentar’s have either stepped down or were overthrown due to their poor leadership.
The political stability in Un’Kabaal hasn’t saved it from its share of disasters. Not only have earthquakes destroyed some towns, over a third of their population was killed during a Red Plague epidemic. What’s Red Plague you ask? We’ll get back to that nasty disease in another update.
Currently Un’Kabaal has no political issues, unlike most other countries, but the Kabaalists live on edge due to the high vampire presence there. Not only to they need to worry about Magnar Blutfest’s clan, they also need to protect themselves from the Menagerie’s Rebekkah Zarkari and her brood.
Alibrium
Alibrium is one of the largest continents on Sarcadia with a rich history of treachery and civil war. The country was divided into thousands of provinces run by many families – known as the Alibrii Houses. Over time the number of houses would narrow down to two hundred and thirty-three and they would all rule Alibrium equally under the Alibrii Senate.
The title of “Imperatur” would be created by the Alibrii Senate who decided it would be better for one of them to better guide Alibrium. The Senators would serve as advisors and have an equal say though their power would depend on the Imperatur at the time. Some Imperaturs were happy to listen to their Senators while others expelled or executed those who disagreed with them.
The Imperatur role frequently changed hands between Alibrium’s four major houses. Eventually all four would seize totally power over Alibrium and rule it equally under the name of the “Imperii Council”. This would continue for many centuries until Darius Aventis and the Cardinal achieved victory in the Alibrii-Aventis War.
As a result of the war, Alibrium was divided in two:
North Alibrium was given to the Imperii Council. They would take all land from the northern Alibrii houses to better strengthen their positions of leadership. Currently North Alibrium is ruled like a dictatorship and is riddled with corruption and crime.
South Alibrium was taken by Darius Aventis, who readopted the old Alibrii Senate using the southern Alibrii houses. Darius also enforced strict laws in his country which has allowed coexistence between humans and vampires. As a result, South Alibrium is regarded as being one of the most prosperous and safest countries in Sarcadia.
I’m proud of how quick I’ve progressed at this stage. If Zoya stops sitting in front of my computer monitor, I think I’m well on my way to having the first draft of Encyclopedia Sarcadia completed by the end of May!
That’s all for now! Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued support.
Until next time, be safe and take care!
W.F. Thorne
W.F. Thorne 