NationStates Jolt Archive

Cool and crisp, the morning air drifted into the Isiri's bedroom as she rose from her slumber. She stretched and looked around for her cat, Anpu. The mau was sitting at rapt attention on the end of her bed, staring into her eyes. It blinked, and after a second longer of gazing, it jumped down and disappeared quite anti-climatically. Anpu simply no longer existed. It was then that Asenath knew her time had come. She had seen the event in her dreams for a thousand years. Asenath simply stared at the end of her bed, in a state of disbelief but recognition of the reality at the same time.

The Rapture of Anpu in Osi-Ka scripture tells of the beginning of the "Age of Chaos" for Iaru. Asenath, for a time, condemned the events that would make this period of Iaruni history so volatile. She condemned the calls for an acceptance of the idea of free religion. Dating back hundreds of years in a speech she made, a quote identifies this attitude. "To yearn for freedom from my benevolence is to yearn for destruction and chaos." In recent years, her attitude has changed. Thousands of years of ultimate and overwhelming power has perhaps gotten old for her and she desired something of a challenge. So in recent years when spoken of, which was rarely, Asenath had taken a different tone. "The Age of Chaos and its name implies that Iaru will collapse. My visions and foresight tell me a different story. Certainly, our religion, culture, and nation will undergo sweeping and rapid change. But perhaps, and I say this as an optimist, it will be for the best."

So it was when Anpu vanished from the face of the Earth that Asenath had a moment to herself. Tears consumed her, but they were tears of fear if anything. She felt no sadness, no regret, and no anger. She then understood that her plans over the past few decades culminated at this point. Now was the time to make the sweeping changes she'd been considering. From growing pressure in the sepats for more political freedom to the insubordination of the Sect of Anubis, her plans to deal with these issues were provided a new perspective with the Rapture. Asenath bowed her head and prayed, and asked for the will power to do what was necessary so that she may one day be among the other gods in the stars, a being of ether and not of flesh.

A knock at her door broke the Isiri from her isolated musings. She signaled for the person behind the door to wait a moment and she wrapped herself in linen robes. One of the high priestesses of the Sect of Anpu fell to her knees when the door opened. "Your Holiness, the fire of the Age has extinguished." Between sobs, she declared, "The Age of Chaos is upon us. What are we to do?!" In the most brutal act of her reign yet, Asenath stared with pity and disgust at the sobbing woman and slapped her to the floor. "You are to obey my every command in this time of uncertainty. You think I didn't know? Anpu vanished before my eyes. Did you think I wouldn't know of his Rapture before any other?" The priestess tried to protest and declare this wasn't the case. Asenath swept her to her feet and pushed her to the wall. "You will not get in my way. I know what has to be done, above all others. It has been prophesized consistently, and I will take charge and you will not protest. Am I clear?" The priestess seemed to have a flash of anger before she wailed loudly, "I am your servant, Isiri!"

Over the next few hours, news networks were crushed under a massive unleashing of breaking news that continued throughout the day. Huge, sweeping reforms backed up by military presence in the streets and a gag order on all temples nationwide (as well as the shipment of the priests and priestesses of the sects of Anubis and Anpu to "remote locations" to assumingly be re-educated on the scripture) filled media outlets. International media looked on with great scrutiny, openly questioning whether the government of Iaru was effectively slaughtering leaders two major religious sects. Isiri, when she caught wind of this, released a statement strongly condemning the accusations and declared that, "I have more love for humanity and human dignity than any media outlet could ever muster." This statement, not to mention the buckling quantity of fresh reports the government was releasing, managed to keep domestic media under control. When Isir Palace officials and the Five Councils, who were all at the Obelisk of Isiri on this day to make sure the reforms took place with ease and without too much unrest, began to notice a trend in questioning the practices of the government in the media, they would flood the media with another string of reports. Toward the end of the day this tactic had proven to be extremely effective and the Isiri scheduled a speech during the late evening to prevent any primetime speculation.

Whether or not the tactics would prevent unrest over the next few weeks was questionable. Iaruni people from all walks of life would have days and weeks to consider these changes. Most likely to feel resentment were the upper classes, the ones that resided in the Elder Council, the Sepatri Council, and to a lesser degree the Omari Council. The High Court of Justice was fanatically pro-Isiri and the most protest that would come from them, if any, would be resignations. Thus, only time would tell if the beginning of the Age of Chaos began rather orderly.

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THE HADI DAILY TELEGRAPH

AGE OF CHAOS ARRIVES
Isiri issues plethora of decrees that address, fulfill prophecy

(Hadi, Kaos) - Yesterday morning, Isir Palace announced that the Rapture of Anpu had at last occurred. The event, described by Isiri to be, "the most moving moment in my existence", marked the end of the Age of Anpu, the fifth millenia in Iaruni history that has been marked by relatively conservative government, culture, and customs. The Age of Chaos, which was prophesized thousands of years ago, was to begin when Anpu, the Isiri's god-like feline companion, vanished from the face of the Earth.

To avoid any social unrest or panic, Isiri Asenath ordered the Isir Guard on full alert and put the regular branches of the armed forces into the streets. She also enforced a gag order on all temples nationwide so that the religious hierarchy could have time to adjust to the potentially destabilizing and galactic shift in the order of the gods. Priests, priestesses, and other religious officials were ordered to remain in their houses of worship until further notice. Also, the Obelisk of Isiri was, for the first time its history, called to commune all four councils and the High Court of Justice to show the Iaruni people that the government was fully functional and in order.

The Council of Sepatri issued a declaration that showed their intent to redistrict the nation's political divisions. "We are certain that, with time, the Isiri will be able to more effectively rule fewer, larger sepats," said part of a statement the Council issued shortly after it broke the news. Isiri Asenath, in her speech to the nation last night, said that she would consider the possibilty but, "At this time in our history, we are going to be rooted in a strong foundation of order and peace. I'm not going to take any immediate actions that would lead you to believe that the social, economic, and political order of our nation is about to be uprooted. Understand this, Iaru. The scripture simply states that this new age will be one of rapid, sweeping change. It says nowhere that we will fall, that we will have to make these changes in a violent, chaotic way. It is called the Age of Chaos because it uproots what we believed to be right and true. We will change with the times as we always have".

The Council of Omari met briefly to consider government activity. Also occurring at the meeting was Omaridus High Priestess Nema Ptajdr's official resignation. She was, early this morning, found dead in her home in apparent suicide. The Council of Omari issued a statement after the news broke. "We are truly saddened that Priestess Nema decided to take her own life rather than live on for another day. However, we stand by our choice to censure her for failing to do more to keep the official Sects more in line with Her Holiness' prophetic vision."

Another council affected was that of the Elders. In fact, although it was called to meet, the end result was its complete dissolving. There is more on this later in the report.

The Republican Council cheered on as the restrictions on political parties all but vanished.

The High Court of Justice strongly defended Isiri's right to make all the sweeping changes that took place throughout the day, as well as the authority of the military to take positions along major roadways.

MAJOR RELIGIOUS SECTS DISBANDED, OSI-KA BECOMES LESS DIVERSE

The Sects of Anpu and Anubis were disbanded yesterday in a strong show of force by Isiri Asenath. Leaders and followers of these two major religious sects were ordered to convert and remove themselves from any connection to the religious orders. Also affected by the "Chaos Decree of Osi-Ka" as the Isiri called it were the Sects of Re and Gaia. Followers and religious leaders of the Sect of Re were commanded to voluntarily surrender their position as an independent sect and join the Sect of Asenath as a "Holy Order of Asenath". Sect priests and priestesses voted to do just that under immense pressure, and the Sect of Re essentially disbanded itself. Now the Order of Re shall be a simple collection of priests and priestesses dedicated to charity within the Sect of Asenath.

The Sect of Gaia was less affected, possibly due to the fact that Isiri Asenath has taken a very keen liking to it. Thus, the "Chaos Decree of Osi-Ka" has resulted in an enormous and earth-shaking shift in the make-up of our great religion. There remain the Sect of Asenath and the Sect of Gaia, both who worship the same deity but do so in different manners. The Sect of Gaia has restructured its doctrine to focus on seeing the embodiment of Asenath in the trees, grasses, and waters that inhabit our natural world, and believe that the Isiri's physical body is only a representation of herself. Her true body is the Earth and its sky. The Sect of Asenath believes that although the Isiri represents and embodies all creation, her power does flow outward from her physical body rather than through it. It is a simple disagreement on the origin of her godly powers.

POLITICAL FACTIONS DISBANDED, POLITICAL PARTIES SUDDENLY ALLOWED

This news is perhaps the most impacting on Iaruni politics that we have seen in at least a millenia. Isir Palace announced yesterday afternoon that all political factions were to be disbanded and were, "by decree of law to establish themselves as entities known as political parties that will have wide authority to organize themselves and take a more pro-active approach in affecting the politics of our nation." The move was widely accepted and greeted, giving Iaruni more of a chance to be heard by their leader.

The Faction of Worshippers quickly disbanded and many of its adherents joined to create the Iaruni Conservative Party. The Faction of Patriots disbanded, and many of its followers created the Iaruni Republican Party. The Faction of Gaia, unsurprisingly, created a new party called the Iaruni Green Party. The few remaining members of the Republican Council that defected from the Worshippers' and Patriots' faction created a new party they called the Iaruni Liberty Party, a center-right party aimed at providing for overwhelming defense of the nation and adhering strictly to religious law. The new breakdown is as follows:

Iaruni Conservative Party (social and religious conservatives) - 112 seats (32%)

Iaruni Republican Party (moderate social-liberals emphasizing defense) - 91 seats (26%)

Iaruni Green Party (left-wing environmentalists) - 84 seats (24%)

Iaruni Liberty Party (moderate conservatives focused on defense and low taxes) - 63 seats (18%)

The creation of these new political parties will certainly increase an interest in the political process of Iaru. The Isiri has said that she does not intend to surrender her power but rather, "to allow Iaruni citizens more a chance to have a say in what they want. I will respond as appropriate." She will still hold ultimate power over those who are elected, and, although she has made no motion to do so, she will still have the power to restrict or disband political parties. With the upper house currently disbanded until the religious re-organization finds peace with itself, the lower house will have time to forge coalitions without restriction. In the past, the Elder Council has overwhelmingly restricted the ability of those in the Republican Council to organize themselves effectively.

PROSTITUTION BECOMES GOVERNMENT-SANCTIONED BUSINESS

The issue of prostitution had for some time dominated the debates in certain sepats. National legislation passed by the Republican Council and endorsed by the Isiri has now decreed prostitution to be a legitimate practice so long as it is government-run and regulated.

COUNCIL OF ELDERS DISSOLVED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Yesterday, the Isiri announced that she was dissolving the Elder Council shortly after she made her announcement of the streamlining of Osi-Ka. The reaction was swift. The Republican Council passed a resolution openly supporting the move, calling it, "one of the most liberating acts taken by Her Holiness". Elder Council members have been unavailable for comment and are believed to be at a remote location to undergo screening and be tested for loyalty and be made to make another oath to the religion. Without the Elder Council in the way, for now, the Republican Council will be able to pass sweeping legislation without too much resistance.

When, and it most likely will be, the Elder Council is recalled, its make-up will be dramatically changed. It is unclear at this point whether Isiri will divide the seats between the two remaining sects, if the number of seats will even remain the same, or if she won't put one sect in and disallow the other one from participating in political discussion.

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OOC: See here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=551981&highlight=iaru) for background info..

Sheets of rain tumbled from the sky and poured onto the street below. From the small window of the apartment, flashes of purple and white with the occasional deep rumbling shook the world outside. It was to this cacophony that Amosis Tjenna found restful sleep. The young priestess had just been ordained into the Sect of Gaia only days ago, right before the Age of Chaos descended upon Iaru. In her studio apartment she was curled up tightly on her large mattress that lay on the floor. The dwelling was, to say the least, quite bare. Its only decor was plant and nature-oriented with a lone chair and a large flat screen panel in one corner. Another was occupied by a small desk with a laptop sitting on it. The kitchen, as small as it was, was neatly organized and arranged. Barren floors of concrete and walls of peeling paint made this quite a place for your average underachieving squatter. Amosis preferred her humble abode to the lavish residence the Sect offered her in the temple complex at Amenophis, Karpes. Although the Sect of Gaia had been required to move its headquarters to Sekh-Osir when it became officially recognized by the Isiri, the Temple of Gaiophis in Karpes is a place of pilgrimage for all Gaian Osi-Kasites and thus remains extremely important.

A particular earth-shaking rumble caused Amosis to stretch slowly and pull her head from underneath her blankets. What she saw next startled her. Sitting across the room on that lone chair was a figure she couldn't quite make out. But the eyes blinked and it was clear in their deep, penetrating depths that the figure was a cat. Amosis blinked, then rubbed her eyes and looked again. A flash of bright light showed the figure to be a mau. The young priestess narrowed her eyes, and then the realization took her breath away. The cat swished its tail back and forth slowly, and meowed. Another flash, another rumble, and it was gone.

Amosis jumped up with a start. Did this really just happen? There's no way..

She ran to turn on the light and found it useless. Apparently the power had gone out at some point. She scurried over to the cabinets and grabbed a few candles to light and set them up near her. The priestess then reached for her laptop and opened up her documents that were several collections of scholarly and religious analysis on the Age of Chaos and events to take place once it occurred. She had remembered that the mau cat would disappear, and then reappear shortly after someplace else. The significance of its apparition was lost to her, hence the search. Scanning the screen with her tired, groggy eyes, Amosis rubbed her bald head slowly in an act of concentration.

At last, she found the article she was looking for. It was conveniently titled, "Resurrection of Anpu - Age of Chaos" and written by one of the high priests of the former Sect of Anpu. She read a paragraph, and then found a group of sentences she fought to believe. Or rather, fought to believe they weren't true.

For the Holy Mau shall have disappeared and then re-appeared at some place a distance from its vanishing point. Its place of resurrection will be the most humble of all, fit for humble men. However, the dweller of this humble place shall be more important than she ever imagined. The first to see the Mau is to be designated the most holy in the land below Isiri Asenath herself. The transition from natural to supernatural will occur in the moment that Mau calls out to the Blessed One, and the Blessed One shall know she has seen more than what she can understand. When Isiri feels the bond of divinity between the Blessed One and herself collide, Her Holiness shall order the girl to be placed at her side as daughter and holy heir to the throne and supreme religious leader of Iaru.

Amosis' mouth hung wide open. "No...way...This is insanity," she said aloud to herself. For quite a while she sat there in disbelief, staring at the words as they burned into her memory. Amosis had grown up as a simple woodsman's daughter and found her passion in preaching and learning the holy texts. Sure, there had been those times in her life when things seemed to work almost too well for her when everyone else was unfortunate, but she'd thought she had just been blessed person. But not the blessed one. Still not believing what she'd read, the young woman looked at the clock. 5:30 AM. An hour ago she was sound asleep, completely oblivious to the life-altering event that was to take place. Now, she was the Isiri's chosen daughter and heir. It just didn't make any sense.

The priestess continued to mull over this new idea as she showered. She thought of her childhood and running through the beautiful meadows just outside the forest in which her father worked. She thought of all those innocent years and innocent fun. Flowers were just pretty, not breathing, living things. The sky was just blue and clouds were just white, not an interconnected and complex atmosphere and masses of vapor. Amosis hung her head and let the water bounce off the back of her neck and run down her body. She then turned it off, dried herself, and put on her pink linen robes. It was then that a knock at the door would change her innocent life forever.

A loud, repeated rapt led her to wonder if the Isiri had come to take her. Surely she would have dispatched a squad in the Isir Guard to come collect her so that they could begin their journey together as mother and daughter, ruler and heir. A feeling of butterflies in her stomach overtook Amosis and she opened the door...

In the tall, black glass skyscraper in downtown Amenophis, the top floor that housed the Isir Guard HQ of the city was dead at this early morning hour. The strong storms outside were visible from this height, lightning flashing and raging across the otherwise dark sky. The only person on duty at this time was a young intern named Intep that was tasked with the graveyard shift. Basically his responsibility was to process and file a host of reports, missions, and mission data. Considering that the Isir Guard's primary task is to protect and serve the Isiri, its conventional military force in Amenophis far from Sekh-Osir was virtually nonextant. However, Amenophis was secretly the Black Ops Division HQ for the Isir Guard, a prime and convenient location located close enough to the democracy-craving southern part of the nation but far enough to not be scrutinized by anarchists and suspicious freedom fanatics.

Intep was logging mission data when the telephone rang. It startled him, and quite reasonably so. The phone almost never rang at this time of morning and he looked at it incredulously. "IG HQ, of Amenophis, Karpes." The voice on the other end was only one he'd heard once during a conference call. "This is Serapion. Isiri has informed me that the Rapture has occurred and its location has been confirmed. You are to dispatch a squad immediately to the coordinates that I'm about to send you. The person or persons on those exact coordinates are to be extracted and detained until further notice. Understood?" Intep had never received an order from anyone higher than the colonel, much less a task that actually meant something. "Yes sir! I'll have a status report to you shortly." "Excellent. May her Spirit be with you."

The intern swiveled in his chair and pushed a small blue button that sent an automated message to Gen. Nekau Minnakht, commander of the Black Ops Division informing him that a mission of "top priority" had been received from the top. Intep also activated the Armory where munitions, armor, and other equipment were stored several miles away beneath an apartment complex. The very apartment complex, in fact, where all the members of the BOD resided. Within moments, General Minnakht phoned Intep. "Intep, what's the situation?" The young intern felt slightly overwhelmed at being in the middle of all this. The most action he'd seen had been from the sidelines, but he wasn't complaining. "Sir, Omarus Serapion ordered an E&D at a set of coordinates I'm uploading to our gear in the armory. I've also sent them to you over our secured network and you should be receiving them now." The general mused for a second. "Alright. Any idea what this is about?" Intep hesitated. Minnakht noticed, and sounded irritated. "Listen, you received an order from the top that at any other time would have reached me. I am above you in the chain and I'm telling you to tell me what you know." Intep swallowed. "Yes, sir. Sorry. All Omarus Serapion mentioned was that the Rapture had occurred and that these coordinates would take us to ground zero." The general, from what Intep could hear, didn't believe it. "Are you sure?" "Very sure, sir. He sounded quite urgent." A new tone of confidence entered the general's voice. "Very well. I'll issue the order and be on my way to you shortly."

With that, the Yellow Squad received an order around 5:37 AM dispatched via Gen. Minnakht. The group of five "roommates" as their neighbors knew them quietly and quickly made their way down to the secret armory below. A maze of corridors to the basement, and then a secret door, and then more corridors and finally a retina scan ensured that no wandering person find it. They did their work with speed and efficiency, donning the armor and receiving the uploaded information in their helmet displays. "Okay, gang. We're only going six blocks south of here, so there's no need to take the van. I want us to move fast. The target may be getting ready to move. And remember, this is an E&D mission. The target is not to be harmed." A chorus of, "Aye, Commander" sounded and the squad took off.

Arriving at the apartment building, they broke into the front door that was locked, then proceeded up the stairs quietly. On their helmet display, the could see the NAV marker showing themselves only about fifty feet from the target, to the right. Passing a number of apartments, they finally found one door that blinked bright red on their display. The commander whispered, "This is it." He then walked up briskly, banged on the door enough to get the attention of the person on the other side, and then stepped back waiting to kick it in the second it was opened to send a message of strength.

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Loud, repeated rapts led her to wonder if the Isiri had come to take her. Surely she would have dispatched a squad in the Isir Guard to come collect her so that they could begin their journey together as mother and daughter, ruler and heir. A feeling of butterflies in her stomach overtook Amosis and she opened the door...

The door flew open as a kick from the other side slammed it back into the wall, barely missing Amosis. "Get down on the floor, NOW!"

The young woman obeyed the voice without question. She dropped to her knees and held her hands high over her head. She could now make out five figures dressed in black special ops gear with large helmets and deeply tinted faceplates. "You are being extracted and detained under grounds that we cannot disclose. Resistance to your arrest will be met with brute force. You have no rights. Don't move." Tears streamed down Amosis' face as she wondered if she was being punished, exterminated, or if this was an unglorified version of the welcome for which she had hoped. The speaker, who she assumed to be the commander of the squad, stayed on her as the rest of the group searched the apartment. "Is there anyone with you?" Amosis shook her head. And then she nodded and choked, "There was. Anpu visited me." She sobbed harder. The commander knelt down beside her. "Listen, lady. We're just here on a mission, not to arrest you. You're being taken where we can determine a number of things and then you'll be free to go." She nodded. This statement seemed to calm her. After they cleared the apartment he said, "Alright, let's move out."

At that moment, a loud crash of force sent the wall flying in pieces as a giant fireball enveloped the other side of the building and a number of angry voices coming up the stairs only seconds later. Two members of the black ops squad were down, likely dead from the large splinters of wood that were lodged in their chests. The other three were fine and Amosis was, thankfully, safe. "FUCK! Box her in, we're moving out NOW!" The group moved carefully outside the room, swept the area for hostiles, and then moved down the stairs. The commander noticed movement. He held his hand up to order a halt. He crept slowly down the stairs, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Suddenly a loud flash and the reverberation of machine gun fire erupted in the stairwell. Bullets riddled the commanding officer until he fell lifeless to the floor, but the firing didn't stop. The remaining members of the squad formed a triangle and knelt, putting suppressing fire on the source. One primed a grenade and tossed it, blowing out the last few stairs and emitting a cry of pain from at least three voices.

They moved down quickly. By this time, the police had arrived outside, their loud sirens and flashing blue lights putting the mission in higher peril. They dodged the front entrance and ran through one of the adjacent doors that had been blown to bits by the explosion. The dwelling on the other side was intact as it had not been on the side of the explosion. Angry voices came behind, followed by orders to stand down, followed by an exchange of gunfire. The police had apparently found the culprits and were engaged in eliminating their presence. This gave the black ops squad enough time to crawl out of a window and escape. Two blocks away, as arranged by General Minnakht, a black van was waiting to hurry them off. The group entered the back and in the front seat Intep turned. "Shit! Where are the other two?" "Down and dead, and we've got to get the fuck out of here now. The mission was being hijacked." "Fuck, I'm on it!" The van sped off down the street and didn't stop until it reached Isir Palace several hours later.

Amosis had survived the worst experience she'd ever been through. On the radio, she heard that martial law was in effect across the nation as security services investigated what they were calling a "terrorist attack" on an apartment building in Amenophis. However, she knew that she'd been the target. The young priestess was concerned about this because it was not foretold that the Blessed One would face threats to her life. But it is the Age of Chaos.. she thought to herself.

As they reached the bridge that reached to the island of Sekh-Osir, the occupants of the van almost breathed a sigh of relief. When they reached Isir Palace, they did breathe a sigh of relief. As they reached the gates they were greeted by Omarus Menes Serapion, who beckoned them to exit. "Welcome to Isir Palace," he said mostly to Amosis. She smiled a tired, weary smile and bowed. "Thank you, Omarus. I am blessed to be in your presence."

"No, my young priestess. You are simply Blessed," he said with a bright smile.