December 8, Sigmund Year One, Royal Capital of Broomflower, Prye City, Imperial Palace, Privy Council Hall.
"Rebellion? Mario Fortress has fallen? Count Mario is dead!" Empress Dowager Katerina's shrill roar nearly lifted the lofty vaulted ceiling of the Privy Council Hall.
The emergency military report in her hand, spattered with mud and seemingly still carrying the stench of blood, shook violently from the force of her grip. Her exquisite nails nearly pierced the tough parchment.
Her well-maintained face was now twisted by fury and terror. Even her carefully applied makeup could not conceal the bloodless pallor of her skin or the veins throbbing at her temples.
"Y-yes, Empress Dowager..." The messenger prostrated on the floor, his voice shaking beyond recognition. His forehead was pressed hard against the cold marble floor, sweat pouring down like rain.
"Re... rebel general Luo Yao gathered roughly five thousand men under his command and... and brazenly rose in revolt the night before last. Working from within and without, they stormed Mario Fortress. The fortress garrison... was almost entirely wiped out. Count Mario... after being captured... was publicly... sentenced to burning by the rebels. He... he died a miserable death..." The messenger's voice grew softer and softer until it was nearly inaudible.
"Useless trash! Good-for-nothings! Idiots!" The Empress Dowager hurled the military report to the floor. Still unsatisfied, she snatched up a heavy silver inkwell from the table and smashed it viciously against the wall!
With a thunderous BANG, ink splattered everywhere, leaving a shocking stain upon the wall's lavish murals.
Several senior ministers and high-ranking officers standing in attendance all flinched in unison, lowering their heads even further, scarcely daring to breathe.
"Eagle Nest in the north is under siege, and the Sauron Barbarians are watching like tigers! Eisenberg sends three urgent reports a day,