The Exarch

''This article is a wiki backup of the WIP book itself, also available on Scratch. For the as-yet-unwritten article about the book, see .The Exarch. I had to put a random full stop in the title because I forgot to give this one a proper title and don't know how to change it.''

Prologue:
1910

Not-so-Infinite Waters

Occidentalis Medietas, Fictian Empire

At a small town in a massive empire, Stephen Sortitus looked out of a castle window. Stephen was the official governor of Occidentalis Medietas, and ruled his small province in Occidentalis Minor from a fortress built during the original unification of the Ficts millennia before. This should have made Stephen feel fortunate and gratified, but he only had dislike for his surroundings.

Indeed, all the governor could think about was the fact he had controlled the exact same province for 5 years. He was afraid that he was losing his chance at promotion in the bureaucracy. After all, his city of Not-so-Infinite Waters wasn't doing well.

When he had been appointed governor, his province was one of a few in a relatively small state, and at the time Occidentalis Major was unknown. His position was prestigious at the time, especially since his provincial seat was Infinite Waters, a resort city renowned for being the westernmost known city in the world. For the first few years of his governorship, the province had been prosperous and his prize city had been a popular tourist site.

The need for FEDEX to send explorers west to discover Occidentalis Major changed all of that, however. Suddenly, there was an entire massive continent of cities to the west of his province, and its significance as the westernmost point in the world was gone. He had to rename the city "Not-so-Infinite Waters" and watched as tourism dwindled and his province became minor in the Empire. Now all Stephen could see was a failed town around a castle so old it was useless in war.

A knock suddenly sounded at the door to Stephen's room. "Come in," the governor said. The door opened to reveal a short man in an elaborate dark green army uniform, decorated with the imperial chi rho. Along with the helmet he wore, a rare sight in the Fictian army, he was obviously a high-ranking military officer.

Considering the guards would only let in important individuals to see the governor, Stephen knew this man had something very significant to say. He fretted it might be that he would lose his governorship and be fired, even though the fall of his province had nothing to do with his rule. "What is it?" Stephen growled.

"I'm here bearing a message from the Emperor himself," said the officer.

Now Stephen really had a reason to fret. George II, the emperor at the time, had absolute power to do as he wished with the provinces. This was certainly his doom. "What has our esteemed ruler decreed?" the governor asked. "His Majesty has decreed that you are no longer eligible to govern this province," said the officer, "Instead, you are to be reassigned."

"Reassigned," said Stephen, "What does that mean?"

"Well," the officer said, "The Emperor is actually considering promoting you. As bad as Occidentalis Medietas has been doing lately, he's convinced you had nothing to do with it and just had bad luck. In fact, he might even make you an Exarch."

Exarch. That word had tremendous meaning to Stephen. He remembered when William Aegrus, his rival, had become the Exarch of Australis. He had been given practical autonomous rule of a rich area for the Emperor. Stephen could only wish for such luck. "Why would I become Exarch," Stephen asked, "When William is already one?"

"Well, you wouldn't rule Australis," the officer said, "but I can't say much more. If you're interested in the job, you'll have to come with me to Capital City and see George II personally."

This was a huge honor, and not something Stephen would pass up. He speedily agreed. "Good. I'll bring you with me on the airship due for me later today so you won't have to spend hours on horseback. Be at the beach by 5:00." The officer then left, but Stephen barely noticed. He was too busy registering he had been chosen to become an Exarch, even over all of his gubernatorial peers.

Chapter 1: The Road to Capital City
1910

Not-so-Infinite Waters

Occidentalis Medietas, Fictian Empire

Stephen glanced over the western beach of Not-So-Infinite Waters, a large strip of sand extending from the city to the Strait of Fictia. Above him was a nearly brand-new Fictian airship, a massive blimp dwarfing the closed storefronts of Not-So-Infinite Waters.

Stephen had a sense of fascination at the great airship hovering above him. With a mechanically-inclined mindset, he probably would have become an engineer, a desperately needed position throughout the expanding Empire, if he wasn't an aristocrat. The properties of most of the new technology being used in the Fictian army and administration, especially the humongous blimp's ability to stay suspended in the air, was something he wished he could have focused on instead of running his failure of a province...

Hired locals had moved Stephen's belongings into the waiting airship, and everything was ready for him to board. He carefully climbed up the rickety rope ladder to board the ship, and took a final look back at his town. As much as the abandonment of Not-So-Infinite-Waters saddened him, a sense of excitement had entered him. After all, he was about to be reassigned somewhere where a real future probably existed for, even if the lack of details on his new post bothered him.

Upon entering the airship, Stephen glanced over the luxurious interior and took a seat without barely even thinking, given what a staple of imperial travel the ships had become. A steward offered him water for the flight, but the governor refused. He could never be sure if refreshments made by employees of the imperial government were safe or poisoned to pave the way for another coup to happen.

As the airship left behind the beach and flew inland, Stephen looked out the window at the rolling farmlands and forests dotting much of the interior of Occidentalis Minor. The busy activity of horses on trails winding through the picturesque landscape reminded Stephen of what travel was once like. Before the Fictian Empire had formed and built the airship he was sitting in for easy travel, the stagnated Kingdom of Fictia had only one mode of travel: walking on foot. Horses had come, like airships, from other outside countries, so if this event was happening just a few decades earlier Stephen would have been making a long journey on foot to the capital, probably accompanied by a ton of servants to carry baggage.