Towards troubled Bashyam

The events in the Duchy of Fekhoya kept me awake yesterday night, worrying. 

I have come to know and appreciate Duchess Deritan and several of her close collaborators. Her rise was meteoric, and that resulted in the jealousy of many other noble houses. She is as this hero from legends, who flew towards the sun using wings made of bird feathers and wax. She flew too quickly too high, towards the sun, and her wings melted, and now she falls.

The scheming of her competitors bore its bitter fruit, as they convinced King Khanid to reassert his claim on the Duchy of Fekhoya. Using force, indeed using his elite cyber knights units. This takes place right now, now that the Duchy has been made prosperous again though the labor of both LUMEN and lady Deritan's own corporation. 

I cannot question the wisdom of a Royal heir, but at the same time I cannot forget how adequately and compassionately the Duchess leads her people and thus served her King. 

Tonight I am headed for Bashyam IV, for the Deritan estate. I am converting some servants of the household to our faith. I do not know what I will find there, I hope that the planet is not under a blockade...  but I must go, as I promised.

A surprise invitation

My insignificant documentary on the Khanid may not have gone completely unnoticed, as I was invited to the court of lady Ithiria Deritan, Holder of one of the most important houses in the Kingdom, and Duchess of Fekhoya. 

 

When I got this invitation, I found it hard to believe that such honor had been bestowed on me... Before I became a capsuleer, I had not met any Holder in person. For a baseliner who does not work at court, there is no reason to expect such a blessing. Even now, when I am face to face with nobility, it makes me nervous, although less so than my very first time, a memorable meeting Lord-consort Shutaq-Newelle.

The estates to which I was invited are beautifully and tastefully arranged, with a nice courtyard to wait. Security was much less paranoid and much more polite and discrete than on the Lok'ri estate. I was brought to a lounge, where tea was served and where I had a conversation with the Duchess.

 

She is kind and gracious, and shows concern for commoners. We talked about many topics, including books. She is the author of the best-selling "Holder's Handbook", describing the proper treatment and management of slaves. Many young Holder heirs would do well to read it. Oh, I must also remember to send a copy to mr. Nauplius. 

 

And, to my great joy, the Holder's Handbook might get a new and expanded edition! With all that happened in the cluster, an update is in order.

 

The Duchess was also saddened by some harmful rumors that her competitors spread. Noble houses fight each other often by undermining each other's reputation. However, the slander spread at the expense of house Deritan is of exceptional intensity. Now that I have had the pleasure to meet the Duchess, I can vouch that in our interactions she was righteous in the faith, devout, and compassionate. Also her actions speak for her: she sent help to Tanoo in the immediate aftermath of the recent terror attack, even though the Duchy of Fekhoya itself needs its resources to mobilize.

 

I look forward to meeting the Duchess again, and to assist in what humble way I can in realizing and promulgating a new edition of the Holder's Handbook.

House Deritan

I have been working on an essay on the history and customs of the Khanid. This will be a pedagogical work. I agreed to make it for a Gallente woman with Khanid roots that I met at the Auction for Literature, miss Aselin-Duvaul. She is marrying into a Khanid noble house and wants to prepare herself for her future station. 

 

She told me that she will become a member of House Deritan. The Deritans are important Holders in the Kingdom as they are ninth in succession to the Khanid throne. 

 

House Deritan has not been spared of controversy. There are awful rumors of drug dealing, Sani Sabik sympathies, orgies, and forced ceremonial suicides of family members. But then again, slanderers often say the above list of vices are the very definition of Khanid nobility.

 

There is a bit of mystery I would like to figure out. My Gallente acquaintance mentioned that her  engagement was with lady Ithiria Deritan. I did not make much of it at the time, but now I wonder if there are several ladies with that name? The lady Ithiria Deritan I know of was the former Holder and Matriarch of the Deritan clan, but according to the news she has passed away.  

 

Interestingly, I found in the civil service records that a new corporation "Disciples of Night" was founded just over a month ago by an "Ithi Deritan". It operates in highsec Khanid space and part of the Duchy of Sib. 

 

This gets the wheels in my mind turning. Could this Ithiria Deritan be the duchess mentioned by lord Lok'ri? And, the corporation's name suggests devotion to the darkness, that doesn't sound very good, quite the opposite of Khimi Harar. Moreover, miss Aselin-Duvaul mentioned that the Deritans are part of a "cult" that she is trying to figure out more about. She seemed worried about that, and did not want to ask a priest aligned with house Deritan.

Luckily, as I went over the personnel roster of the Disciples of Night, I stumbled upon the name of a friend.